Fresh Spinach and cherry tomatoes give this Shrimp Scampi dish a fresh and bright feel while the lemon juice makes it pop. And of course, the butter, garlic, and wine bring a rich flavor to the dish. Give this Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes a try tonight and see how simple and delicious it is.
Tips and Tricks about Crustaceans
Shrimp in any form or fashion is an easy and quick way to serve up a meal. Below you will find a few tips that will help when preparing this beloved “under the sea” crustacean.
How to Choose Shrimp for this Shrimp Scampi with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes :
- Unless you live near the Gulf of Mexico where shrimp are caught wild and you are able to purchase them straight off the dock, frozen is your best bet. Don’t be fooled by the thawed shrimp nestled atop the ice at your seafood counter. They’ve been previously frozen and thawed probably from a bag like what you should be picking out in the freezer section.
- Always choose wild-caught instead of farm-raised. Farm-raised shrimp can have high doses of antibiotics, some have a coating of chemicals used to clean the tanks and some are colored with a pink dye trying to appear as wild-caught.
How to Defrost Shrimp:
- The best way to thaw these frozen crustaceans is to place them in a colander. Cover and set it in a large bowl in your refrigerator overnight. Any of the excess liquid will drain out.
- Another way to defrost the shrimp is to cover them with cold water in a large bowl for about 10 minutes. Drain the water and cover them again with cold water for another 15 minutes or so. They should still be cold when you remove them from the bowl.
- Do not use hot or warm water over the shrimp. And never defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.
How to Devein and Peel Shrimp:
- You can buy shrimp already peeled or you can do it yourself. Some people leave the peel on as it can give additional flavor. But to peel, start from the head and peel toward the tail. The legs come right off with it.
- Make sure they are deveined. You can either buy them deveined already or you can do it yourself. After you peel the shrimp, take a sharp kitchen knife and slit along the curved back of the shrimp. With the tip of the knife remove the black vein, which is the digestive tract of this little creature. Not a pretty picture. Rinse any residue or grit that may still remain.
How to Cook Shrimp for this Shrimp Scampi Recipe:
- Shrimp cooks fast, so make sure and stay close by after you have placed them in a large skillet. The number one mistake most people make is overcooking, which results in a rubbery texture.
- Add them in a single layer to a very hot skillet with olive oil but don’t stir them. Let them cook on one side for about 1-2 minutes depending on how big the shrimp are. Individually turn each shrimp and let cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes.
- You can tell they are fully cooked when they turn a whitish opaque and the tails become a reddish-orange color.
Putting It All Together
Follow the instructions on the pasta box for an “al dente” result. There’s nothing worse than mushy pasta. It can ruin your whole dish. Once the pasta is boiling, you can begin cooking the shrimp scampi right away.
Literally, in less than 15 minutes your other ingredients will be ready to join up with the cooked pasta to present a lovely healthy meal. I wouldn’t recommend making this ahead of time because there’s something about the freshness that makes it enticing.
Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes
Shrimp Scampi is wonderful all on its own. How can you go wrong with a buttery garlic and lemon sauce combined with shrimp and pasta? I do love, though, to add a fresh and bright side to this dish. Spinach and cherry tomatoes not only give it a beautiful color but add some nice texture as well. You can choose either baby or regular spinach.
It’s important not to let the spinach wilt too much or the tomatoes cook too long. You don’t want them to lose their consistency. It takes a very small amount of time to achieve this, a couple of minutes actually.
When you add the spinach, you will think there is way too much in comparison to the dish itself. But stick with me and you will see that it cooks down to the perfect amount.
The array of recipes that can be enhanced by these little marvels are limitless. Start with this Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes, add some crusty bread and a side salad and I guarantee you’re gonna make this again and again.
If you love seafood dishes, you will love these recipes also:
Salmon with Creamy Mustard Sauce
Sockeye Salmon with Fruit Salsa
Seared Tuna Salad with Peanut Sauce
Pan-Seared Salmon with Blood Orange Sauce
PrintShrimp Scampi Pasta with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes
Treat your family to a fresh, savory Italian–American classic with this Shrimp Scampi Pasta Recipe. I‘ve brightened this dish with sweet grape tomatoes, fresh spinach, and a hint of lemon juice. Succulent shrimp in a garlic butter white wine sauce is tossed with your favorite pasta for a rich and delicious meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons Butter – divided
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Shallots, sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Garlic, chopped
- 1 lb Large Raw Shrimp, peeled, deveined, and thawed
- Kosher Salt, to taste
- Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
- Juice of 1 Lemons
- 1/2 cup Dry White Wine (I use Chardonnay)
- 10 ounces Pasta, cooked (I use Linguini)
- 5-ounce package Fresh Spinach (Baby or Regular)
- 2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high, melt 4 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Turn the heat to medium and add 1 pound of large raw shrimp (peeled, deveined and thawed) in one layer to the skillet.
- Season with salt and pepper. Do not stir.
- Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes depending on the size of your shrimp. Turn the shrimp individually and cook for another 1-2 minutes until they are a whitish opaque.
- Remove the shrimp from the skillet, cover with foil and keep warm.
- Add 1/2 cup sliced shallots to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the juice of 1 medium lemon and 1/2 cup of dry white wine. Bring to a boil and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.
- Add a 5-ounce package of fresh baby spinach and 2 cups grape tomatoes (halved) along with 10 ounces of cooked pasta into the skillet and gently toss until the spinach is wilted.
- Season again with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet and mix it all together.
- Serve warm with crusty bread and a side salad (optional).
- ENJOY!!
Notes
- Unless you live where shrimp are caught wild and you are able to purchase them straight from the waters, frozen is your best bet.
- Always choose wild-caught instead of farm-raised. Farm-raised shrimp can have high doses of antibiotics, some have a coating of chemicals used to clean the tanks and some are colored with a pink dye trying to appear as wild-caught.
- The best way to thaw shrimp is to place them in a colander. Cover and set it in a large bowl in your refrigerator overnight. Any of the excess liquid will drain out.
- For a quick thawing of the frozen, raw shrimp, remove from bag and set the shrimp in a large bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain the water. Add more cold water and let sit for another 10-15 minutes. The shrimp should still be cold when you remove them from the bowl.
- Do not use hot or warm water over the shrimp. And never defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.
- You can buy shrimp already peeled or you can do it yourself. But to peel, start from the head and peel toward the tail. The legs come right off with it.
- To devein after the shrimp is peeled, take a sharp kitchen knife and slit along the curved back of the shrimp. With the tip of the knife remove the black vein, which is the digestive tract of this little creature. Not a pretty picture. Rinse any residue or grit that may still remain.
- Shrimp cooks fast. Stay close by after you have placed them in the skillet. The number one mistake most people make is overcooking, which results in a rubbery texture.
- You can tell they are fully cooked when they turn a whitish opaque and the tails become a reddish-orange color.
- It’s important not to let the spinach wilt too much or the tomatoes cook too long. It takes a very short amount of time – a couple minutes.
- When you add the spinach, you will think there is way too much in comparison to the dish itself. But it cooks down to the perfect amount.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of Skillet
- Calories: 536
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 747 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 151 mg
Keywords: Shrimp Scampi Pasta, Shrimp Scampi Pasta Recipe, Shrimp and Pasta with Spinach, Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
Kristy, this looks amazing! The photos are beautiful! You must have been smiling when you took these☺️.
Niki thank you so much for the comment! It’s easy to smile when I’m about to put Shrimp Scampi in my mouth!
This dish looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks so much Karly! I do have to say, it did turn out pretty dang good. If you try it, I would love to know what you think!
Made this tonight – my husband said he could eat another bowl full of it! I did not have any white wine so used chicken broth and no cherry tomatoes so used Romas. No fresh lemon so used juice and it still was delicious. Can’t wait to try it again for company with the wine, fresh lemon and cherry tomatoes! This one is definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Hi Joni, thanks so much for your comment. I love that you tried this recipe and that your husband liked it so much. I think the variations that you used would have worked just great. This is a recipe that you could change up as you did with ingredients on hand. Thanks so much for stopping by. Let me know what your company thinks when you try it again.
This was delicious! Loved the additional flavor with the spinach and tomatoes – won’t go back to plain shrimp scampi!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Melissa! I’m so glad you tried this Shrimp Scampi with Spinach and Tomatoes and you loved it. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
I made this tonight and it was so delicious. I used cherry tomatoes from my garden and followed this recipe exactly . I used Sauvignon Blanc for the wine and seasoned the shrimp with Chef Paul PRUDHOMME’S Blackened Redfish Magic. Added fresh shredded parm and fresh parsley. Served with garlic toast. Thank you!
Jennifer, thank you so much for stopping by my site and trying out this shrimp scampi recipe. I’m so happy that you enjoyed the dish. Also, it’s a great idea that you seasoned the shrimp with the Blackened Redfish Magic. I will have to check that out. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Excuse me.I would like to ask. How much is 4 cups of fresh spinach?And does it needed to be chopped or sliced? It’ll be a big help if I can know the exact weight needed. Thank you
Hi Lishia! Thanks so much for stopping by. One cup of fresh spinach equals about 1.5 to 2 ounces – so for 4 cups, you will need between 6 and 8 ounces. Make sure and use a large skillet because when you add the spinach it is a little tricky trying to stir in all those greens. But it does reduce down a great amount when cooked. And no need to chop or slice the spinach. Just throw it in whole and stir until it becomes somewhat wilted. Hope you enjoy.
What can I substitute for the wine?
Hi Laura. Thanks for stopping by. You can substitute chicken broth for the white wine. I think you will be happy with those results as well.
You know, I’d have this any day over turkey. It’s a fabulous recipe. There’s just something about shrimp with pasta.
I totally agree Mimi – on both counts. This over turkey and shrimp with pasta. Thanks so much for stopping by and posting this note.
This looks so fresh and healthy and flavorful! Can’t wait to try it!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Carrie. I do love how easy and healthy this recipe is. Let me know what you think if you end up making it.
This is an awesome dish and easy to prepare. We used whole grain pasta and it had great flavor. I love just about anything with shrimp and this held very true to that. Thanks for all your recipes – we love them.
★★★★★
Craig, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this recipe. I love that you used whole grain pasta. I do love “anything” shrimp as well. I appreciate your kind comment.
Kristy,
Your shrimp scampi was delicious! We made it last night and it was light and fresh. We are trying to eat more healthy. Thank you!
★★★★★
Sharon, thank you so much for your kind comment on the shrimp scampi. I do agree it is light and fresh. It is definitely on the healthy side. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I have made this recipe many times and it NEVER disappoints!! Thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Penny, thank you so much for sharing! It makes me so happy that you made this recipe many times and you have never been disappointed. This shrimp scampi is one of my favorite recipes to make. So quick and easy.
Made it as is and it was fantastic! Made it again for my dad who requested spicy Italian sausage added as well– amazing! This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for stopping by, making the Shrimp Scampi recipe and leaving your comment. I’m so happy you like it. What a great idea to add Italian sausage as well. Hope you and your family are safe and healthy.
We loved it and I will definitely make it again. I used angel hair pasta and some extra garlic. I also used chicken broth instead of the wine.
★★★★★
I’m so happy that you loved this dish. It is one of my favorite. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment, Kimberly.
I skipped the lemon juice, and probably added added a little more wine and garlic. It was delicious – worthy of a Pinterest Pin! Thank you!
★★★★★
Oh, Jill, thank you so much. This recipe is definitely my most popular on Pinterest. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Be safe and stay healthy!
If I could rate this higher I would. My hubby is not a big pasta guy but he had 2 helpings. I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough white wine so put 1/4c wine and 1/4 c chicken broth. The lemon juice added a freshness that was great. Also added parmesan cheese to sauce and fresh parm over top…..
Amazing
★★★★★
Cris, thank you so much for your kind comment. I’m so happy that you enjoyed the pasta dish so much. Your substitute for the wine was perfect and I love that you added parmesan cheese. What a great idea.
I enjoyed this recipe and successfully cut it to 1/4 to enjoy myself. It had a fresh flavor. I made it with the exact ingredients except for adding a few red pepper flakes toward the end and topping with Parmesan cheese. The only change I would make is adding fresh basil the last minute. Thank you for a lovely recipe that I can easily make for one.
★★★★★
Hi Ginni. I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe. I love the additions and suggestions you made. It really does have fresh flavor. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Could I freeze this meal after cooking? I’ve made this a few times before and my boyfriend & I love it! I would like to make this as a postpartum meal after I give birth next week. (: Pls let me know! & if so… any specific instructions on how I should freeze this cooked meal?
Thank you
★★★★★
Hi Eden. First of all congratulations on your pregnancy. I’ve never tried freezing this meal so I can’t say for certain it will do well. If I did anything, I would make the dish without adding any spinach or tomatoes. What makes this recipe so good is the freshness both those ingredients bring. But once you cook the scrimp scampi with noodles, my suggestion would be to let it completely cook, add it to a freezer ziplock bag, and put it in the freezer. When ready to eat, let it thaw in the refrigerator and pop it in the microwave to heat. Then add the spinach and tomatoes. Hope that helps. Please let me know if you try it. Thanks for stopping by and asking. Good luck with your delivery!
Just wondering, have you tried this with zucchini spiraled noodles? It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it very soon!
Hi Melissa. I’ve never tried the zucchini spiraled noodles with it but I don’t see why it would not work. If you try it, I would love to hear how it turned out. Thanks so much for checking out the recipe.
Such a nice addition of the spinach and tomatoes to bring this scampi a fresh feel. Looks so delicious!
★★★★★
Searing shrimp requires a higher heat then ‘medium’, and if you turn the heat on the shallot-garlic-butter-wine mixture, you burn it. What would you suggest to mitigate this – or am I doing something wrong (totally possible!)
Hi Franky. Thanks so much for pointing that out. Instead of searing the shrimp, it is best to just cook the shrimp over medium heat. The onions and garlic will burn at that higher heat. I’ve changed the instructions to reflect that. Thanks again.
Can you use frozen cooked shrimp? How would you suggest to do that.
Hi Jane. Yes you can cook frozen shrimp. Just make sure you choose the EZ peel label which is already deveined and the shell is cut down the back. I would rinse them for about one minute to remove the ice crystals and separate any shrimp stuck together. It takes about 50 percent more time to cook when they are frozen. So you will just want to account for that as well. Good luck and thanks for stopping by.
Hi Jane. After rereading your question, I realized you were asking about frozen shrimp that was already cooked. I’ve never used cooked frozen shrimp, but I’m sure you can defrost it and add it right before you add the spinach and tomatoes. This will give it time for the shrimp to get warm. Hopefully, that helps and clarifies your question.
Thank you for your quick response. I am going to make this for dinner tonight, it all looks delicious!
I made this tonight and absolute chef’s kiss! I took someone’s recommendation for some Parmesan cheese as a garnish. The only thing I will do differently is add more spinach but, I’m a veggie kind of gal. Thanks for the recipe, it’s being added to the monthly playlist.
Hi Amelia. Thanks so much. Makes me very happy that you enjoyed this Shrimp Scampi dish. It’s one of my top-viewed recipes. It always gets great reviews and I’m so excited to have your review in the comments.
Absolutely scrumptious!
Many thanks from Bucharest, Romania!
Simona, an architect
(photo included in the mail)
★★★★★
Thanks so much Simona!