Description
This Spicy Tomato Garlic Butter Pasta is a quick 25-minute dinner that’s bursting with bold, savory flavors! Juicy seared shrimp, perfectly cooked pasta, fresh cherry tomatoes, and plenty of garlic come together in a luscious, spicy tomato butter sauce. Finish with fresh basil and a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for an incredible tasting easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
Scale
Shrimp:
- 10.6 ounces / 300 grams peeled and deveined Shrimp or Prawns (frozen weight, 10-14 pieces if using size 16/20) – thawed and rinsed thoroughly
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper
- ½ tablespoon / 7 grams Unsalted Butter, for cooking
Spicy Tomato Garlic Butter Pasta:
- 1 small / 20-25 grams Asian Red Shallot (or use regular shallot/eschalot or red onion) – finely chopped
- 4-5 / 25 grams Garlic cloves – minced
- 1-5 / 3-15 grams fresh Red Chilies, to taste (optional – I used Thai Bird’s Eye red chilies but any variety can be used, omit for milder dish, note 1*) – finely chopped
- 7 ounces / 200 grams Cherry Tomatoes – quartered
- ¼ cup Fresh Basil Leaves, loosely packed – thinly sliced
- 2 cups / 66 grams Baby Spinach – washed if needed
- ¼ cup / 20 grams freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- ⅛ + ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt, divided
- 5 ounces / 142 grams uncooked Linguini Pasta (or your preferred noodle-type pasta – note 2)
- 2 tablespoons / 30 grams Unsalted Butter
- 1 – 1.25 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste (note 3)
- ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon ground Cayenne, to taste (note 3)
- 1.5 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
- Reserved Pasta Cooking Water, as needed
- To Serve: reserved freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (plus more if desired), reserved sliced fresh Basil
Instructions
Prep:
- Prepare the shrimp: Thaw the frozen shrimp and rinse thoroughly. Pat-dry and add to bowl. Season with ¼ teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper. Mix to coat and set aside.
- Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop/slice the shallot, garlic, red chilies, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section. Season the cherry tomatoes with ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt and set aside. Use a block grater to grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Spicy Tomato Garlic Butter Pasta:
- Cook the pasta: Cook the linguini pasta al-dente in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. (I run cold water over the pasta to prevent it from sticking and cooking further but this is optional.)
- Sear the shrimp: Melt ½ tablespoon of unsalted butter in a medium-sized deep sauté pan or deep edged skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp and spread out the pieces in the pan. Allow to sear for 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes or until just cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics: In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium-heat. Add the shallots, garlic, red chilies, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, crushed red pepper flakes and ground cayenne. Sauté for a minute until the aromatics are starting to soften and everything is fragrant.
- Add the cherry tomatoes: Add the cherry tomatoes and stir until they start to soften and release their juices.
- Stir in the sauces: Add the oyster sauce and low sodium light soy sauce. Mix to combine and simmer for a minute to let the flavors meld.
- Add the pasta and spinach: Add the cooked pasta, baby spinach and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Mix well to combine, until the baby spinach starts to wilt and the glossy tomato butter sauce is coating everything.
- Mix in the shrimp: Add the cooked shrimp and mix to combine.
- Stir in cheese and basil: Add most of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and fresh basil (reserve some of both for garnish) and 1-2 tablespoons of pasta water. Mix to combine until the cheese has melted. Switch off the heat.
- Serve: Divide evenly onto plates and garnish with the reserved grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (plus more if desired) and sliced fresh basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Fresh Red Chilies. Use more or less to tailor this dish to your heat level preference. You can leave them out completely for a milder dish or if dining with children.
- Pasta type. Besides linguini, fettuccine, spaghetti, pappardelle, capellini (angel hair) are all great options. You can use a short-cut pasta shape in a pinch but the sauce lends itself beautifully to a noodle-type pasta and would be preferred.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes and Ground Cayenne. Adjust the amount to taste depending on your spice level preference. Omit for a mild dish.
- Storing and reheating. Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. You can also reheat in a pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add a splash of water to help loosen up the tomato butter sauce.
- Double the recipe. This recipe makes enough for 2 adult sized servings but can easily be scaled up. Click the ‘2x’ button at the top of the recipe card to display double the ingredient amounts to make 4 servings. Use a large skillet to cook if doubling the recipe.
- See the ‘Variations’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this recipe.
- Recipe inspired by Marion’s Kitchen.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 666
- Protein: 45.2g
- Carbohydrates: 66.7g
- Fat: 24.4g
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 1688.5mg
- Saturated Fat: 18.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0.7g
- Fiber: 5.7g
- Cholesterol: 41.6mg
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and can vary based on several factors. It should only be used as a general guideline.
