Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Shrimp Pasta is packed with flavor in every bite! Linguine is tossed with succulent shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, and baby spinach in a simple but delicious cream sauce. This one’s perfect for busy weeknights!
A bit of a riff on “marry me chicken“, creamy sun dried tomato pasta with shrimp is one of my favorite dishes to whip up on a busy weeknight.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Shrimp. I’m using U31-40 count shrimp that’s been cleaned and deveined. You can use larger or smaller shrimp if you’d like. I usually keep a bag or two of frozen shrimp in the freezer so I can make dishes like this one any time the craving hits.
- Cream and cheese. I know I’m breaking a cardinal sin of Italian cooking by using cream and grated Pecorino Romano in a seafood dish, but I’ve never been one to follow rules when it comes to making food. It tastes good and that’s what’s important.
- Wine. Use a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. If you can’t have alcohol, feel free to omit it entirely.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In a bowl combine 1 1/4 pounds of cleaned and deveined U31-40 shrimp with 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 3 tablespoons of sun dried tomato oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed hot red pepper flakes. Note: the sun dried tomato oil I’m using is the oil from the jar of sun dried tomatoes. Allow the shrimp to sit in the brine for 10-15 minutes before sauteing. While the shrimp are brining, slice 8 cloves of garlic, cut 1 cup of oil-packed drained sun dried tomatoes into strips, and grate 1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons per gallon of water) to boil. Heat a large pan to medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the shrimp and cook for 60-90 seconds on each side or until the shrimp are cooked through. Move the shrimp to a plate and tent with foil to stay warm.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the sliced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the sun dried tomato strips and cook for 30-60 seconds more. At this time, add 1 pound of linguine or other long pasta and cook to 1 minute less than al dente taking care to save 2 cups of pasta water.
- Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine and turn the heat up to high. Using a wooden spoon, gently scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits. Once the wine has reduced (about 1-2 minutes), add 3/4 cup of low-sodium or homemade chicken stock and bring to a simmer. If you have shrimp stock, even better! Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes longer.
- Add 3/4 cup of heavy cream, 10 ounces of baby spinach, and the grated Pecorino Romano cheese and cook until the sauce thickens and begins to bubble, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the pasta and shrimp to the pan and cook until the pasta reaches al dente, then remove from the heat.
- Taste test and adjust salt and pepper. If the pasta is dry, use some reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen it and bring it to the desired consistency. Add 1/4 cup (packed) of fresh basil leaves and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Brine the shrimp. I do recommend brining the shrimp for 10-15 minutes with baking soda, salt, red pepper flakes, and sun dried tomato oil for the best results. The baking soda helps keep the shrimp plump as they cook.
- Reserve your pasta water. I always recommend saving your pasta water, especially when making cream sauce pastas. It comes in very handy when if the pasta dries out at all.
- Serve promptly. Creamy sun dried tomato shrimp pasta is so much better when served right away, so I encourage you to enjoy it promptly!
More pastas you’ll love
Here are a few more recipes I think you’ll love, especially if you’re looking at this one!
- Spinach Sun Dried Tomato Angel Hair – similar to this one, but much lighter.
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta – easy to make with tons of flavor!
- Shrimp alla Vodka – rigatoni and shrimp tossed with a creamy pink sauce.
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Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Shrimp Pasta
This delicious creamy sun dried tomato shrimp pasta comes together in about 45 minutes, is easy to make, and always gets rave reviews!
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 1 1/4 pounds shrimp U31-40 count, cleaned and deveined
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons sun dried tomato oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
Remaining ingredients
- 1 pound linguine
- 1 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes drained, cut into strips
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, chardonnay, etc
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 10 ounces baby spinach
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1/4 packed cup basil leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups reserved pasta water will most likley not need all of it
Instructions
Brine the shrimp
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10-15 minutes before sauteing.
For the pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons salt per gallon) to boil.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat then add the extra virgin olive oil. Once hot, add the shrimp and cook for 60-90 seconds per side or until cooked through. Place the cooked shrimp onto a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and add the garlic to the pan. Cook until fragrant and golden (about 1-2 minutes). Next, add the sun dried tomatoes, cook for 30-60 seconds more, then add the wine and turn heat to high. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits.
- At this time cook the pasta until 1 minute less than al dente. Make sure to save 2 cups of pasta water.
- After 1-2 minutes and once the wine has reduced, add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the cream, spinach, and Pecorino Romano cheese and cook until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add the pasta and shrimp to the pan. Cook until the pasta reaches al dente then turn off the heat. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper. If the pasta is dry, loosen it up with the reserved pasta water, a bit at a time, until the consistency is creamy again.
- Add the basil leaves and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Makes 4 large or 6 moderate-size servings.
- The baking soda makes the shrimp plumper and have a better texture. At the levels used it will impart no taste. You can omit the baking soda/salt brine if you like.
- Always reserve extra pasta water just in case the pasta dries out while sitting and or waiting to serve.
- Parmigiano Reggiano can be subbed for the Pecorino Romano.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on a stovetop over medium heat.
Nutrition
Calories: 1053kcal | Carbohydrates: 105.1g | Protein: 56.9g | Fat: 46.9g | Saturated Fat: 16.1g | Cholesterol: 339mg | Sodium: 1129mg | Potassium: 2105mg | Fiber: 11.2g | Sugar: 3.4g | Calcium: 519mg | Iron: 8mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Prepared per the recipe…delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Great to hear that, Jim!
I made this tonight with just a few adaptions. I didn’t have white wine, basil, parmesian, or liguini. I had made pesto a month or so ago and froze it into big cubes. I used gemelli and also just addedd more broth and threw a cube of pesto in. It was a huge hit and for sure will be making it again. Love your recipes!
Hi Jim love all your videos and recipes. Instead of sun dried tomatoes can I substitute to cherry tomatoes?
Hi Connie, yes, you can definitely use cherry tomatoes here instead of the sun dried.
I literally just made the Marry Me Chicken recipe last night and we had some fresh baked baguettes with it to soak up the sauce but I usually pair it with some pasta because the sauce is so creamy and delicious so I know this is going to be fantastic! Love the idea of making it with shrimp! I’ll be trying this one next week. 🙂
We hope you love this one too, Crystal! Thanks for the comment!
can you make fettucini in mushroom sauce?
i love it but cant get a good recipe.
Hi Carolyn. See if this works for you: https://www.sipandfeast.com/garlic-mushroom-pasta/