We cook all kinds of shrimp pasta but this garganelli recipe is probably our favorite of the bunch. It's the one that probably gets made the most anyway because it takes just 15 minutes from start to finish. With just 5 ingredients this healthy shrimp pasta has become a regular on our meal rotation. Plus you can use fresh or frozen shrimp which makes it super convenient.
Good Ingredients Make a Difference When Cooking Homemade Pasta
It's always best to start with good quality ingredients especially when a recipe has so few of them. The tomatoes should be exceptionally sweet and the shrimp should be tender and fresh. The olive oil and the pasta should be as high quality as you can get (even Trader Joe's carries good extra virgin olive oil from Spain and it won't break the bank). Also, I prefer using egg pasta with this sauce for the added flavor and texture (plus it takes less time to cook) but feel free to replace it with your favorite pasta shape.
6 ounces garganelli egg pasta (or other favorite pasta) (170g)
10 ounces shrimp or prawns, heads on (about 12 medium shrimp) (285g)
This shrimpy tomato sauce is surprisingly easy to make. Just follow these steps and get ready for a cozy delicious bowl of pasta.
Blister the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until lightly blistered and blonde in color (not browned).
Cook the shrimp shells and heads. Add the shrimp heads and shells to further infuse the oil and sauté until cooked through and have turned orange/red and remove them to a bowl.
Cook the tomatoes.Add the sliced tomatoes and cook until soft. Smash them with a fork to help break them up.
Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta to "al dente" doneness according to packaged directions.
Cook the shrimp. Add the shrimp and cook in the sauce for about 3 to 4 minutes flipping over once and the shrimp have turned opaque. Turn off the heat while the pasta finishes cooking. Add any residual juices or oil from the bowl with the shrimp heads/shells.
Finish the sauce & assemble the pasta. During the last 2 minutes of pasta cooking time, add about ¼ cup of starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce and stir. Adjust seasonings and if you need to add a little more pasta water, do so. With the sauce turned back on to medium-hi heat, add the strained pasta and toss everything together. Adjust seasoning and serve with a piece of crusty Italian bread to "scarpetta" (sop up) the shrimpy sauce. Enjoy!
Shrimp Pasta w/Garganelli recipe step-by-step photos
Looking for More Easy Shrimp Recipes to Make?
Here are some of our favorite shrimp recipes to make especially when we need to get dinner on the table fast!
What is garganelli pasta? Garganelli is a short egg pasta that comes from Romagna, Italy in the Emilia-Romagna region in NE Italy. It's made from squares of pasta that are folded over itself and rolled over a gnocchi board to create ridges. It's made of egg pasta and often you'll find it made with spinach added creating a green pasta.
When was garganelli pasta invented and who invented it? Romagna, Italy is the birthplace of garganelli pasta and it may be a case of "the cat ate my filling" that led to it's creation. There are two competing stories of how this pasta was born. Some historians say it's likely to have been invented by the cook of Caterina Sforza, (the Countess of Forli) when the cat supposedly ate the filling meant for the cappelini. A few hundred years later it's said it was accidentally invented by the cook of Cardinal Marco Cornelio Bentivoglio, papal legate in Emilia Romagna's. It's said that when he ran out of the pasta filling he deciced to still use the pasta by folding it over itself and using a weaver's comb to create the ridges.
How do you pronounce "garganelli" pasta? Gar-guh-nelly is how you pronounce "garganelli" pasta.
We LOVE all kinds of shrimp pasta and this recipe is probably our favorite of the bunch. It's definitely the one that gets made the most anyway. The flavors are delicious and this easy pasta takes 15 minutes to make from start to finish! Plus, it's healthy too. With only 5 ingredients in this shrimp pasta, it may just become a regular on your weekly menu. Plus you can use fresh or frozen shrimp for this pasta which makes it even more convenient.
Ingredients
Scale
6 ounces garganelli egg pasta (or other favorite pasta) (170g)
10 ounces shrimp or prawns, heads on (about 12 medium shrimp) (285g)
Blister the garlic.Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until lightly blistered and blonde in color (not browned).
Cook the shrimp shells and heads.Add the shrimp heads and shells to further infuse the oil and sauté until cooked through and have turned orange/red and remove them to a bowl.
Cook the tomatoes.Add the sliced tomatoes and cook until soft. Smash them with a fork to help break them up.
Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta to "al dente" doneness according to packaged directions.
Cook the shrimp. Add the shrimp and cook in the sauce for about 3 to 4 minutes flipping over once and the shrimp have turned opaque. Turn off the heat while the pasta finishes cooking. Add any residual juices or oil from the bowl with the shrimp heads/shells.
Finish the sauce & assemble the pasta. During the last 2 minutes of pasta cooking time, add about ¼ cup of starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce and stir. Adjust seasonings and if you need to add a little more pasta water, do so. With the sauce turned back on to medium-hi heat, add the strained pasta and toss everything together. Adjust seasoning and serve with a piece of crusty Italian bread to "scarpetta" (sop up) the shrimpy sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Do not throw away the shrimp heads and shells. When they've cooled to room temperature, place them in a sealable container and freeze them until you have accumulated enough to make a seafood stock.
Do not overcook the shrimp. The shrimp should only cook for 3-4 minutes total. If you're concerned they'll overcook while you wait on the pasta to be done, place them in a bowl off to the side. Put them back into the sauce when you add the pasta and toss everything together before serving.
Global recipes from a NYC private chef and Chengdu cooking school founder, now living & cooking in Italy. Authentic Italian, Chinese, and Southern cuisine!
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