Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta is a bright, garlicky weeknight dinner that’s ready in about 25 minutes. Juicy shrimp, tender pasta, and a buttery lemon sauce come together with simple ingredients — perfect for busy nights when you want something fast but still special.

This Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta is a perfect example of an affordable, family-tested meal that works for real life — simple ingredients, easy steps, and great flavor.

Recipe Snapshot

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Budget-Friendly: Uses pantry staples and shrimp
• Best For: Weeknight dinners, date nights, busy evenings
• Family-Tested: Simple flavors, easy to adjust spice
• Freezer-Friendly: Not recommended (shrimp reheats best fresh)

Ingredients

• Linguine Pasta – Feel free to use any type of pasta – Spaghetti, Angel Hair Pasta or Fettuccine are great options. Use what you have on hand to avoid buying specialty pasta.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Choose your favorite oil
• Butter – We used unsalted butter
• Cloves Garlic – Learn How to Mince Garlic Cloves
• Large Shrimp – Peeled and deveined. Frozen shrimp works great and is often more affordable — just thaw before cooking.
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Adds a hint of spice
• Italian Seasoning – Learn how to make Italian Seasoning Recipe
• Lemon – Zested and juiced. Bottled lemon juice works in a pinch, but fresh gives the brightest flavor.
• Toppings – Chopped Fresh Parsley and Grated Parmesan Cheese 

Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe

How to Make Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Step 1 – Boil the linguine pasta in a large pot of water to al dente based on the package instructions.  Drain boiling water and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  

Step 2 – Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is fully melted. 

Step 3 – Add the fresh garlic and cook for approximately 1 minute until you can smell the garlic. 

Step 4 – Add the shrimp to the pan. Season the shrimp with the kosher salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and Italian seasoning.

Step 5 – Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the shrimp turns pink and is cooked through with a tender texture.

Step 6 – Remove the pan from the heat and gently toss in the drain cooked pasta.  Add pasta water a little at a time until the sauce lightly coats the pasta(you may not need all the water). I ended up using approximately ½ cup of the pasta water. 

Step 7 – Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest and parsley. Garnish with the grated parmesan cheese. Serve warm in a bowl and enjoy! 

Recipe Tips

• Pasta – I love using linguine in this recipe but you can easily switch it out for any of your favorite type of pasta.  
• Cooking Shrimp – Shrimp cooks quickly on the skillet so watch it closely to prevent it from getting over cooked. 
• Pasta Water – For best results, reserve the pasta water for the sauce without having to add cream.

Flavor Variations

• Creamy Shrimp Dish – Stir in ¼ cup of heavy cream with white wine then allow the creamy sauce to simmer for an additional minute for a rich and silky sauce.
• Mediterranean – Add in ¼ cup of sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tbsp of capers for delicious variation.
• Veggies – This is a great recipe to add in baby spinach, slice mushrooms and green bell peppers.
• Spicy – For a kick of flavor, add in ¼ tsp of cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.

Serving Ideas

Serve this shrimp recipe with Easy Caesar Salad Recipe, Oven Roasted Parmesan Asparagus, Garlic Knots, Hush Puppies Recipe or Garlic Bread Cheese Sticks to make sure to get every last drop of the sauce.

For even more ideas, see Side Dishes for Shrimp.