This shrimp scampi pasta is by far the meal that I make more than any other. It is easy enough to whip up on a weeknight, but also feels fancy enough to serve to company. It is Dylan’s favorite meal that I cook, and I find myself coming back to it again and again. Perfectly sautéed shrimp are served over linguine tossed in a lemony, garlic, white wine, butter sauce and finished with freshly grated parmesan. It brings you all those warm, comforting feelings of an amazing pasta dish, and overall feels very bright and fresh.
I started making this recipe years ago after ordering the Chicken Scampi Pasta at Olive Garden and instantly falling in love. The best part of course was eating an overly generous portion in the restaurant, and having enough leftover to take the same amount home. My leftovers rarely make it to the next day, but if they do they are gone by breakfast. Normally by the time I get home from the restaurant, I have come up with some excuse as to why it is acceptable for me to just go ahead and finish them off.
The couple of times in my life that I have forgotten my leftovers in the car overnight, my heart may just as well have been broken. When I was little, I used to etch a skull and crossbones in my styrofoam take-out containers with my fingernail before putting them in the refrigerator. Apparently I thought I was a pirate, but I also really was not interested in sharing my leftovers!
The Chicken Scampi Pasta at Olive Garden was my first experience with anything “scampi”, and why my recipe calls for bell peppers. They aren’t a traditional ingredient in shrimp scampi, but I think they really make the dish! Feel free to use whatever peppers you have on hand. Green peppers work great as well.
A little note about brining. I only recently started to brine shrimp before sautéeing them. The first time I did, I vowed to never go back. Brining the shrimp makes them incredibly tender and juicy. No more rubbery, chewy shrimp! I picked up this tip (and many others) from America’s Test Kitchen.
To speed up the deveining process, check out the curved peeling knife in the equipment section. It is PERFECT for deveining shrimp. Having a curved knife to follow along the curve of the shrimp makes this task much easier!
I really hope you love this shrimp scampi pasta! This dish is served best with a warm, crusty piece of bread and a glass of wine! Enjoy 🙂
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Shrimp Scampi Pasta
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Perfectly tender, juicy shrimp and sautéed bell peppers served over linguine in a lemony white wine and butter sauce.
Ingredients
For the brine:
- 4 cups cold water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Shrimp scampi:
- 1 pound 21/25 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound linguine pasta
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup dry white wine, preferably a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly grated parmesan cheese, as much as you like!
Garnish (optional):
- lemon zest
- parsley
Instructions
- Whisk the kosher salt and sugar in cold water to make the brine in a medium sized bowl.
- Add shrimp, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- While the shrimp is brining, cook the linguine in salted water according to package directions and to your preferred doneness, then drain.
- Season the bell peppers and onion with salt and pepper to taste and sauté in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12″ sauté pan. Cook for 7-10 minutes over medium to medium-high heat. Transfer to a plate or bowl.
- When the shrimp are ready, remove from refrigerator, drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter back to the skillet. Cook the shrimp over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side until the shrimp are just opaque. Remove shrimp from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside with the peppers and onion.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes back to the pan and cook for about one minute over medium low heat.
- Add lemon juice and wine and bring to a simmer. Make sure to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and let liquid simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and swirl in 4 Tablespoons of cold butter.
- Add 1/2 Teaspoon of salt to the sauce.
- Combine drained pasta, shrimp, vegetables, and sauce and toss everything together until it is evenly coated.
- Mix in and/or top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and parsley if desired.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Keywords: shrimp, scampi, linguine, bell pepper, lemon, wine, pasta, seafood
Look forward to trying this recipe. It looks delicious!
Thanks! I hope you do ????
I really loved this dish. I have made it a couple times already with chicken and shrimp. Both were great, but my favorite is this shrimp version. Thank you for another great recipe!
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Love this with chicken too! Glad you enjoyed ????
I look forward to trying this one.. I like the idea of adding bell peppers.
This is a favorite at our house for sure! Hope you make it sometime.
I loved this recipe! It was easy and flavorful.
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One of our favorites! Thanks for trying it ????
I thought I didn’t like shrimp until I tried this recipe! Sooo good ????
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Yay! So glad you liked it 🙂