Shrimp, fresh tomato, and spinach with fettuccine pasta in garlic butter sauce – a delicious Italian pasta dish and a great way to use up a bunch of fresh tomatoes you might have sitting around in your kitchen.
In this recipe, the tomatoes are only slightly cooked, preserving their freshness and shape. Combined with garlic and butter sauce, spinach, and shrimp seasoned with paprika and crushed red pepper, this pasta dish became a favorite in my household and disappeared from the skillet pretty fast as everybody went for seconds. And, it’s so easy to make!
First, you saute fresh shrimp in garlic, butter, and olive oil, until just pink on both sides (the shrimp will still be undercooked but it will continue cooking later). Sprinkle the shrimp generously with salt and paprika, as you’re cooking it. The shrimp will smell and look so good, you will be tempted to eat half of it before even finishing up this recipe! 🙂 Don’t be like me and resist the temptation!
Then, you add chopped fresh tomatoes and cooked spinach, together with more garlic and crushed red pepper. Mix everything well and remove from heat (while you cook the pasta). You don’t want to overcook the shrimp and tomatoes – they will continue cooking in the next step.
When pasta is cooked, rinsed with cold water and drained, add pasta to the skillet, along with some lemon juice and more butter. Season with salt and red pepper flakes and heat the dish, constantly stirring, until shrimp is cooked through and all ingredients are heated through.
Right before serving, top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Instructions
In this recipe, the tomatoes are only slightly cooked, preserving their freshness and shape. Combined with garlic and butter sauce, spinach, and shrimp seasoned with paprika and crushed red pepper, this pasta dish became a favorite in my household and disappeared from the skillet pretty fast as everybody went for seconds. And, it’s so easy to make!
First, you saute fresh shrimp in garlic, butter, and olive oil, until just pink on both sides (the shrimp will still be undercooked but it will continue cooking later). Sprinkle the shrimp generously with salt and paprika, as you’re cooking it. The shrimp will smell and look so good, you will be tempted to eat half of it before even finishing up this recipe! 🙂 Don’t be like me and resist the temptation!
Then, you add chopped fresh tomatoes and cooked spinach, together with more garlic and crushed red pepper. Mix everything well and remove from heat (while you cook the pasta). You don’t want to overcook the shrimp and tomatoes – they will continue cooking in the next step.
When pasta is cooked, rinsed with cold water and drained, add pasta to the skillet, along with some lemon juice and more butter. Season with salt and red pepper flakes and heat the dish, constantly stirring, until shrimp is cooked through and all ingredients are heated through.
Right before serving, top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh shrimp, uncooked, shelled and deveined
- 5 medium tomatoes, fresh, chopped into large cubes
- 1 cup cooked spinach
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 or 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 small lemon
- salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more)
- paprika
- 10 oz fettuccine pasta
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese,grated,for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil until melted. Add fresh shrimp and half the minced garlic. Make sure shrimp is not crowded. Cook for 1 minute on one side until pink on that side. While it's cooking, generously sprinkle paprika and salt over uncooked side of the shrimp. Flip the shrimp over and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes until pink on the other side.
- To the skillet with shrimp, add chopped fresh tomatoes, cooked spinach, and remaining amount of minced garlic. Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more). Mix everything well, remove from heat while you cook pasta.
- In the mean time cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent pasta from cooking and getting mushy.
- Add pasta to the skillet with shrimp and vegetables with 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice (depending on the juiciness of your lemon, it could be 1/4 of small lemon or 1/2 lemon). Don't add too much lemon juice. Season with salt and more crushed red pepper. Warm it up on medium heat until shrimp is cooked through, and all ingredients are heated through.
- To serve, top with grated Parmesan cheese.
