This is the best and most succulent Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine recipe for those busy weeknights or for a special occasion dinner. Perfectly cooked pasta, soaking in a delicious lemon and white wine sauce and juicy shrimp, this is a meal the whole family will love!
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Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Recipe
This Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine recipe is one I’ve been making for years, and it’s a meal that can easily come together in 25 minutes!
It’s the most versatile dish because you can serve this to your family during a hectic weeknight or you can fancy it up for a romantic dinner for two right in your own home.
The addition of fresh parsley, lemons from my own backyard, and fresh basil really elevate this dish so definitely don’t skimp on the fresh herbs.
The Players for this Easy Shrimp Scampi with Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
- Linguine – One pound of linguine is what you’ll need to make this pasta dish. You can also use thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta if you prefer.
- Shrimp – You’ll need 1 pound of thawed and deveined shrimp.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter but if you have unsalted butter, that will work too!
- Olive Oil – Extra virgin olive oil is what you’ll need for this shrimp linguine recipe.
- Shallot – I prefer to use shallots in this shrimp scampi recipe, because shallots have a more delicate and subtle flavor.
- Garlic – Using freshly minced garlic cloves will elevate this dish, but you can use garlic powder in a pinch.
- Lemons – You’ll need some lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. Depending on how large your lemons are, you might need two small lemons or 1 large lemon.
- Ranch Salad Dressing Packet – This secret ingredient has all of the delicious seasonings you’re going to need to make this easy shrimp scampi with linguine recipe. You’ll only need 1/2 of the packet.
- White Wine – I love to use a little bit of white wine in this shrimp scampi linguine dish. Alternatively, you can use a cup of pasta water or chicken broth if you don’t want to use wine.
- Parsley – Freshly chopped Italian parsley is great on top of this best shrimp scampi.
- Basil – I like to add fresh basil in addition to fresh parsley.
- Salt and Pepper – You’ll need some salt and black pepper to season your shrimp with. You’ll also need extra salt for your large pot of water to cook your pasta in.
- Red Pepper Flakes – This is optional, but I love to put red chili flakes into my own serving because I love a little bit of heat!
Tools:
To make this Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Recipe, I love to use a really large cast iron skillet to hold all of that delicious pasta, shrimp, and sauce.
How to Make this Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Recipe
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Add your defrosted shrimp to the pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place in your oven for 8 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta for about 8 minutes. You’ll continue cooking the pasta in the shrimp scampi sauce so no problem if the pasta isn’t fully al dente.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add in the remaining olive extra-virgin olive oil. Add your chopped shallots and saute for about one minute. Toss in your chopped garlic and saute for an additional minute. To the same skillet add in your lemon zest and lemon juice and bring to a simmer.
Add in your seasoning packet and wine
Now’s the time to add your half a packet of ranch dressing mix. Pour in your white wine. You can use anything from Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or my personal favorite, a dry Chardonnay. You can also use the pasta cooking water or chicken broth if you’d like. Allow the garlic butter sauce to come back up to a simmer and allow it to cook until the liquid has been cooked down by about half.
To the same skillet, add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt into the sauce. Add in your cooked shrimp along with any juices that accumulated on the foil. This will help flavor the sauce even more!
Without draining your pasta, or reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, begin to remove your drained pasta from the pot to your skillet with the sauce. Using tongs, begin to toss your pasta into the sauce. The linguine pasta will begin to soak up the yummy sauce and cook the pasta further. Top with fresh parsley, basil, and red pepper flakes if desired.
White Wine, Chicken Broth or Salted Pasta Water
After you add the lemon juice and zest to the buttery garlic sauce in the skillet, I like to add a dry white wine.
If you don’t have a crisp white wine or prefer not to use wine, use chicken broth or even seafood stock. If I’m short on time (and wine!), I’ll use the salted water that the pasta is cooking in. That is pure liquid gold right there!
Basically, what I’m saying is, use what you want or what you have on hand. Check out my “What’s For Dinner?” Video on YouTube and watch me make this Shrimp Scampi with Linguine!
The Shrimp for Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Recipe
I don’t have a great grocery store nearby that has a really good seafood counter. So I usually always buy the bagged frozen shrimp from Costco. Frozen shrimp is the best to keep in your freezer, especially for those nights when you forgot to pull out a protein and don’t really want to spend money on fast food.
Frozen shrimp thaws super quick! To defrost frozen shrimp, submerge the amount of shrimp you want in cold water. Drain the water every 10 minutes with fresh cold water until it’s thawed. Never use hot water to defrost frozen shrimp.
You can use extra large shrimp, wild-caught shrimp, fresh shrimp, frozen shrimp, or whatever you like to cook with! Just be sure to shell and devein the shrimp before cooking.
Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Pairings
You could pair this Easy Shrimp Scampi with a fresh salad, roasted broccoli or my personal favorite, my 5-Ingredient Cheesy Garlic Bread. Yes I know, that’s a whole lotta carbs. But I leave out the Parmesan cheese in the shrimp scampi just so I can make this Cheesy Garlic Bread. And cheese is a necessity at every meal in my household so lay off me lol!
Pin it for later!
I truly hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family of five loves it! If you end up trying this dish in any variation, leave me a comment down below i’d love to hear how it went!
Looking for other Dinner ideas? Check these recipes out next!
- Easy Sticky Honey Chicken Recipe with the Best Sauce
- Albondigas Mexican Meatball Soup Recipe (Super Tasty!)
- Easy One-Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Pasta Recipe
- Classic Meatloaf with Ground Beef Recipe (and Ketchup Glaze)
- Easy Homemade One Pot Lasagna Casserole Recipe
- The Best Baked Fish Tacos Recipe (with Crispy Broccoli Slaw)
- Easy Oven-Fried Italian Chicken Drumsticks
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
Easy Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Linguine pasta (16 oz)
- 1 lb defrosted, shelled and deveined shrimp
- 4 tbsp butter, divided I use salted butter
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided extra virgin
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 packet Ranch Salad Dressing Mix save the other half for another time
- 1/2 cup white wine or broth or salted pasta water
- 3 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, add in the whole box of linguine. Cook pasta for about 8 minutes.
- To a foil lined rimmed baking sheet, add your defrosted shrimp. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt & pepper. Place in the oven for 8 minutes.
- In a large pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add in your shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add in your garlic and cook for an additional minute. To the same skillet, add the zest of 1 lemon and juice of 2 lemons. Bring to a simmer, and add in half a packet of Ranch Dressing & Seasoning Mix. Pour in your wine and allow mixture to come up to a simmer again, cooking until the majority of liquid has been cooked down by half.
- Add in the additional 2 tablespoons of butter and melt. Add in your cooked shrimp along with any juices.
- Without draining pasta, add in your linguine directly from the pot using tongs. Continuously toss the pasta with the sauce so the pasta soaks up the garlic butter sauce.
- Add in fresh parsley and basil before serving. Top off with a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Psalm 46:5 - "God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day."
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