Italian-American · main · easy
20-Minute Creamy Tuscan Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine
Seared shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in a garlicky parmesan cream — faster than delivery.
The weeknight hero: one sauté pan, one pot, twenty minutes. Shrimp hit the pan for two minutes flat, then a garlic-sun-dried-tomato cream comes together while the fettuccine boils. Starchy pasta water does the emulsifying, so the sauce clings to every strand like it was meant to be there.
Ingredients
Generous bowl per person with plenty of shrimp
Pasta
Shrimp
Creamy Tuscan Sauce
Instructions
- 1
cook
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it with the tablespoon of kosher salt. Cook the fettuccine 1 minute shy of al dente; reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Doneness cue: Pasta still has a firm bite at the center.
- 2
prep
While the pasta cooks, pat the shrimp dry and toss with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Doneness cue: Even coating, shrimp glistening but not wet.
- 3
cook
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Sear the shrimp 60–90 seconds per side until just pink and opaque. Remove to a plate — they finish in the sauce.
Doneness cue: C-shaped, pink, barely opaque at the center.
- 4
cook
Lower the heat to medium. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes; sauté 60 seconds until fragrant.
Doneness cue: Toasty garlic smell, no browning.
- 5
cook
Pour in the cream and add parmesan, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
Doneness cue: Sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- 6
cook
Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute.
Doneness cue: Bright green and fully wilted.
- 7
assemble
Add the drained pasta, shrimp, and a splash of pasta water to the pan. Toss 60–90 seconds until the sauce clings and glosses. Add more pasta water a tablespoon at a time if it tightens.
Doneness cue: Sauce clings to every strand — no pool at the bottom.
- 8
finish
Serve with extra parmesan, lemon zest, torn basil, and cracked pepper.
Doneness cue: Eat immediately, while the shrimp are at their peak.
Pairings
Drink · Pinot Grigio or a crisp Italian lager
Side · Garlic bread — obviously
Per serving (est.)
calories 715 · proteing 42 · carbsg 63 · fatg 32
Approximate — depends on how heavy-handed you are with the parmesan.
Shop the Kitchen
Everything used in this recipe · Amazon Associate links
Large sauté pan (12-inch)
essentialWide surface for searing shrimp; deep enough to toss all the pasta at the end.
Pasta pot with colander insert
nice-to-haveLift-and-drain makes reserving pasta water effortless.
Microplane zester
nice-to-haveFeathery lemon zest and fluffy parmesan in seconds.
Kitchen tongs
essentialThe right tool for tossing fettuccine in a hot pan.
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