If you wanna live with just one pasta recipe for the rest of your life then that has to be the recipe of this marry me shrimp pasta! This is the undisputed winner of best pasta ever!
If you are looking for a fail-proof family friendly pasta recipe for the upcoming holiday season, then I have the absolutely right one for you today!
Look no further and lock this marry me shrimp pasta in your menu and trust me it will become the showstopper of your dinner table!
The spin-off of the iconic marry me chicken, this marry me shrimp pasta is no less in its glory and for shrimp lovers like me this is an ultimate pasta dish which will keep reappearing on our dinner table!
What is Marry Me Shrimp Pasta?
I was literally intrigued by the name of this pasta! So I had to research it! Legend has it that this pasta is so good that it could inspire a marriage proposal—hence the quirky name!
Well, the cooking enthusiast in me had to test it for herself if it is really THAT good! Even though I do not have any upcoming proposal ideas on my mind!
And I thank my stars I did!
This marry me shrimp pasta is one such phenomenal recipe that anyone can hardly resist its addictiveness no matter how hard she/he has programmed themselves not to overeat!
Ingredients for Marry Me Shrimp Pasta
Shrimp: For this iconic marry me shrimp pasta use either medium or large shrimps for that perfect pasta to shrimp combination when you take a bite.
Peel and devein the shrimps completely. Also, do not overcook the shrimps; just toss them in olive oil for about 5 minutes and take them out.
They should just turn opaque after sautéing but may remain little undercooked as they will get cooked again in the creamy pasta sauce.
That way you will have very soft & succulent shrimps in your marry me shrimp pasta without turning the shrimps tough and chewy.
Pasta: Any short pasta will work best in this marry me shrimp pasta recipe. I used penne rigate; other alternatives are rigatoni, fusilli, ziti etc.
Make sure you cook the pasta until al dente i.e. only 80 percent cooked while having a bite to it without being completely soft.
As they will cook again in the sauce later, overcooking the pasta will result in a hot mess and you will not be able to enjoy the real taste & flavors of marry me shrimp pasta!
Tomato: Tomato is the showstopper ingredient in this pasta dish. Yes, tomatoes, not the shrimps!
The must-have ingredients in this iconic pasta recipe are precisely two – sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste. Yes, tomatoes are added in two ways here each having their unique role to play.
Both these forms of tomatoes pack a punch in terms of superior flavors & taste and work wonders with a rich cream-based sauce!
Do not skip these two ingredients if you want to create the real deal at home!
Aromatics: To create a flavorful base of the pasta sauce in your marry me shrimp pasta, you have to start with sautéing the aromatics i.e. the onions and garlics in a mix of butter & olive oil.
This ensures that you have an aromatic base ready before you start adding the subsequent ingredients.
Herbs & spices: This iconic pasta dish does not ask for a host of spices and that’s a win-win! All you need are Italian seasoning, paprika & dried basil and you are all set!
Butter & oil: I have used a combination of butter and a good quality olive oil to have the best of both worlds as both butter & olive oil imparts loads of flavors into the pasta sauce!
Flour: This works as a thickener for your pasta sauce. Just add a couple of tablespoons and make sure you sauté it on low flame for a minute or two to let the raw smell go away.
Heavy cream: The smooth & creamy sauce of this pasta dish demands a good amount of heavy cream! If you wanna cut down the fat, feel free to use single cream instead.
Cheese: The stunning marry me shrimp pasta is a supremely rich and creamy dish with all the cheesy goodness!
So you will have to add a generous amount of grated Parmesan while simmering the sauce ensuring the cheese is completely melted and integrated within the sauce.
Seasoning: While seasoning your marry me shrimp pasta, do keep in mind that the cheese you are gonna add is already salty and even the pasta cooking water has salt added in it.
So taste the sauce before adding the additional seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Spinach: This green veggie is a must in this iconic marry me shrimp pasta! You just need to add the spinach while adding the cooked pasta into the sauce and let them simmer until they wilt down.
Spinach adds a volume to this rich & creamy dish making it a wholesome serving for your body & soul!
Fresh basil: Add a burst of freshness with a handful of fresh basil leaves towards the end of cooking; it makes the dish even more flavorful and oh-so-irresistible!
How to make Marry Me Shrimp Pasta?
Step 1: Cook the penne pasta in salted boiling water in a saucepan until they are 80 percent cooked i.e. al dente. Do not overcook the pasta as they will continue to cook in the sauce at a later stage.
Pro tip: If you overcook the pasta while boiling, they will disintegrate in the sauce becoming a messy lump.
Step 2: Once pasta is al dente, after about 10-12 minutes on medium flame, reserve 2 cups of pasta boiling water for later use and drain the remaining water out by transferring the pasta to a colander placed inside your kitchen sink.
Step 3: Rinse the pasta under cold running water to stop them from further cooking from the remaining heat. Set it aside to let all the water drip off while you cook the shrimps and prepare the marry me shrimp pasta sauce.
Step 4: Take the cleaned shrimps in a mixing bowl and add Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper. Give a quick toss to coat each shrimp evenly on all sides.
Step 5: Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan, which has high sides (we will use the same pan to cook pasta sauce later, so choose a big pan which can hold all the pasta.)
Step 6: Once the oil is moderately hot, add the shrimps and cook them on medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes stirring in between until they turn pink and opaque. Do not overcook them.
Step 7: Take out the shrimps into a bowl and set aside. Place the sauté pan back to heat and add the butter and olive oil to it. Let the butter melt completely.
Step 8: Add the minced garlic and chopped onion to the pan and sauté them on medium heat until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Garlic will also become very fragrant.
Step 9: Now add the tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and give a good mix so that tomato paste is completely melted with the aromatics.
Step 10: Next it’s time to add the spices and seasoning. Add Italian seasoning, paprika, dried basil and salt to taste. Give a nice stir to distribute everything evenly.
Step 11: Now keeping the vegetable broth or water handy, add the all-purpose flour and toss it with the aromatics and spices. It will tend to be sticky; just bear with it for a couple of minutes.
Step 12: After about a couple of minutes, add the broth or water. Give a gentle stir to mix everything evenly. Let the liquid come to a gentle simmer on low heat.
Step 13: It’s time to add the heavy cream to the sauce. Pour the cream gently while stirring with a spatula at the same time to ensure the cream doesn’t curdle and gets evenly mixed in.
Step 14: Once the sauce becomes thicker and comes to a gentle simmer again, add the grated Parmesan cheese and give a good stir. The cheese will start melting almost immediately, thickening the sauce even more.
Step 15: Add the roughly torn spinach leaves and let them simmer in the sauce for 5 to 6 minutes until they wilt down.
Step 16: If the sauce turns too thick, add a couple of ladle full of reserved pasta water and let it come to a simmer.
Step 17: Finally it’s time to add the cooked pasta and the sautéed shrimps to assemble your marry me shrimp pasta! After adding both the cooked ingredients, you have to be very very gentle while stirring.
Step 18: Leave the pasta and shrimps in the sauce to simmer for 5 to 6 minutes allowing them to absorb all the irresistible flavors and convert into something absolutely phenomenal!
Step 19: Your delicious marry me shrimp pasta is ready! Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve it with another sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan! Enjoy!
More delicious pasta recipes from Flavor Quotient
Iconic Marry Me Shrimp Pasta | Best Pasta Recipe Ever
Author: Priyanka
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4-5 Servings
Ingredients
For shrimps:
- Shrimp – 400 gms, peeled and deveined
- Italian seasoning – ½ tsp
- Paprika / red chilli powder – ½ tsp
- Salt and pepper to taste
For sauce:
- Butter – 2 tbsp
- Extra virgin olive oil – 2 tbsp
- Garlic – 6 to 7 cloves, minced
- Onion – 1, medium, finely chopped
- Tomato paste – 2 tbsp
- Sun-dried tomato – 4 tbsp
- Italian seasoning – 2 tsp
- Paprika/Kashmiri chilli powder – 2 tsp
- Dried basil – 1 tsp
- All-purpose flour – 2 tbsp
- Heavy cream – 1 cup
- Parmesan cheese – 70 gms, grated
- Fresh Spinach – 2 cup, shredded
- Vegetable stock or water – 2 cups
- Fresh basil leaves to garnish
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the penne pasta in salted boiling water in a saucepan until they are 80 percent cooked i.e. al dente. Do not overcook the pasta as they will continue to cook in the sauce at a later stage.
- Once pasta is al dente, after about 10-12 minutes on medium flame, reserve 2 cups of pasta boiling water for later use and drain the remaining water out by transferring the pasta to a colander placed inside your kitchen sink.
- Rinse the pasta under cold running water to stop them from further cooking from the remaining heat. Set it aside to let all the water drip off while you cook the shrimps and prepare the marry me shrimp pasta sauce.
- Take the cleaned shrimps in a mixing bowl and add Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper. Give a quick toss to coat each shrimp evenly on all sides.
- Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan, which has high sides (we will use the same pan to cook pasta sauce later, so choose a big pan which can hold all the pasta.)
- Once the oil is moderately hot, add the shrimps and cook them on medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes stirring in between until they turn pink and opaque. Do not overcook them.
- Take out the shrimps into a bowl and set aside. Place the sauté pan back to heat and add the butter and olive oil to it. Let the butter melt completely.
- Add the minced garlic and chopped onion to the pan and sauté them on medium heat until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Garlic will also become very fragrant.
- Now add the tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and give a good mix so that tomato paste is completely melted with the aromatics.
- Next it’s time to add the spices and seasoning. Add Italian seasoning, paprika, dried basil and salt to taste. Give a nice stir to distribute everything evenly.
- Now keeping the vegetable broth or water handy, add the all-purpose flour and toss it with the aromatics and spices. It will tend to be sticky; just bear with it for a couple of minutes.
- After about a couple of minutes, add the broth or water. Give a gentle stir to mix everything evenly. Let the liquid come to a gentle simmer on low heat.
- It’s time to add the heavy cream to the sauce. Pour the cream gently while stirring with a spatula at the same time to ensure the cream doesn’t curdle and gets evenly mixed in.
- Once the sauce becomes thicker and comes to a gentle simmer again, add the grated Parmesan cheese and give a good stir. The cheese will start melting almost immediately, thickening the sauce even more.
- Add the roughly torn spinach leaves and let them simmer in the sauce for 5 to 6 minutes until they wilt down.
- If the sauce turns too thick, add a couple of ladle full of reserved pasta water and let it come to a simmer.
- Finally it’s time to add the cooked pasta and the sautéed shrimps to assemble your marry me shrimp pasta! After adding both the cooked ingredients, you have to be very very gentle while stirring.
- Leave the pasta and shrimps in the sauce to simmer for 5 to 6 minutes allowing them to absorb all the irresistible flavors and convert into something absolutely phenomenal!
- Your delicious marry me shrimp pasta is ready! Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve it with another sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan! Enjoy!
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