This Garlic Butter Fettucine and Shrimp is truly one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE pasta dishes! I used to make Buttered Noodles all the time when my kids were younger because 2 of them suddenly started to dislike Spaghetti with meat sauce! Don’t ask me how, kids are just weird, especially mine. Their love of spaghetti eventually returned but buttered noodles is still their preference! Here is a great Instant Pot Spaghetti while we are on the subject! Back to this amazing dish! It is one of those elusive dishes that tastes like it would be expensive to make, but is surprisingly pretty inexpensive! And the FLAVOR!!! Exquisite! Everything comes together so beautifully, and I am sure this is a dish you will want to keep in constant rotation after you try it! This Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach is another one of my favorite pasta recipes and the most popular post on my blog!
What is needed to make Garlic Butter Fettucine and Shrimp?
- 1 lb of Raw Shrimp – whenever cooking with shrimp, you always want to buy raw shrimp! I see too many people cook already cooked shrimp and wonder why it turns to rubber! Cooked shrimp can be in the fresh section at the grocery store often sold as shrimp cocktail. But it can also be sold frozen. It will be pink in color.
- 1/2 lb of Fettucine or any other kind of long pasta that you like, just watch the cooking time on it! You want to cook it just to al dente.
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- 5 Tbs Butter
- 7-8 minced Garlic Cloves
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 oz Fresh Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Parsley Flakes for garnish
How to make Garlic Butter Fettucine and Shrimp
You want to start by seasoning your shrimp. I used Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Old Bay and Paprika. I did not measure so it is approximately 1 tablespoon of each. Just make sure the shrimp is well seasoned!
Next you want to get your pasta cooking in some well salted boiling water. Be sure to set a timer for it to be perfectly al dente! You will be cooking the rest of the dish while the pasta cooks and can easily lose track of time! DO NOT drain the pasta when it is finished cooking!
Now in a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and 1 tbs of butter. When the butter starts to foam, add in the shrimp. Cook for approximately 1.5-2 minutes per side. (I used jumbo shrimp, so it will depend on the size.) Shrimp are done when they are pink and no longer translucent! Be very careful not to over cook them! When they are finished, remove them from the pan and set aside.
And now you will add 4 tbs of butter to the same skillet. Be sure to turn the heat down to low/medium. Once the butter melts add in your garlic and let that cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add in 1 cup of the reserved pasta water, the juice of a lemon and pinch of red pepper flakes.
And now the magic happens! Put your cooked and undrained pasta into the pan and then the freshly grated parmesan cheese. You want to do this over low heat so that the cheese doesn’t get clumpy. Now stir until the cheese is completely melted then add the shrimp back in. Give it a final toss and now you should see that the sauce is somewhat thick and creamy!
The Final Steps
Give it a taste and add salt and pepper to taste if needed. And any time I make a pasta dish, I like to top it with parsley just for a nice pop of color, but that is completely optional! I like to serve this with a nice dinner salad and some garlic bread.
If you do make this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating! I love hearing from you and it helps so much! Thank you!
Garlic Butter Fettucine and Shrimp
Ingredients
- 8 oz Fettucine or any long type of pasta you like
- Water to boil the pasta in
- 3-4 tbs Salt, for adding to the pasta water
- 1-2 Cups Pasta water
- 1 Lb Raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail off I used Jumbo sized shrimp that I bought frozen and allowed to thaw in the fridge overnight
- 1 tbs Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 1 tbs Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tbs Paprika
- 5 tbs Butter, divided
- 1 tbs Olive Oil
- 7-8 Garlic Cloves, minced You can of course use less or more depending on how much you want. (I am a garlic lover so I always go heavy on it)
- Juice on 1 Lemon
- 3 oz Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
- 1 Pinch Red Pepper Flakes optional
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Parsley Flakes for garnish also optional
Instructions
- Season the shrimp with the spices listed above and set aside. Please note that those are approximate measurements. Just be sure that the shrimp is completely coated in the seasonings.
- Get your water boiling for your pasta. Add in the salt and the pasta. Cook until al dente according to the package directions. *Set a timer so that you don't overcook the pasta!
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tbs of butter over medium heat. Once the butter is foaming, add in the shrimp. Cook for approximately 1.5-2 minutes per side being careful not to overcook! Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan add the remaining 4 tbs of butter. Reduce the heat to low/medium. Once the butter is melted, add in the minced garlic. cook just until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the pasta water, lemon juice and red pepper flakes and give it a quick stir.
- Turn the heat to low. Add in the cooked and undrained pasta and the parmesan cheese. Stir really well until the cheese is completely melted. Add in the shrimp and give it another good toss.
- Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley if desired. Enjoy!
