Fresh shrimp and pasta smothered in creamy pesto makes this dish simply irresistible!
I haven’t made a pasta dish here on Food Finessa in a while. From previous posts like my Roasted Asparagus and Chive Tart and Green Farro Salad, you know that I absolutely LOVE basil. Hands down, my favorite herb. And what sauce features basil (and pine nuts, which I also love 🙂 )? Pesto: my favorite!
For your end of summer dinner parties, prepare this Pesto Shrimp Pasta that is surely a crowd-pleaser. Pesto and shrimp go so well together – I think even more so than marinara and shrimp like in a fra diavlo or pomodoro. This recipe for pesto is super creamy (without any cream or milk!), and the pine nuts contribute just enough crunch and nutty flavor.
Let’s talk types of pasta. Linguine, spaghetti, penne, fusilli, ziti – I can go on and on. All these pastas work perfectly for this recipe. However, I prefer longer cut pasta like the linguine, fettuccine, pappardelle, or spaghetti. Save the short cut for this mac and cheese.
Some people like to add lemon juice to the pesto, but I don’t prefer it. I don’t like a more subtle, nutty pesto rather than a tangy, citrus one.
For seafood-haters and poultry-lovers out there, the shrimp can be easily substituted for chicken. Simply sauté a chicken breast for about 10 minutes (or until fully cooked) on each side over medium-high heat in a saucepan with some olive oil. Then, cut the chicken into cubes, and toss the cubes in the pesto sauce along with the pasta.
And of course it is an absolute must to serve this dish with fresh basil (and parsley if you really love your herbs!) to really enhance the pesto flavor.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. You can even serve it cold as the main course to a picnic lunch by the sea (or whatever else floats your boat…no pun intended). Bon Appétit!
P.S. Enjoy this video 🙂
Pesto Shrimp Pasta
- 2 cups of fresh basil
- 1/2 cup of fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp of pine nuts
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp of black pepper
- 7 tbsp of olive oil
- 12 oz of linguine
- 1 tbsp of olive oil ((for sautéing shrimp))
- 1/2 lb of shrimp
- additional fresh basil ((for serving))
- Roughly chop basil and parsley. Add basil, parsley, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, and black pepper to food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Gradually add olive oil to food processor, and pulse until sauce is creamy and slightly thinner than paste. Set aside.
- Boil about 6 cups of water. Add linguine to water, and cook for specified time on package (for al dente pasta, cook less time). Drain once cooked.
- Heat, over medium-low heat, the 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium-sized pan. Place shrimp in pan, and sauté for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are opaque and slightly red. Add cooked linguine to shrimp, and stir. Add pesto to pasta and shrimp, and mix thoroughly. Serve with additional fresh basil, and enjoy!