Description
Creamy tuscan shrimp linguine brings Italian coastal flavors to home kitchens with elegant simplicity. Rich garlic-infused sauce and succulent shrimp create a memorable dining experience you’ll want to savor repeatedly.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (450g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 12 oz (340g) linguine
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup (120 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- ⅓ cup (40 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup (60 g) sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- ½ tsp salt (for boiling water)
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pasta Preparation: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Submerge linguine and cook until perfectly al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of starchy cooking liquid, and toss with a light drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Shrimp Searing: Heat olive oil in a spacious skillet over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with paprika, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sear until each morsel turns a vibrant pink, roughly 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer cooked shrimp to a holding plate.
- Sauce Creation: In the same skillet, melt butter and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese, allowing the mixture to simmer and thicken. Introduce sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, stirring until spinach wilts into the sauce.
- Pasta Integration: Fold linguine into the creamy sauce, ensuring each strand is luxuriously coated. If the sauce seems too thick, gradually add reserved pasta water to achieve a silky consistency. Gently reintroduce the seared shrimp, folding them into the pasta.
- Plating and Serving: Elegantly plate the Tuscan shrimp linguine, garnishing with an abundant sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a generous crack of black pepper. Serve immediately, inviting diners to indulge in this Mediterranean-inspired culinary creation.
Notes
- Manage Shrimp Cooking: Prevent overcooking by watching color change carefully – shrimp turn pink and curl quickly, typically 2-3 minutes total. Overcooking makes them rubbery and tough.
- Sauce Consistency Control: Reserve pasta water strategically to adjust sauce thickness. Starchy water helps create smooth, clingy sauce without breaking or separating cream-based components.
- Flavor Enhancement Technique: Toast garlic briefly to unlock deeper, nutty undertones without burning. Remove from heat immediately when fragrant to prevent bitter taste development.
- Gluten-Free Adaptation: Substitute traditional linguine with zucchini noodles or gluten-free pasta alternatives. Ensure alternative maintains similar texture and absorbs sauce effectively for authentic dining experience.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 680 mg
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 240 mg