It’s only fair to warn you that you’ll want this Linguine with Shrimp Scampi on repeat! Super quick, easy recipe of tender pasta twirled with plump shrimp and wilted arugula in a garlicky, lemony white wine sauce. Got to love delicious comfort food that’s on the table in 20 minutes!
Fast cooking is ideal for weeknight dinners and easy yet elegant entertaining. This is a popular recipe on the site throughout the year!
And if you're into more quick shrimp dinners, check out these Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos, Easy Cajun Shrimp and Grits and Orange and Honey Glazed Shrimp. Yum!
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What You'll Love About this Recipe
- Fast and Flavorful! - Super tasty dish requiring little prep that will impress your family and guests!
- Use Fresh or Frozen Shrimp - I usually always have a bag of frozen shrimp on hand, but if you go with fresh just be sure to use them within 1-2 days.
- Pantry Ingredients - Other than the shrimp, the recipe uses simple ingredients probably already in your pantry or fridge.
- Great for kids! - A great recipe to introduce kids to seafood. My two loved twirling pasta around the shrimp when they were little. Just go easy on the red pepper flakes.😉
Ingredients & Substitutions
Pasta – Long noodles are the best type of pasta for this dish. Linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine and angel hair pasta make it easy for the white wine sauce to cling to.
Shrimp – My preference is the 21/25 count per pound that I buy frozen from Costco, peeled and deveined with tails intact. It's best to thaw shrimp overnight in the fridge then give them a good rinse.
Olive Oil & Butter – I like combining the two here to get the best of both worlds of having buttery flavor and silkiness along with a higher smoking point to cook the shrimp.
Dry White Wine – This is something my fridge is literally never without.😊 Be sure to use a crisp chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio that you would happily drink.
Arugula – I like adding some fresh greens to the dish and peppery arugula gives it a little extra flare. Feel free to use fresh spinach as well.
Cooking Steps
Boil pasta in a large pot of generously salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
Start scampi – While pasta cooks by heating olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shallots until softened then add garlic and red chili flakes. Deglaze pan with white wine.
Add shrimp to the skillet and season with kosher salt and black pepper.
Cook until almost opaque in the center, just 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add arugula and pasta – Reduce to medium-low heat and stir in arugula until wilted. Add cooked linguine and some of the reserved pasta water to help marry all the ingredients.
Top with parmesan, basil or parsley, lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with lemon slices and extra herbs.
Expert Tips
- Have your ingredients chopped and prepped before firing up the stove. The recipe moves quickly so you’ll want everything at your fingertips.
- I like to leave the tails on for this recipe. It keeps the shrimp from curling up too much and they look prettier! I'll remove them when making shrimp for tacos or sandwiches.
- If the pasta is done cooking before the shrimp, drizzle with a little olive oil so it doesn’t stick and cover to keep warm.
- For the best results, stick with a dry white wine. Sweeter wines will significantly alter the flavor of the dish.
- Shrimp cooks quickly so be careful not to overcook! They will end up chewy and rubbery.
Recipe FAQs
Side dishes I’m sure even Ina Garten would approve of are a medley of roasted green vegetables with asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and green beans. Add on a crisp citrusy salad or grilled romaine with herb vinaigrette. And crusty bread for mopping up sauce always works!
You can add extra butter at the end before stirring in the pasta. Also, you can mix a tablespoon of cornstarch or flour with the same amount of water and whisk the mixture into the sauce. Cook a few minutes until thickened up.
Absolutely! Both chicken and vegetable broth will work, as will combining equal parts of white wine vinegar with water. And you can always use straight up H2O. I would add a little more lemon juice if just using water.
Great options to serve the shrimp over are cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, steamed rice, risotto, and creamy polenta. These are all gluten free and the cauliflower, zucchini and squash are also keto-friendly.
Interestingly, ‘scampi’ doesn’t mean shrimp but is Italian for small members of the lobster family, such as Dublin Bay prawns, Norway lobsters, or in French, langoustines. They’re all large shrimp harvested in the northeastern part of the Atlantic.
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📋 Recipe Card
Linguine with Shrimp Scampi and Arugula
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces linguine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup shallots or red onion , finely chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons garlic , minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ pounds large shrimp , 21-25 ct, peeled and deveined
- 4 ounces baby arugula
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese , freshly grated, plus extra when serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley , chopped
- 1 lemon , zest and juice
Instructions
- Cook linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
- If the pasta is done before the sauce and shrimp, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook 3 minutes until softened and translucent.
- Add garlic and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the red pepper flakes and wine and simmer 3 minutes to reduce.
- Add the shrimp to the mixture and cook until almost opaque in the center, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Lower heat to medium and stir in arugula by the handful and let each addition wilt before adding more.
- Add cooked pasta and toss gently to combine. Pour in some of the reserved pasta water to help marry the linguine with the shrimp and sauce.
- Mix in the parmesan, basil or parsley, lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve straight from the skillet or transfer to a large platter. Pass extra parmesan separately. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Have your ingredients chopped and prepped before firing up the stove. The recipe moves quickly so you’ll want everything at your fingertips.
- If the pasta is done cooking before the shrimp, drizzle with a little olive oil so it doesn’t stick and cover to keep warm.
- For the best results, stick with a dry white wine. Sweeter wines will significantly alter the flavor of the dish.
- Shrimp cooks quickly so be careful not to overcook! They will end up chewy and rubbery.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
This Linguine with Shrimp Scampi looks terrific - I can easily have that many days in a row! Also, such an elegant and neat presentation; I always struggling plating nicely long type pasta 🙂
Kim Peterson says
Thanks so much Ben! It's all in the twirl! 🙂
Britton Pinkham says
This is my fav non tomato pasta I’ve ever made. I’m a little obsessed with it and have had it 3 times in the last month. Tonight I used scallops and it was amazing! Thanks for this!
Kim Peterson says
Awesome!! So thrilled it's a hit and I can attest to what scallops bring to the dish too. Crazy delish. Thanks so much for sharing!
Katie says
My family LOVED this! I doubled the arugula, and used whole wheat spaghetti and it got rave reviews.
Kim Peterson says
Awesome! Thrilled to hear it was a hit!
Alexandra loeb says
This was excellent. I had no lemon rind (just some frozen lemon juice) so I used orange rind instead. Gave it a wonderful depth. Also used the basil. Easy, yummy. Thank you!
Kim Peterson says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed! Thank you!!
Chelsey says
This linguine with shrimp and arugula looks so luxurious!! You have such wonderful flavor going on with the shallots and red pepper flakes, I can almost taste it. Definitely a perfect comfort dish for a brisk autumn night!
Kim Peterson says
Thanks Chelsey!! A family fave around here for sure!
Jas @ All that's Jas says
I'm not a fan of shrimp but this looks so good, I now want a plate, lol. I can never say no to pasta and I think arugula is the perfect accompaniment to this seafood linguine dish.
Kim Peterson says
It all works so well together. Thanks Jas!
Alexandra Shunk says
This is my kinda meal and exactly what I’d order off a menu!! Shrimp is my favorite in pasta and I love the idea of adding arugula to it! Just perfect!!
Kim Peterson says
Thanks Aleka! It's a tasty go-to and I always like sneaking in some greens!