You're going to have this Linguine with Shrimp Scampi on repeat! Super quick and easy recipe of tender pasta twirled with plump shrimp and wilted arugula in a garlicky, lemony white wine sauce. Gotta love delicious comfort food that’s on the table in 20 minutes!
The quick cooking here is ideal for weeknight dinners and easy yet elegant entertaining. This is one of my most popular recipes on the site throughout the year along with these other shrimp favorites you’ll want to try: Shrimp & Chicken Skewers w/ Honey Sesame Glaze, Chicken Shrimp & Sausage Stew, and Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos.
Shrimp scampi is an Italian classic and one of my absolute favorite seafood dishes. 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. Essentially, they’re all large shrimp harvested in the northeastern part of the Atlantic.
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Key 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. They’re flash frozen so still fresh when thawed. If you trust your market’s seafood counter, you can certainly buy fresh shrimp.
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. Butter can burn quickly when searing and adding olive oil mitigates that.
Shallots & Garlic – Simple pantry ingredients and they add a ton of flavor.
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.
Seasoning – A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes gives just the right kick while fresh parsley and basil add bright, herby flavor.
Lemon – Lemon zest and juice adds extra welcomed acidity to balance the butter and oil.
Parmesan Cheese – Always the perfect finishing touch with a little salty nuttiness.
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, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add arugula – Reduce to medium-low heat and stir in arugula by the handful and let each addition wilt before adding more.
Combine – Add cooked linguine to the skillet and use tongs to toss to combine. Add some of the reserved pasta water to help marry the linguine with the shrimp and sauce.
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.
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.
What goes with shrimp scampi for dinner?
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!
Storage & Reheating
Should there be any leftovers, store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days. To reheat, place pasta and shrimp in a skillet or saucepan over medium heat and cook until hot. Or you can always microwave.
FAQs
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.
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More Pasta Recipes You'll Love!
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Lobster & Shrimp Mac n' Cheese
Buttery Pantry Pasta with Mushrooms & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
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📋 Recipe
Shrimp Scampi with Linguine 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.
- 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.
Storage & Reheating
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days. To reheat, place pasta and shrimp in a skillet or saucepan over medium heat and cook until hot. Or you can always microwave.Nutrition
*Recipe adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa.
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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 🙂
Thanks so much Ben! It's all in the twirl! 🙂
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!
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!
My family LOVED this! I doubled the arugula, and used whole wheat spaghetti and it got rave reviews.
Awesome! Thrilled to hear it was a hit!
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!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed! Thank you!!
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!
Thanks Chelsey!! A family fave around here for sure!
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.
It all works so well together. Thanks Jas!
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!!
Thanks Aleka! It's a tasty go-to and I always like sneaking in some greens!