Creamy Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Pasta
🍤 The recipe ingredients
Hank's Post-Snack Creamy Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Pasta (Serves 2-3, Unless Hank's Home)
📝 The recipe instructions
Yields: 2-3 Servings (or 1 hungry Hank and a side salad) Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients Checklist:
Linguine or Spaghetti
Shrimp, medium, peeled and deveined
Butter
Garlic, minced
Dry White Wine (e.g., Pinot Grigio)
Heavy Cream
Lemon Zest & Juice
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Red Pepper Flakes, Salt, Pepper
The Cooking Process:
Get the Pasta Going: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add your linguine or spaghetti and cook according to package directions until just al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce). Pro Tip: Always reserve about a cup of the starchy pasta water before draining! This is liquid gold for the sauce.
Sauté the Aromatics: While the pasta cooks, melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic (4 cloves—because we don’t compromise on garlic) and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sauté for about 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant—do not let it burn, or the whole dish will taste like sorrow.
Deglaze and Build the Sauce: Pour in the 1/2 cup of dry white wine (or broth, if you're not into the wine thing, but I judge you silently). Bring it to a simmer and let it reduce by about half, scraping up any delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the Cream and Lemon: Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the 1/2 cup of heavy cream, the lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Let the sauce barely simmer for 2-3 minutes to warm up and thicken slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook the Shrimp: Increase the heat to medium-low. Add the 1 lb of shrimp to the sauce. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn opaque and pink and are cooked through. This is the step Hank preemptively ruined, leaving me with a measly handful.
Combine and Serve: Add the drained, al dente pasta and the 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese directly into the skillet with the sauce and shrimp. Toss everything vigorously to coat. If the sauce seems too thick, splash in a little of the reserved pasta water until it reaches a beautiful, clingy consistency.
Final Flourish: Serve immediately, topped with extra grated Parmesan and a final drizzle of olive oil, if you're feeling fancy.
The Sarah-Improvised-and-Hank-Approved Step 5.5:
💡 (The 'Hank Ate It All' Emergency Pivot): If you discover you only have six shrimp left, skip Step 5. Instead, after Step 4, crumble 1/2 cup of Feta Cheese into the simmering sauce. Stir until the feta softens and dissolves partially, thickening the sauce and giving it a wonderful salty tang. Continue to Step 6, adding your six lonely shrimp at the end just for a hint of protein (and a good story).
