Easy Shrimp With Angel Hair Pasta

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 2 servings

If you are looking for a meal for two that would be perfect for a Valentine's Day meal, a special dinner, or just a quick and easy supper on a busy day, you can't go wrong with this recipe from Tonya. It will fit just about any occasion, and it is incredibly fast and easy. And keep in mind that the recipe can be doubled or tripled for a larger family meal or dinner party.

As far as the number of shrimp go, use your own best judgment. The serving-size recommended by the American Heart Association is 3 ounces (cooked) per person, but it depends on your appetites. On average, there are about 31 to 35 shrimp in a pound of large shrimp, so 8 ounces would probably be more than enough for two people. Use fresh or dry angel hair pasta (capelli d'angelo), or use capellini, which is just a bit thicker. Thin spaghetti or similar strands would work as well. 

Add a fresh tossed green salad and a few warm crusty rolls or garlic bread, and you'll have a perfect dinner for two with very little effort. 

Easy Shrimp With Angel Hair Pasta
The Spruce

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces shrimp

  • 4 ounces angel hair pasta, or capellini

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped

  • 1 pinch salt, or to taste

  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta
    The Spruce
  2. Remove the shells from the shrimp. Run the tip of a small, sharp knife down the length of the back of each shrimp and remove the dark vein (this is the shrimp's digestive tract, so it should be removed). Pick it out or scrape it out with the tip of the knife. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water and set aside.

    Remove shells and devein shrimp
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  3. Cook the angel hair pasta in boiling salted water following the package directions. If you're using fresh pasta, you might want to wait to cook it at the last minute. Drain in a colander.

    Cook angel hair pasta
    The Spruce 
  4. Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan or sauté pan over medium heat.

    Saute butter and oil in saucepan
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  5. When the butter and oil are hot, add the minced garlic and cook until lightly golden and aromatic. Scoop the garlic out with a slotted spoon and discard.

    Add minced garlic to saucepan
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  6. Add the shrimp to the garlic oil; sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the parsley.

    Add shrimp to garlic and add seasonings
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  7. Cook over medium heat until shrimp is opaque and turns pink.

    Cook shrimp until pink
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  8. Remove the pan from the heat and add the drained angel hair pasta, Parmesan cheese, and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of parsley. Toss to blend.

    Remove pan from heat and add pasta
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  9. Serve immediately with a Caesar salad or simple green salad, warm rolls or garlic bread, and more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

    Finished shrimp with angel hair pasta
    The Spruce 
  10. Enjoy.

Tips

  • Always cook pasta in a big enough pot, and one that is tall and deep rather than wide and shallow, especially for long strands. For 4 ounces of pasta, use a pot that can hold at least 2 quarts of water. 
  • Make sure to use plenty of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then add salt—1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water. Pasta water is salted after the water comes to a boil to prevent its taking on a slight metallic taste. Using sea salt also helps avoid this. Taste the water after you salt it—it should taste salty. 
  • Bring the salted water to a boil, add the pasta, stir immediately, and bring to a second full boil. You may need to cover the pot up to halfway to achieve the second full boil, but remove the cover as soon as the second boil is reached so the pasta doesn’t steam and become mushy. Pasta left cooking in slow-simmering water will become mushy and have a tendency to clump. Fresh pasta cooks in the time it takes to reach the second boil; don’t overcook it. Dried pasta takes longer, depending on thickness and shape.
  • If you want to make your dish a bit saucier, reserve at least half a cup of cooking water. We recommend dipping a measuring cup in the water before dumping it, as the pasta water both loosens the sauce so it can coat the pasta and contributes starch that helps the sauce cling better. If your sauce is too thick, you can also use the reserved water to thin it out.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
471 Calories
29g Fat
21g Carbs
31g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 471
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 37%
Saturated Fat 11g 53%
Cholesterol 274mg 91%
Sodium 1337mg 58%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 5mg 24%
Calcium 170mg 13%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 286mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)