Creamy Lemon Shrimp Pasta

lemon garlic parmesan shrimp pasta in two bowls

4.81 from 88 votes

This 30-minute creamy lemon shrimp pasta recipe is easy to make on a weeknight and impressive enough to serve at a dinner party! The creamy white wine sauce is so special.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: creamy lemon shrimp pasta

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

8 ounces pasta (I use spaghetti)
1 pound shrimp (I use 31-40 count size) peeled & thawed
Zest and juice of one lemon (about 2 tbsp lemon juice)
3 tablespoons butter
6 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy/whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley (optional) to taste

Instructions

Boil a large, well-salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook al dente as directed.
Meanwhile, add the butter, lemon zest and lemon juice, minced garlic, white wine, cream, and Italian seasoning to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the sauce bubble for 5 minutes.
Gradually add the flour to sauce, stirring/whisking constantly to ensure sauce is smooth.
Stir in the parmesan cheese.
Continue to simmer the sauce on medium heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The sauce should be noticeably thickened by now. If not, continue simmering it for a few more minutes.
Add shrimp and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes until sauce is thickened as desired and shrimp are cooked.
Drain the spaghetti (reserve a tablespoon of the pasta water and add it to the sauce), then toss the pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you followed the directions and your sauce isn't thickening enough, you could try simmering it for a bit longer before you add the shrimp and/or add more flour (no more than 1 tsp at a time).
This is my favorite lemon zester.
The sauce is quite lemony. If you're not into that, use only one tablespoon of lemon juice.

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