Description
Luxurious spaghetti with shrimp in cream sauce brings Italian coastal elegance to dinner tables. Silky noodles intertwine with succulent seafood, creating a Mediterranean-inspired masterpiece you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 lb (450 g) large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 300 g (10 oz) spaghetti
Sauce and Flavor Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Seasoning and Garnish:
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, for heat)
- Salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish)
Water and salt (for boiling)
Instructions
- Immerse spaghetti in a generously salted water bath, allowing it to dance and soften until perfectly tender. Carefully extract a modest portion of the starchy liquid before straining the pasta.
- Awaken shrimp in a sizzling pan with olive oil, transforming them from translucent to a vibrant pink. Gently transfer the succulent morsels to a waiting plate once they’ve achieved a delicate opaque gleam.
- Infuse the same skillet with aromatic garlic and fiery red chili flakes, releasing their intense fragrance for a brief moment. Deglaze the pan with a splash of crisp white wine, allowing it to reduce and concentrate its essence.
- Introduce velvety heavy cream to the skillet, creating a luxurious base. Whisk in delicate Parmesan cheese until it melts into a smooth, silky embrace.
- Elevate the sauce with a bright squeeze of lemon juice, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust the consistency using reserved pasta water if needed.
- Reunite the cooked spaghetti and perfectly prepared shrimp within the creamy sauce, gently folding them together to ensure complete coverage.
- Scatter fresh parsley across the dish, adding a final flourish of color and brightness. Present immediately, with additional Parmesan available for enthusiastic sprinklers.
Notes
- Pasta Water Magic: Always save some pasta water before draining, as its starchy goodness helps create a silky, clingy sauce that perfectly coats every strand of spaghetti.
- Seafood Precision: Cook shrimp just until they turn pink and opaque to prevent rubbery texture, which happens quickly in about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Sauce Consistency Control: Lower heat when adding cream to prevent splitting, and use reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if it becomes too thick, ensuring a smooth, creamy finish.
- Gluten-Free Adaptation: Swap traditional spaghetti with zucchini noodles or gluten-free pasta to make the dish celiac-friendly without compromising flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 668 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 70 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 200 mg