Easy Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Blue Cheese

Name: Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Blue Cheese Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs shrimp (extra-large, raw, heads and tails removed, peeled, and deveined. ); ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice; 9 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided); 8 ounces cream cheese (cut into cubes); 2 ounces blue cheese (crumbled); pinch red pepper flakes; 12 ounces pasta (bow tie or mini farfalle); 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (divided); 4 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley (chopped, and divided)

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This easy Creamy Shrimp Pasta recipe features tender, juicy shrimp cooked in a delightfully rich pasta sauce made with butter, cream cheese, and blue cheese.

Served with pasta and packed with flavor, like my recipe for Mushroom Carbonara, this elegant main dish is utterly delicious and will have everyone asking for more!

A baking dish full of shrimp pasta with blue cheese.

Like my recipe for Oysters Rockefeller, they are a prime example of comfort food. Creamy Shrimp Pasta is perfect for special occasions or a dinner party. Because it’s so easy to prepare and you can have it on the table in 30 minutes, it’s also ideal for a casual weeknight dinner with the family.

Ingredients – here’s what you will need:

Bowls of shrimp, pasta, cream cheese, and blue cheese.

Fresh shrimp – are the star of this show. I like to use extra-large fresh Gulf shrimp, but frozen shrimp work too! Your shrimp need to be peeled and deveined with the heads and tails removed.
Lime juice and lemon juice– for the best citrusy flavor, always use freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice. Bottled juice is often bitter.
Butter – forms the base of the creamy shrimp pasta sauce and combines with cream cheese and blue cheese to make this decadent sauce.
Cream Cheese – is an essential ingredient in the creamy pasta sauce.
Blue cheese – with its sharp flavor profile and pungent aroma, blue cheese is an essential ingredient in this dish and the pasta sauce.
Pasta – is the canvas of this recipe. It is bland without the other ingredients, but once you add the delicious shrimp and creamy sauce, it is transformed into a masterpiece.
Parmesan cheese – adds a salty, complex, and nutty flavor to this dish.
Red Pepper Flakes – (not pictured) add just a bit of heat and elevate the taste of the other ingredients.
Parsley – Italian parsley not only adds a fresh taste to the dish, but its beautiful green color is also a nice contrast to the neutral colors of the sauce.

Directions – here’s how to make it:

Gather the ingredients and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray a medium-size (2-½ to 3 quart) baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the shrimp on the bottom. Top with lime juice and let the shrimp marinate for about five minutes.

Raw shrimp in the bottom of a baking dish.

Put 8 tablespoons of butter in a medium-size (10-inch) non-stick skillet over low heat. When the butter has melted, add the cream cheese, blue cheese, and red pepper flakes.

Melted butter, cream cheese and blue cheese in a skillet.

Whisk constantly until the cheeses have melted. If your sauce looks curdled or lumpy, continue whisking until it is creamy and smooth.

Melted butter, cream cheese and blue cheese with a whisk.

Pour this sauce over the shrimp and bake for 14-16 minutes for medium to large shrimp and 16-18 minutes for extra-large.

Shrimp and blue cheese sauce in a baking dish ready for the oven.

While your shrimp are baking, prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain.

When the shrimp have finished baking, pour the drained pasta over the shrimp. Add the remaining one tablespoon of butter, two tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and parsley. Add all or part of the reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce, and toss gently to combine everything.

Using a large spoon to combine cooked shrimp, sauce and pasta.

Before serving, garnish with the rest of the parmesan cheese and additional chopped parsley.
Serve immediately.

A red baking dish with shrimp pasta with blue cheese sauce.

Frequently asked questions:

Do shrimp and blue cheese go together?

It depends on who you ask. For example, some folks believe it’s a food crime to combine seafood and cheese on the same plate.

Of course, this view is hotly debated, and I’m in the camp that believes that it can be done; this delicious recipe is an excellent example that proves what a wonderful pairing it can be.

What kind of blue cheese is best in this dish?

There are many varieties of blue cheese, including Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Blue Stilton, and even American Blue Cheese. Any of these blue cheeses will work well in this recipe.

If you are in the Tallahassee area, try locally made Asher Blue from Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville.

How to tell when shrimp are cooked?

Shrimp cooks quickly and can go from done to overdone in a matter of seconds. Just as you might imagine, smaller ones cook much quicker than larger ones. While I have times listed, it’s best to start testing your shrimp to see if they are done after about 12 minutes.

Shrimp that is cooked properly will be an opaque white and pink color. They will also be curled in a very loose “C” shape. If they are curled in a tight “C,” they have cooked too long.

What to serve with this dish?

If it’s just my husband and me, I usually serve this as a one-dish meal. However, if I serve it at a dinner party or for company, I like to add a nice side salad such as my Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, Broccoli Slaw with Ramen Noodles, or Brussels Sprout Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette.

How to store and reheat leftovers?

This dish can be stored covered in your refrigerator for three to four days. I like to reheat it just a bit in the microwave but be careful, you don’t want to overcook your shrimp, or they will be tough.

Sharon’s tips:

Do not let your shrimp marinate in the lime juice for more than five to seven minutes. Any longer, and the lime juice will actually start cooking your shrimp.
When you first combine all of your ingredients, the mixture may look a bit soupy. Don’t worry; the pasta will absorb much of the liquid, and after a few minutes, it will firm up.
I almost always have extra grated parmesan cheese on the table for the cheese lovers in my house.
Fresh shrimp is always best if you can get it, but frozen will work too. I usually have the folks at the seafood market remove the heads and tails and peel and devein them before I take them home.
I like to use extra-large shrimp in this recipe, but you can use any size you like or have on hand. Just keep in mind that smaller shrimp cook much more quickly than larger ones.
I have used both an expensive variety of blue cheese and the cheaper variety you can find already crumbled in the plastic containers located in the cheese section of your grocery store, and both work in this recipe. The expensive variety melts a little easier, but both are good.
I usually make this dish with either bowtie or mini farfalle pasta. However, feel free to use any pasta you like or have on hand. For example, a friend of mine likes to use shell pasta.
When cooking the pasta, cook it to the tender stage instead of al dente because it will not be cooked any further.

More seafood recipes:

We love seafood, and I cook it several times a week. If you like it as we do, you might also like these popular recipes: Shrimp Burgers, Pan Seared Grouper with Gremolata, Southern Fried Fish, Blackened Grouper, Blackened Mahi Mahi, and Pecan Crusted Fish Fillets.

For more menu ideas, you can see all of my seafood recipes at this link

This recipe was adapted from a recipe for Buttery Blue Shrimp in A Thyme to Celebrate, a cookbook published in 2009 by the Junior League of Tallahassee.

★★★★★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones; I hope you come back soon!

📋 Recipe:

**This recipe was originally published on June 5, 2016. It was republished on July 27, 2021, with new photos, a “how-to” video, the addition of a FAQ section, and expanded tips. The recipe was also slightly modified.