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!
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Whisk constantly until the cheeses have melted. If your sauce looks curdled or lumpy, continue whisking until it is creamy and smooth.
- Pour this sauce over the shrimp and bake for 14-16 minutes for medium to large shrimp and 16-18 minutes for extra-large.
- 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.
- Before serving, garnish with the rest of the parmesan cheese and additional chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately.
Frequently asked questions:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Blue Cheese Recipe
Equipment
- medium-size (2-½ to 3 quart) oven-safe baking dish
- 10-inch non-stick skillet
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
Instructions
- 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.
- Put eight 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.
- Whisk constantly until the cheeses have melted. If your sauce looks curdled or lumpy, continue whisking until it is creamy and smooth.
- Pour this sauce over the shrimp and bake for 14-16 minutes for medium to large shrimp and 16-18 minutes for extra-large.
- 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 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.
- Before serving, garnish with the rest of the parmesan cheese and additional chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
**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.
Jim and Cheryl Richards
Once again you’ve provided a real WINNER, unlike our football teams this year. We are looking forward to our leftovers tomorrow evening. This was smooth, creamy with a bit of bite from the blue cheese! 10+ on a 10 point scale!!!
Nikki
Sharon, this is soooo easy and delicious! We had this last night for dinner and my husband asked me to put it into our “Rotation” folder. That is a big complement in addition to his extremely clean plate! Making sure it’s just a folder away for next time.
Jim Richards
We had this Thursday night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The leftovers on Friday evening were even better! It’s definitely a keeper and we’ll be introducing it to some friends in Sanibel in a couple of weeks!
Sharon Rigsby
Hey Jim,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thanks too for taking the time to leave a comment!
All the best,
Sharon
Jim Richards
Had it again last night and looking forward to the leftovers tonight! Great shrimp recipe!
Jennifer
This is a keeper! Phenomenal flavors that mix well. I added a little more Parmesan cheese – because well what’s wrong with more cheese!
Sharon Rigsby
Thanks so much, Jennifer. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. And, I’m with you on the additional cheese! There can never be enough for my tastes!
All my best,
Sharon
Robyn
O-M-G!!!!! This is one of the best pasta recipes I’ve ever had! That goes for ones cooked by myself – and I cook a lot of pasta in multiple ways – or by anyone else, including restaurants. I used expensive Roquefort because it was one of the cheeses in a cheese combo that I got for Christmas, and I wanted something that would do it justice. But looking through my (huge) collection of cookbooks, and online, I couldn’t find recipes specifically for Roquefort. Now I think, that’s because Roquefort should be straight, maybe on a cheese platter. The next time I make this pasta, I’ll go with something more generic (and cheaper) but there will definitely be a next time! In fact, there will be a whole lot of next times! One thing I’ll say, on one level it was a leap of faith to make this because Italians do not traditionally use cheese with seafood pastas. But – it works! And one final comment: I do think your baking time of the shrimps is way off. I do shrimps until they are fully pink – not one second more. It only takes about 5 minutes for the ones I use, 21 to 25 count. I can’t imagine doing them for 16 or more minutes.
Audra Fleming
Wow! This was fantastic!!!!! I make a few adjustments because I’m not a huge fan of citrus and I only had one pound of shrimp. I added a tablespoon of garlic to the shrimp sauce and doubled the amount of parsley. Thanks for sharing! I really enjoyed this recipe and I can’t wait to make it again.
Gritsandpinecones
Hi Audra, I’m so glad you liked it. It is one of my favorites too and I serve it often, especially when we have company for dinner. Thanks so much for sharing!
Sharon
Mary Carroll
Love, love, love this recipe–what a treat, especially for company and large groups!
Gritsandpinecones
Thanks so much for the kind comments Mary! Coming from someone who cooks as well as you do, that’s high praise!
Thanks again! Sharon
Pat Cording
The juice of two limes does not change for the number of servings. I made the recipe for three, and the citrus was overwhelming.
Gritsandpinecones
Hi Pat,
I’m so sorry that you had a problem with this recipe. I was excited to be able to offer a way to easily modify the recipes on my blog for a different number of servings but it isn’t helpful if it doesn’t work correctly. I am disabling it and apologize for any problems it caused you.
This recipe is one of my “go-to” recipes and I make it all the time especially when we have company. I hope you give it another try.
Sincerely,
Sharon
D. ROSS
I can hardly wait to try this recipe. If I lived in your town, I would get on my knees and beg to be in your cookbook club!
Gritsandpinecones
If you lived here, I would get down on my knees and beg you to join us!