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Overhead close up of a bowl of shrimp pasta with parsley garnish
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5 from 65 votes

Shrimp Penne Pasta

Easy pasta dish with penne pasta covered in a creamy garlic sauce and shrimp!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 774kcal
Author: Julie Evink

Ingredients

  • 3 c. dry penne
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 c. butter cubed
  • 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 14.5 oz chicken broth
  • 5 oz evaporated milk
  • 1 lb cooked medium shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 2/3 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp Seafood Seasoning Old Bay recommended

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Make sure not to over cook or your noodles turn to mush when you mix it with the pasta sauce!
  • Meanwhile, in a large saucepan saute garlic in butter.
  • Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened.
  • Stir in shrimp, cheese, parsley and seafood seasoning; heat through.
  • Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add shrimp mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Can I use regular milk instead of evaporated milk?
I like to use evaporated milk in this recipe because it helps make the sauce creamy and rich. I also like it because I can keep it stocked in my pantry instead of always having whole milk or cream in the refrigerator. You can substitute heavy cream for the evaporated milk or a combination of whole milk and cream (approximately 4 ounces of milk and 1 ounce of heavy cream would work well).
You could try using whole milk, but the sauce may not be as rich and the sauce might break, too, while you're cooking it. If you try it with just whole milk (or another type of milk) let me know in the comments how it worked!
I only have raw shrimp on hand - will that work?
Yes, you can use raw shrimp instead of pre-cooked ones!
  • First, make sure they are peeled and deveined. Remove the tails, too!
  • Once you melt the butter and add the garlic and add the uncooked shrimp. Cook them for a few minutes on each side. Depending on how big they are you will want to cook them for two to three minutes on each side. Once they are pink and translucent remove them from the pan and set them aside.
  • Continue with the rest of the recipe (making the sauce with the stock, etc) and then just add the cooked shrimp at the end.

Nutrition

Calories: 774kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 242mg | Sodium: 1346mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 958IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 508mg | Iron: 5mg