Shrimp Pesto Pasta is an easy skillet dinner ready in 30 minutes. Shrimp and pasta tossed in fresh homemade basil pesto, topped with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Tossed with spaghetti, our Pesto Shrimp becomes a quick and delicious Pasta Dinner, better than your favorite Italian restaurant!

This Shrimp Pesto Pasta with our homemade Basil Pesto is a quick and easy one pan meal. Marinate the shrimp while you cook the pasta to al dente for a meal that’s ready in less than 30 minutes. Pesto Shrimp Pasta is a go-to weeknight dinner recipe that is simple to make but fancy enough for special occasions.

You can use a store-bought pesto sauce for your Pesto Pasta with Shrimp if you prefer not to make your own. The homemade Basil Pesto is so easy to make, it’s worth going to the store for the ingredients. You make it in just 2 minutes in the blender and its freezer-friendly sauce you keep for months. Make it in bulk so you always have pesto on hand and never have to use the jarred sauce again!

One of the best reasons to use homemade pesto, besides tasting better than store-bought, is that you can control the ingredients. You can adjust the pesto recipe to be dairy-free, nut-free, or even substitute other herbs or greens for fresh basil. Below the variations section, we’ve got ways to customize pesto sauce for this Pesto Shrimp Pasta!

Pesto Shrimp Pasta is a great recipe for busy weeknights with a side of Roasted Broccoli or Sautéed Green Beans and Garlic Bread. You can also serve Pesto Pasta with shrimp or without as a side for Italian favorites like Chicken Parmesan. Prepare as usual and chill overnight to serve this dish as a Pesto Shrimp Pasta Salad!

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VARIATIONS ON SHRIMP PESTO PASTA

Creamy Pesto Pasta: Cook and remove shrimp, set aside. Add 1 cup broth, ½ cup heavy cream, and ½ block (4 ounces) softened cream cheese to the skillet. Stir and cook until thickened, then add pasta, shrimp, and pesto to pan.
Chicken: Use leftover Grilled Chicken to make an easy Chicken Pesto Pasta dinner. For raw chicken, butterfly and marinate chicken breast in pesto. Cook for about 3-4 minutes each side, or until cooked through. Remove from pan and slice before returning with pasta and pesto.
Tomatoes: Tomatoes taste great in pesto pasta! Add sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or diced tomatoes (drained) when you add the pasta and pesto to the pan.
Veggies: Toss cooked veggies like peas, red peppers, or asparagus with pasta mixture before serving for a complete one pan meal.
Pasta: Swap out spaghetti with other thin noodle pasta like fettuccine, bucatini, and linguine. You could also use penne pasta, fusilli, or farfalle in this pasta dish.

Homemade Pesto Variations

Cheese: For dairy-free pesto sauce use 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese, and add a squeeze of lemon juice for brightness.
Nuts: Try toasted walnuts or almonds for the pine nuts. For a nut-free pesto sauce, use toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
Basil: Instead of fresh basil, you can use carrot tops, spinach, kale, or parsley. Try a mixed greens pesto using a little of each!
Olive Oil: For a lighter pesto sauce, substitute ½ a large avocado plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 3 tablespoons water for the olive oil. Use extra-virgin olive oil for the best oil flavor.

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HOW TO STORE SHRIMP PESTO PASTA

Serve: Pesto Shrimp Pasta can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it should be stored. You can enjoy this shrimp pasta dish cold or hot.
Store: Store Shrimp Pesto Pasta in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium heat or serve leftovers cold.
Freeze: Cooked shrimp does not reheat well once frozen. You can freeze Pesto Pasta without the shrimp for up to 3 months in a sealed container. Thaw pasta overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove. Cook the shrimp fresh per the recipe and toss with pesto pasta.

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Ingredients

Shrimp Pasta:

▢ 1 pound shrimp , peeled and deveined
▢ 1 pound spaghetti
▢ 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese , shaved

Instructions

Add the pine nuts to a small pan on medium heat and let toast until you can just smell the pine nuts.
Add toasted pine nuts, basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese to food processor and blend while slowly pouring in the olive oil through the food chute.
In a large bowl, toss the shrimp in ½ cup pesto and let sit for 15 minutes.
While the shrimp marinates, cook the pasta one minute shy of the package instructions.
Drain and set aside, reserving ¼ cup pasta water. Do not rinse.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Scrape the pesto off the shrimp and add to the hot pan, cooking on each side for 1-2 minutes.
Add pasta and the remaining pesto to the pan and toss with shrimp until heated through.
Optional: Thin sauce with pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.
Top with Parmesan cheese before serving.