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This shrimp scampi pasta with broccolini and blistered cherry tomatoes takes the classic Italian-American favorite and gives it a fresh, seasonal upgrade. It's the kind of dish that looks impressive enough for company but comes together easily on a weeknight.
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What makes this dish special
There's this Italian restaurant near me that I absolutely love. Every single visit leaves me smiling and satisfied. One of my favorite things about the place is how they're always rotating in seasonal specials, so there's always something new to try. The last time I went, I ordered their broccolini ravioli served in this buttery lemon white wine sauce, and I was instantly hooked. The sauce reminded me of chicken picatta and scampi pasta combined, two of my favorites.
I knew I wanted to recreate those flavors at home. Even though I'm a chef and I like to make almost everything from scratch, I'll admit that making ravioli is a serious time commitment. So instead, I took the essence of that dish and married it with classic Italian sauces. Add a touch of creamy creme fraiche, tender broccolini, and blistered cherry tomatoes for sweetness. Suddenly, you've got yourself a restaurant-worthy shrimp scampi pasta that's actually doable on a Tuesday night.
Recipe
Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Broccolini and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 12 ounces broccolini
- 12 ounces pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounces large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup sliced shallots
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup creme fraiche
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Add water to a large, deep saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add broccolini and blanch for 2 minutes or until the thickest part of the stems is tender. Remove broccolini, reserving the water, and immediately dunk in an ice bath. Drain broccolini and cut into bite-sized chunks.
- In the same water, cook pasta according to directions on the package. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Rinse cooked pasta with cold water and toss with olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking. Set aside.
- Dry the same pan and reheat over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Add cherry tomatoes to the same pan and cook until softened and blistered, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Add shallots to the same pan and saute until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and red chili flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Add white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, stirring until melted. Add lemon juice, creme fraiche, grated parmesan, and reserved ½ cup pasta cooking water, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add pasta, shrimp, broccolini, and cherry tomatoes, tossing to coat. Continue to simmer until hot and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and sprinkle parsley on top. Portion pasta into bowls and finish with extra parmesan if desired.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cook shrimp
Let's start with the star players: the shrimp, broccolini, and tomatoes. Begin by blanching the broccolini in boiling water for just 2 minutes until the stems are tender. Immediately shock it in an ice bath to lock in that gorgeous green color and stop it from cooking further.
Then, use that same water to cook your pasta. We're using just one pan to cook this entire dish to limit the number of dishes.
Cook the pasta until al dente, and remember to save the cooking water to add to the sauce later.
Next, it's time to cook the shrimp for about 3-4 minutes until they're just pink and opaque. Shrimp go from perfectly tender to rubbery in the blink of an eye, so pull them off the heat as soon as they turn pink.
Remove them from the pan and let them rest while you blister those cherry tomatoes in the same pan until they're softened and starting to burst.
Step 2: Make sauce
Now for the sauce. Sauté thinly sliced shallots until they're soft and fragrant, then add the garlic and red chili flakes for just a minute. You want them aromatic, not burned.
Deglaze the pan with white wine and let it reduce by half, concentrating all those flavors. Go ahead and scrape the bottom of the pan as the wine reduces, adding all those caramelized bits back into the sauce.
Then, stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice, creme fraiche, parmesan, and that reserved pasta water.
The starchy pasta water is crucial here. It helps bring the sauce together so everything clings beautifully to the noodles.
If you can't find creme fraiche, you can substitute it with heavy cream. It's not a usual ingredient in shrimp scampi, but it adds a touch of richness that balances well with the vegetables.
Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes until it thickens slightly and becomes silky.
Step 3: Putting it all together
Finally, bring it all together by tossing the cooked pasta, shrimp, broccolini, and those gorgeous blistered tomatoes into the sauce. Keep everything moving in the pan so every piece of pasta gets coated in that luscious, lemony, garlicky goodness.
Let it simmer just until everything is heated through, then finish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and extra parmesan.
One bite and I immediately fell in love with this shrimp scampi pasta with broccoli and blistered cherry tomatoes. It's bright, indulgent, and balanced, just like the dish that inspired it, but ready in a fraction of the time.
Serve this pasta with a side of crusty bread and sun-dried tomato olive oil bread dip for an elegant meal!
Make-ahead and storage tips
- Make-ahead: You can cook the shrimp and make the pasta sauce ahead of time. Toss the sauce with the pasta and shrimp right before serving.
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 3 days.
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Looking for more pasta dishes with seafood? Try these:
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All images shot and styled by Christine Ma. Available for food photography, styling, and recipe development.
Stacey P. says
I love shrimp scampi so I knew I would enjoy this twist. It was even better than expected! A new go-to recipe for me.
Christine Ma says
Love that!