The Best Shrimp Caprese Pasta
Shrimp caprese pasta features perfectly cooked shrimp, sweet tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella all tossed with pasta in a balsamic wine sauce. This easy recipe is perfect for entertaining, date night at home, or anytime you are craving Olive Garden shrimp caprese pasta.
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It’s a truth fact that we love caprese everything.
And we also love shrimp pasta- I mean hello Shrimp Scampi!
The thing about shrimp pasta and most Italian cooking in general is that it tastes like it should be hard to make.
But it’s not!
Not even a little!
Like shrimp scampi, this shrimp caprese pasta comes together in under half an hour and uses basic ingredients to create big flavors.
There’s no intense prep, just a careful selection of flavors that create magic in a similar way to this Balsamic Tomato Chicken Pasta or Quick and Easy Bruschetta Pasta.
And it’s easy enough to make that you can enjoy it on any day- no need to wait for a special occasion despite it feeling all kinds of fancy.
Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies
To make this you’ll need:
- Shrimp– Large shrimp, peeled and deveined. Make sure to use raw shrimp and not precooked shrimp. Precooked shrimp will get kind of rubbery and not really take on the flavors of the sauce/
- Tomatoes– Go for grape or cherry tomatoes. Cut them in half.
- Mozzarella– The smaller mozzarella pearls work perfectly for this but you could also cut up a larger ball of fresh mozzarella if you prefer. Do use fresh mozzarella here and not the shredded stuff.
- Olive oil– To cook the shrimp in
- Lemon juice– Fresh is best
- Balsamic vinegar
- White wine– Use white wine you would drink. Don’t want to use wine? That’s fine. Substitute chicken stock.
- Garlic– Fresh garlic cloves, pressed
- Salt and pepper
- Basil– Fresh
- Pasta– Spaghetti or linguine
Kitchen supplies to have on hand:
- A large pan or skillet
- A pot and colander or a pasta pot
- Cutting board and knife
- Lemon press
- Garlic press
How to Make Shrimp Caprese Pasta
1. Prep the ingredients.
Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Halve all the cherry tomatoes. Set them aside.
2. Cook the shrimp.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp and let them cook for about 2 minutes, before flipping. Season them with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Make the sauce.
Once you flip the shrimp over, immediately add the lemon juice, white wine, pressed garlic and tomatoes.
Let everything continue to cook until the shrimp is cooked and pink on both sides, the tomatoes just burst, and the liquid simmers.
This happens very quickly.
4. Toss with pasta, cheese, and basil.
As soon as the tomatoes burst and the shrimp is cooked, remove the pan from the heat.
Add the cooked, drain pasta to the skillet, tossing to coat it in the sauce.
Then add the cheese and fresh basil, tossing again.
Serve and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheat in the microwave until warmed through, adding extra olive oil if needed.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure you get your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking the shrimp. The shrimp cooks very quickly and this will make your life so much easier.
- Buy pre cleaned shrimp to save time.
- Don’t add the basil until the very end. If you add it too soon, it can turn bitter.
Other Caprese Recipes
- Shrimp Caprese Salad with Honey Balsamic Reduction
- Strawberry Caprese Salad
- Panzanella Caprese Salad
- The Best Burrata Caprese Salad
- Mini Caprese Skewers
- Air Fryer Gnocchi Caprese
- Fried Mozzarella Caprese Salad
- Instant Pot Caprese Pasta
- Puff Pastry Caprese Cups
- Caprese Zoodle Bowls with Chickpeas
- Elegant and Easy Prosciutto Caprese Skewers
- Easy Pesto Caprese Salad (Italian Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Salad)
- Easy Tortellini Caprese Skewers
- Easy Baguette Caprese Sandwich with Pesto
- 5 Minute Easy Caprese Panini Sandwich with Pesto
- Caprese Tortellini Pasta Salad with Pesto
Other Seafood Pasta Recipes
- Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe
- The Best Easy Lobster Alfredo
- Christmas Shrimp Scampi
- Brown Butter Lobster Pasta
- Easy Lobster Scampi Linguine
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Ingredients
- 1 pound of spaghetti
- 10 ounces of grape tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 pound of large shrimp
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup balsamic
- ½ cup white wine
- 4-6 cloves of pressed garlic
- 8 ounce of mozzarella
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp.
- After about 2 minutes, flip the shrimp over.
- As the shrimp starts to cook, quickly add the lemon juice, balsamic, and pressed garlic cloves.
- Then add the halved tomatoes and white wine.
- Let everything continue to cook until the shrimp is cooked and pink on both sides, the tomatoes just burst, and the liquid simmers. This happens very quickly.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Turn the heat off and add the cooked pasta to the skillet.
- Toss the pasta with the shrimp and tomatoes.
- Add the mozzarella and the basil.
- Toss again and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
