Creamy Pesto Shrimp
A 25-minute meal that tastes way more involved and elegant than it actually is! Use homemade pesto or your favorite store-bought and serve over pasta, veggies, or rice for a flavorful and vibrant meal in no time flat.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound medium shrimp raw, peeled, deveined
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
- ⅓ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup basil pesto
- extra Parmesan and red pepper flakes optional for serving
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant. Quickly add white wine or chicken broth.1 Tablespoon butter, 2 cloves garlic, ⅓ cup white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
- Bring the liquid to a simmer, then add the shrimp in as close to a single layer as you can get them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.1 pound medium shrimp, kosher salt and black pepper
- Flip the shrimp, then add the halved cherry tomatoes. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and just about cooked through.1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- Add the cream, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Stir until sauce is mostly smooth, then turn off the heat and stir in the pesto. When the sauce is smooth again, sample and season with more salt, pepper, and lemon to taste.⅓ cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup basil pesto
- Serve shrimp and sauce right away over pasta or veggies, with extra Parmesan and red pepper flakes sprinkled on top as desired.extra Parmesan and red pepper flakes
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Notes
- Yield: This recipe yields two generous adult-sized portions + two small kid portions in my house, with plenty of sauce for dressing pasta or side veggies. Use more shrimp if you think you will need them!
- Pesto: This traditional homemade pesto with a pop of lemon zest is my standard go-to, but if you want to disguise a few extra veggies in there—or just clean out the fridge—this spinach basil pesto or pesto with shredded zucchini are truly just as tasty and easy to make.
- Thawing Shrimp: If starting with frozen shrimp, you obviously can thaw them in the fridge overnight. However, I actually prefer to thaw them under cool running water just prior to cooking. Remove all packaging, place shrimp in a large strainer, and run cool water over them until they are tender, but still gray and slightly translucent.
- Stretch Out the Sauce: If you're making pasta and find you want to stretch out the pan sauce a bit more, reserve a bit of the cooking water from the pasta and whisk it into the sauce over medium-low heat. The starch released by the pasta will help this water blend seamlessly into the sauce to increase its volume without watering it down too much.
- Nutrition Info: This info is an estimate based on the shrimp and sauce only, divided into four equal portions. It does not include pasta or sides.
Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 321 kcal, Carbohydrates: 6 g, Protein: 27 g, Fat: 20 g, Saturated Fat: 9 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g, Trans Fat: 0.1 g, Cholesterol: 220 mg, Sodium: 471 mg, Potassium: 435 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g, Vitamin A: 1032 IU, Vitamin C: 10 mg, Calcium: 184 mg, Iron: 1 mg