Shrimp Marinara
Feels elegant and tastes amazing, yet can be made completely from scratch in less than 30 minutes. Choose this when you want to make something special without much time or fuss!
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes see notes 1 and 2
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 2-3 sprigs fresh basil plus more for serving
- 8 ounces pasta see note 3
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water and add a generous pinch of salt. Sprinkle shrimp lightly with kosher salt and black pepper; set aside.
- While you wait for the water to boil, begin making the sauce. Place olive oil and garlic in a cold deep skillet, then place the skillet over medium heat. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle and smell fragrant, stir in the tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Nestle in the sprigs of fresh basil. Reduce the heat to low and let sauce simmer for at least 15 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, add pasta to the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes less than the package directions say for al dente. Drain and set aside.
- When almost ready to eat, add shrimp to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- As soon as all the shrimp turn opaque and curl up, indicating they are cooked through, remove pan from the heat and take the basil sprigs out of the sauce. Sample a spoonful of sauce or one shrimp; add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve right away with more chopped or torn basil leaves and pasta or vegetables, as desired.
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Notes
- Tomato Quality: Using high-quality tomatoes is important. With so few ingredients, the flavor will really make a difference. San Marzano tomatoes are generally considered top notch; my favorite brands include Mutti, DeLallo, and Muir Glen, which are organic and come in BPA-free cans.
- Tomato Type: You can use whole canned tomatoes in place of crushed. Include all juices from the can. Either crush the tomatoes by hand as you add them to the skillet, or blend them with a traditional or immersion blender before adding the pasta.
- Serving Options: Serving shrimp marinara over pasta is an obvious and delicious choice, but the shrimp and sauce are also great served alongside bread, rice, zoodles, potatoes, a bed of dark leafy greens, or roasted vegetables. You can also tuck the shrimp and sauce into torpedo rolls for a fun cross between a meatball sub and a shrimp roll (just be sure to remove all tails first and consider chopping the shrimp into bite-sized pieces).
- More Vegetables: Toss veggies straight into this pasta for more of a healthy one-pot meal. Craving greens? Add spinach or arugula to the sauce along with the drained pasta. Have some shredded carrots, minced onion, or finely-chopped bell pepper or zucchini? Add those to the sauce along with the tomatoes and let them simmer in there right along with everything else.
Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 422 kcal, Carbohydrates: 59 g, Protein: 26 g, Fat: 10 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g, Trans Fat: 0.01 g, Cholesterol: 143 mg, Sodium: 908 mg, Potassium: 854 mg, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 10 g, Vitamin A: 640 IU, Vitamin C: 19 mg, Calcium: 154 mg, Iron: 4 mg