Make Dinner Easier with Lemon Pasta

This lemon pasta with shrimp garlic and basil is seriously the easiest thing to make for dinner. The final dish is just bursting with flavor, and it only takes 15 minutes to make. Every bite tastes amazing! It's awesome that with just a few ingredients and very little time, you can have a dish that's this flavorful. If you want something really tasty but super simple, this lemon pasta recipe is the way to go. It's our favorite dish when we want something fancy but don't have much time.

The best part about this lemon pasta recipe is that if you don't want shrimp, you can replace them with Italian sausage, chicken, or, for a vegetarian version, add spinach or broccoli. This is one of those recipes where you can use your imagination for the protein. The pasta can also be changed. You can use linguine, angel hair, ditalini, fettuccine, fusilli, Gemelli, or orecchiette like we did—whatever you have on hand!

Lemon Shrimp Pasta

This dish is so good because of the lemon garlic sauce. We like to add some crushed pepper flakes or habanero to give it a little kick. The pasta, lemon garlic sauce, and shrimp all combine to make a perfect dish with just the right seasoning. The shrimp is awesome with this sauce, and the lemon brings out all the wonderful flavors, making the shrimp a fantastic addition to the pasta. Every bite makes me smile and feel so happy.

How to make this dish:

I just wanted to share a few helpful tips for making this Lemon Shrimp Pasta recipe. First, get the water boiling and prep all the ingredients. While you're waiting for the water to boil, zest and juice the lemon, peel the shrimp and shred the parmesan cheese. Enjoy cooking!

Once the water starts to boil, add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water and then add the pasta. The salt really adds great flavor to the pasta and the entire dish. Cook the pasta to al dente, as it will cook a little more when it is added to the pan with the shrimp. The cooking time will depend on the type of pasta.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, stir in the garlic, and toss in the shrimp. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over the shrimp and let it cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning a few times. Add the fresh lemon juice.

NOTE: If the shrimp are completely done, remove them from the pan before adding the pasta and pasta water.

Add the cooked pasta along with ½ cup of the pasta water. Don't forget to sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and cook for an additional 3 minutes until the sauce thickens up nicely. If adding red pepper flakes or habanero add them now.

When the sauce has thickened, remove from heat. Add the lemon zest and basil. Toss together and serve with a salad or crusty bread. This lemon garlic shrimp is so delicious, and it's amazing how fast it is made.

Enjoy!!!!!!!

Ingredients needed for Lemon Pasta:

1. Pasta - Yep, it's definitely a lemon pasta dish! We've discovered that pretty much any type of pasta works. It's one of those recipes where you can use whatever pasta you have in the pantry. Though, I wouldn't go for lasagna or egg noodles!"
2. Lemon - Make sure you've got some lemons for this recipe!! We use 1 ½ to 2 lemons, depending on how much lemon flavor we want and how many lemons we have in the fridge. If you're all about that zesty lemon punch, use 2 lemons and their zest. The zest really kicks up the flavor. We usually just use the zest of one lemon, but it might be cool to have extra zest so that everyone can dial up the lemoniness on their plates.
3. Garlic - I've gotten really lazy and started using store-bought crushed garlic. It's just such a pain to clean fresh garlic. Avoid using garlic powder as it won't give the same flavorful punch when sautéed.
4. Parmesan Cheese - Adding Parmesan cheese to the sauce not only creates a wonderful supporting flavor, but it also helps thicken the sauce and allows it to cling to the pasta beautifully.
5. Basil - Adding basil with the lemons gives it an extra burst of flavor. It goes so nicely with the lemon, garlic, and parmesan cheese. You can also try using parsley or oregano for a different twist. Have fun experimenting with the herbs.

Supporting Ingredients for Lemon Pasta

1. Olive Oil - For sure, you'll need some olive oil to sauté the shrimp and garlic.
2. Salt - You know what's funny? When they do recipes on TV, they never count spices as an ingredient. Can you believe it? And sometimes, they don't even count olive oil or garlic! It's like they're making it seem too easy by saying a lasagna has only three ingredients when they're only focusing on the main parts.
3. Pasta Water - I don't really count this as an ingredient since it should be available from the faucet! But I guess if you're using bottled water to make your pasta, then it could be considered an ingredient. Haha

Optional Ingredients:

1. Shrimp - We use jumbo and medium shrimp for this, but I think small shrimp would work great too. I liked the medium shrimp better because they're almost bite-sized, so I don't have to waste time cutting them!!
2. Italian Sausage - Instead of using shrimp add cooked Italian sausage. We like the spicy sausage but sweet Italian sausage can also be used.
3. Red pepper flakes or habanero pepper - You can add red pepper flakes or habanero pepper if you want to give your dish a little kick.

Oh, there's something really special about a lemon pasta dish, don't you think? The perfect balance of lemon and garlic is just amazing! If you're a fan of shrimp scampi and you're looking for a lighter, lower-calorie option, you're really going to love this one. The lemon pasta dish is so light and bursting with wonderful lemony flavor – you won't be disappointed!

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This is our new go-to way to have lemon garlic shrimp pasta recipe. We hope you love it as much as we do! It’s seriously amazing!!!!!

Here are some other recipes we thought you might also enjoy!

• Lemon chicken baked or grilled - This lemon chicken recipe can be grilled or baked and comes together in just a few minutes for a quick, delicious, healthy meal. Fresh lemons make the chicken extra juicy and bright.
• Lemon pasta with shrimp and spinach - Lemon Pasta with Shrimp and Spinach is zesty and creamy. Cottage cheese makes a creamy sauce that's perfect with a vibrant lemon flavor.
• Lemon ricotta sauce with pasta and shrimp - Lemon ricotta sauce blends garlic, wine, lemon & ricotta to make a creamy sauce served over Pasta with shrimp.
• Shrimp pesto pasta salad - This Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad is perfect for a picnic or cookout and comes together in a flash. Pesto and Ricotta cheese coat the pasta and shrimp. The cherry tomatoes and onion add a sweet crunch.
• Cooking with fresh tomatoes - Summer pasta recipe - Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, and Spicy Italian Sausage is a delicious dish that can be enjoyed even on a diet!!!