Shrimp Alfredo

Whether it’s for a date night at home a special occasion or important company, this Shrimp Alfredo is impressive, yet easy to make!

Are you a shrimp fan? You also need to try these Skillet Shrimp Fajitas or Spicy Shrimp Bowls.

This is one of my favorite pasta recipes. If you are planning for company this holiday season, or if you want to make a special date night at home, this Shrimp Alfredo is the recipe for you!

My husband is a huge Fettuccine Alfredo lover. I seriously think that he would eat it weekly if I made it that often. Back before I really knew how to cook, I would just use one of those sauce packets you can find at the grocery store. But then one of my sisters sent me this recipe back in 2004, and I realized that it is just as easy to make your own sauce. I’m pretty sure I haven’t bought one of those packets since then!

Ingredients

• Pasta: I like to use fettuccine, but any long cut pasta will work.
• Butter: I prefer unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt.
• Onion: The onion gives great flavor – I like to use a yellow or white onion.
• Mushrooms: If you aren’t a mushroom fan, feel free to leave these out. You can use either white mushrooms or baby bellas.
• Shrimp: You’ll want your shrimp to be peeled and deveined. I also like to remove the tails because it is much easier to eat that way.
• Flour: The flour will thicken up the sauce.
• Chicken Broth: Using some chicken broth is a great way to make a lighter white sauce. You could also use vegetable broth.
• Evaporated Milk: I use evaporated milk instead of cream to cut out a few calories. If you’ve never tried this trick, you really need to. It doesn’t compromise flavor or texture at all! Feel free to use cream if that is what you prefer, though.
• Parmesan Cheese: Pre-grated parmesan cheese tends to clump together, so freshly grated cheese always works best.
• Garlic Powder: You could also use fresh garlic – just add it in at the end of the onion cook time.
• Nutmeg: A little bit of fresh nutmeg in a cream sauce is so good – it adds a little hint of warmness in the background.
• Asparagus: The asparagus could also easily be substituted – broccoli, peas….the possibilities are endless!

How to Make Shrimp Alfredo

1. Cook your pasta until al dente. Save some of the cooking water before draining the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot once it has been drained.
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter then add the onion and cook until they are starting to soften, then add the mushrooms.
3. Once the onion and mushrooms are cooked, add the shrimp and cook it just until it is pink on both sides.
4. In another pan, make the sauce by melting the remaining butter, then whisk in the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Whisk in the chicken broth and the evaporated milk, then stir in the garlic powder and nutmeg, and season to taste with pepper. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Simmer this all together until it has thickened.
6. Add the shrimp mixture to the pot with the pasta, the stir in the sauce. Use as much of the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen and combine the mixture together.
7. Stir the asparagus in, then serve.

Tips and Tricks

You can change the cheese – use a Pecorino Romano, or if you are a blue cheese lover I think a good blue cheese would be amazing.

My sister’s original recipe called for scallops, but I used shrimp. It would also be delicious with chicken, bacon or crab.

I always say to season to taste with salt and pepper. I don’t usually add salt to this, but I do like a good dose of black pepper.

I like to save extra pasta water if I think I’m going to have leftovers. The pasta will soak up a lot of the sauce when it is refrigerated overnight, so adding some of that pasta water will loosen it all up. If you don’t save any pasta water, you can add in more chicken broth or evaporated milk when reheating.

More Shrimp Pasta Recipes

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Shrimp
Key West Penne
Shrimp Pasta with Poblano Cream Sauce
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Pasta
Thai Shrimp and Noodles
Fra Diavolo Shrimp

Shrimp Alfredo

5 from 7 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

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Whether it’s for a date night at home a special occasion or important company, this Shrimp Alfredo is impressive, yet easy to make!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 12 oz fettuccine noodles
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter divided
• ▢ 1/4 cup diced onion
• ▢ 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• ▢ 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
• ▢ 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup evaporated milk
• ▢ 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ Dash of nutmeg
• ▢ 3/4 cup steamed asparagus cut on a diagonal into 1/2 inch pieces

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve a mug full of the pasta water. Drain, then place the pasta back into the pot.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and slowly cook until they are starting to soften, then add the mushrooms and continue to cook until both are tender. Add the shrimp and cook until they have changed color and are cooked through.
• In another saucepan, melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter. Add the flour and stir until combined. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth and evaporated milk. Add the garlic powder and nutmeg, then add pepper to taste. Stir in the parmesan cheese.
• Simmer the sauce for 5-10 minutes, or until it thickens.
• Add the shrimp mixture and the sauce to the pot with the pasta and toss to combine. If needed, add some of the pasta water to loosen up the sauce.
• Stir in the asparagus and serve.

Recipe Notes:

*you can also use cream instead of evaporated milk.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 of the recipe, Calories: 718kcal (36%), Carbohydrates: 75g (25%), Protein: 48g (96%), Fat: 30g (46%), Saturated Fat: 18g (113%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 258mg (86%), Sodium: 727mg (32%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 7g (8%)

Keywords: shrimp pasta, white sauce pasta