Crispy Shrimp Pasta with Arugula Pesto Cream Sauce.
There is one green that I occasionally allow in my life.
I actually really enjoy arugula. Well, as much as someone who doesn’t love veggies can like a green.
One of the first recipes I ever shared here was arugula and asiago pesto. When prepared this way, I adore arugula. I love it’s peppery flavor and the bite it gives to every dish. In fact, I might be able to eat more veggies if I throw some arugula pesto on them. I need to get on that.
It had been far too long since I made a batch, and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.
Ever since making the crispy shrimp tacos, I can’t get that crispy shrimp out of my mind. We’ve eaten it four times in the last week and a half because it is so delicious, and perhaps most importantly – easy and quick! It is quite flavorful too.
So I cooked up the shrimp, boiled some pasta, threw on the pesto, and had a full meal in minutes. There are layers of flavor going on in that bowl. Just the way I like it.
Oh… and instead of just regular pesto? I made it into a cream sauce. Because everything is better with cream. You can leave that part out. But why would you want to?
This is a very green dish for me! It doesn’t get much greener than this.
Crispy Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
Crispy Shrimp Pasta
- 1 pound raw, deveined shrimp (tails removed)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 pound whole wheat fettuccine, or pasta of choice
Arugula Pesto Cream Sauce
- 1 6- ounce bag of arugula
- 1/3 cup asiago cheese, you can sub parmesan if you’d like
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup olive oil + more if needed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Crispy Shrimp Pasta
- Boil water for pasta and begin to cook according to directions.
- Make sure shrimp is clean and completely dry. Combine salt, pepper, and garlic powder and sprinkle it over the shrimp. Add the flour to a small bowl, and dredge the shrimp through the flour to get a very light coating on it. Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the shrimp and brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Drain cooked pasta and add pasta to the shrimp. Top with pesto. To serve, garnish with fresh parmesan.
Arugula Pesto Cream Sauce
- In a food processor, combine garlic, arugula and cheese. Pulse until combined. Stream in olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the pesto becomes smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Add pesto to a large bowl and stir in cream, using a large spoon. Add to shrimp and pasta when ready.
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I appreciate you so much!
I’m counting this as fifty servings of veggies. That sounds fair.
115 Comments on “Crispy Shrimp Pasta with Arugula Pesto Cream Sauce.”
Pesto is one off my favorite flavors! Looks divine.
Greens are overrated ;) – I’m loving that pasta!
The photos, Jessica, are just spectacular. I used to come for the recipes, now i come for the photography AND the recipes. Seriously you have such a knack for it! And of course, for creating recipes :) You are my hero :)
xo
Yum! This reminds me of a spinach sauce that I made recently! I’ll have to try it with arugula!
It’s only natural to have something green on St. Patrick’s Day! Let that be your excuse!
Oh this sauce sounds wonderful! I’ve never bought any arugula, so I must find it and try this soon:)
seriously, if you have the option to add creamy why WOULDN’T you?!
Look at you and all your veggie eating! Time for brownies:-)
Love this idea! Such a simple meal but it sounds awesome.
I love arugula!! Such a pretty green :)
what a fantastic pasta recipe !!! just yummy yum yum
My favorite part of this pasta is the sauce! It looks so good!!
I never think to make pesto. This is beautiful. The color is so vibrant! You have convinced me…I need to put it on my list to make soon. Have a great day Jessica!
You too!
Thank you! This will be perfect for our meatless Lent Fridays!
Great recipe! I am a total sucker for shrimp!
That seriously looks heavenly. And yes, its partially because I’ve been having odd cravings for shrimp….but also because it just looks good ;). Great flavor combo.
Oh, I forgot about your shrimp cravings!! This is perfect. :)
Gorgeous green colors! So proud of you for eating your veggies! :)
That dish looks amazing!! I love arugula too! A sauce just isn’t a sauce without cream and cheese!
It’s so deliciously green! Like the scenery in Fern Gully! Like just-mowed grass! Like yumminess!
This looks divine!! I love pesto (and shrimp!) but don’t make it nearly as much as I should.
PS. I think 50 servings is about right. ;)
I don’t think I have ever had shrimp and pesto together, but this looks delicious. Recipe saved.
I blogged about making those crispy shrimp tacos yesterday. They were fantastic! Will definitely have to try this one out.
So glad you liked them!
A veggie that you DO like? :)
This pasta looks so good and so GREEN!
Such wonderful pictures. I love the green, it’s so vibrant and just screams ‘spring.’
This pasta looks amazing! I keep meaning to try different types of pesto than the regular basil pestp and I think this might be my first!
Ziet er inderdaad zeer lekker uit, ga het ook eens proberen :-)))
You take such excellent photos. This looks like a great easy recipe. I would do it with some grilled chicken though, my bf is allergic to shrimp. Saddest thing ever, since it’s one of my favorite things! Thanks for the great recipe!
Mmmm! I love anything pesto!
mmmm. beautiful too! looks like spring is here :)
That looks delicious! I just had pesto pasta two nights ago : )
Love the color of this dish! I’ve only ever made a basil pesto but this sounds intriguing. Especially the “cream sauce” part! =)
I do a spinach & arugula pesto more often than traditional basil pesto because arugula is so much cheaper & readily available! Same goes with walnuts instead of pine nuts. My husband can hardly tell the difference. Loving your blog! xo
Thanks!
I absolutely love arugula in pesto. Really, I love any kind of pesto. I haven’t made a good shrimp dish in sooo long and this looks perfect! :)
Looks amazing! Now I have to decide what I will be making this weekend the pesto or the lasagna?! Oh decisions… Your pictures are incredible and makes everything look irresistible.
Thank you so much!
This looks really yummy!! I love the arugula pesto recipe and can’t wait to try it… we’ll have to sub out the shrimp though. Hubby’s allergic!! (I cry about this nightly)
Ah! I would too.
oh my goodness, this looks divine! I love pesto, cream, and shrimp.
Look at that shade of green! it’s beautiful.
Ooh I love arugula. This looks fantastic! Totally counts for like a week’s worth of veggies. ;-)
This looks very delicious! As I saw the picture of the finished plate it reminded me of the dish on the April cover of Cooking Light. I maybe thought that you had started writing/ shooting food for them? I had to grab my issue to check! The only difference between their version and yours is they use ricotta, spinach, a couple other herbs, and leave out the shrimp. I love your recipes.
Oh my gosh… I wish! Thank you! What a wonderful compliment, I have not seen that issue yet – I need to pick one up!
YUM. That’s all there is to say, major Y-U-M.
That is a beautiful shade of green! What a lovely pasta!
I know what I am having for dinner tonight! What a great idea to use arugula in Pesto!
That is one gorgeous green color! I like my food to be pretty, so this would get me to eat greens! :)
OH MY GOSHHHH I WANT IT
WWOOOWW!! i love pesto so much, but i’ve never had it with arugla and asiago and this looks amazzinng.
why am i craving this at 10 in the morning?
Cream sauces are bomb. My favorite is the Chicken Tequila Fettucini from California Pizza kitchen. It’s green too so I feel good about eating it. I’m sure it has veggies in it somewhere.
That sounds so good!
Well done! Way to sneak in some veggies. :) Great color and photos!
I know this wasn’t featured yesterday. . . but it should have been. A little known fact is that it was BOTH St. Patrick’s Day AND the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification (essentially, when it became a country). I had risotto last night to celebrate. . . but THIS would have been perfect. Nevertheless — I am going to make this, regardless of Italy’s 150th or St. Patrick’s day, very soon.
This makes me super excited about the fact that I’m growing arugula this summer!
This makes me *very* glad that I’m back on the seafood train.
Me too!!