Are you ready to create a truly elegant, restaurant-quality dinner in your own kitchen in about 15 minutes? A dish so light, so fresh, and so packed with a bright, zesty flavor, it will become your new go-to for a quick and impressive meal? This incredible, from-scratch Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp is that perfect recipe. We’re talking delicate angel hair pasta, enrobed in a luscious, silky “no-cook” lemon butter sauce, and tossed with plump, juicy, and perfectly roasted shrimp.
This isn’t just another pasta recipe; it’s your new weeknight superstar. We’ll show you the simple but brilliant professional secrets to creating a flawless, emulsified sauce without even turning on another burner. This is a satisfying, soulful, and deeply impressive meal that is perfect for a date night, a quick lunch, or any time you need a taste of sunshine on a plate.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate 15-Minute Elegant Dinner
What makes this Lemon Shrimp Pasta so spectacularly delicious is its incredible, fresh flavor and its brilliantly simple and fast cooking method. This recipe is a masterpiece of modern efficiency. The dish features large, plump jumbo shrimp, which are quickly roasted in a hot oven until perfectly sweet and tender. The true magic happens with the luscious, from-scratch “no-cook” lemon butter sauce. This silky sauce is a perfect emulsion, created in the serving bowl by simply tossing the hot pasta with melted butter, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and zest, and a splash of the starchy “liquid gold” from the pasta water.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 20 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4 |
The Simple Luxuries: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, fresh ingredients to create its signature vibrant and savory flavor.
- The Shrimp: For the best, most succulent result, it is highly recommended to use large or jumbo raw shrimp. Using shrimp that has already been peeled and deveined is a fantastic and convenient shortcut that makes this a true 15-minute meal.
- The “No-Cook” Lemon Butter Sauce (The Secret to Speed!): A simple but powerful combination of classic flavors.
- Fresh Lemon: For the best, most vibrant and authentic flavor, you must use both freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly grated lemon zest. The zest, in particular, contains all the fragrant essential oils and provides a much more complex and intense citrusy aroma that is the heart of the dish.
- Good Quality Fats: A combination of a high-quality, unsalted butter and a flavorful, good extra-virgin olive oil creates a rich, complex, and perfectly balanced sauce.
- The Pasta:
- Angel Hair Pasta: The secret to this recipe’s incredible speed! Delicate angel hair pasta cooks to a perfect al dente in just about 3 minutes.
- The “Liquid Gold” (Starchy Pasta Water!): This is the most important “secret” ingredient for a perfect sauce! The cloudy, starchy, salty water left over from cooking your pasta is the magic, natural emulsifier that helps to transform your simple oil and butter into a cohesive, silky, and surprisingly creamy sauce that clings beautifully to every single noodle.
Step-by-Step to the Best Lemon Shrimp Pasta
This elegant, one-pan (mostly!) meal is incredibly simple to prepare.
Step 1: The Art of the Perfect Roasted Shrimp
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to a hot 400°F (200°C).
Step 2: On a sheet pan, toss your 2 pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Spread them out in a single, even layer.
Step 3: Roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the shrimp are pink, firm, and cooked through. Be careful not to overcook them!
Part 2: Cook the Pasta and Create the “Magic” Sauce
Step 1: While the shrimp is roasting, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add your 1 pound of angel hair pasta and cook until it is al dente, which will take about 3 minutes.
Step 2 (The Most Important Step!): Just before you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve at least 1 full cup of the starchy, salty pasta water.
Step 3 (The Sauce Magic!): In a large serving bowl, combine your 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and the zest and juice of 2 lemons.
Step 4: Drain your pasta and immediately add the hot pasta to the serving bowl with your sauce ingredients. Add about 1/2 cup of your reserved, hot pasta water.
Step 5: Use a pair of tongs to toss everything together vigorously and continuously. The heat from the pasta and the water will emulsify the sauce, creating a beautiful, creamy coating.
Step 6: Add your hot, roasted shrimp to the bowl and give everything a final toss. Season with any more salt and pepper to your taste.
Serve the hot, luscious lemon shrimp pasta immediately.
Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp (An Easy & Elegant Recipe!)
A quick, easy, and elegant recipe for Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp. This simple weeknight meal features jumbo shrimp that are quickly roasted in the oven. A light and flavorful sauce is created by tossing hot, al dente angel hair pasta with melted butter, olive oil, fresh lemon zest and juice, and a splash of the starchy pasta water. The roasted shrimp are then added to the pasta for a complete and satisfying dish that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Good olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- On a sheet pan, toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Spread them in a single layer and roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until they’re pink and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of boiling salted water to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta and cook for about 3 minutes, or until al dente.
- Before draining the pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
- In a large bowl, quickly toss the hot, drained pasta with the melted butter, 1/4 cup of olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
- Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the bowl and toss again to create a light sauce.
- Add the roasted shrimp to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve hot.
Notes
- This is an extremely fast meal, perfect for a busy weeknight. The entire dish comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta water.
- Roasting the shrimp on a sheet pan is a quick and easy, hands-off cooking method.
- Reserving the starchy pasta water and adding it to the sauce is a crucial step that helps the simple butter and oil sauce emulsify and cling to the noodles, creating a creamy texture without any cream.
What to Serve With Your Lemon Shrimp Pasta
This beautiful and light dish is a fantastic, all-in-one meal. To round it out, here are a few simple and classic pairings:
- A Simple Green Salad: A crisp arugula salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is the perfect, fresh counterpoint to the rich pasta.
- Crusty Bread: A side of warm, crusty bread or garlic bread is an absolute must-have for sopping up every last drop of that incredible, zesty sauce.
- A Glass of White Wine: For the adults, a glass of a crisp, dry white wine, like a Pinot Grigio or a Sauvignon Blanc, is a classic and perfect pairing.
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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Storage: A delicate pasta dish like this one is at its absolute peak of perfection in the moments right after it is made. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat this dish is to do so gently in a skillet on the stovetop over a low heat. You will need to add a generous splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce and bring back some of its original, creamy consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute, number one secret to a creamy pasta sauce without any cream?
The secret is starchy pasta water! The cloudy water that your pasta has been cooking in is packed with starches. When you vigorously toss this “liquid gold” with your fats (the butter and the olive oil), it acts as a magical emulsifier, creating an unbelievably smooth, silky, and creamy sauce that clings perfectly to your pasta.
Q2: How do I keep from overcooking my shrimp?
The two most important secrets are to use high heat and a short cooking time. Roasting your shrimp in a hot, 400°F oven is the key that cooks them very quickly. As soon as they have turned from a translucent grey to an opaque pink color and have curled into a gentle “C” shape, they are perfectly cooked.
Q3: Can I use frozen shrimp for this recipe?
Yes, absolutely! For the best result, it is crucial to make sure your frozen shrimp are completely thawed and, most importantly, patted very, very dry with a paper towel before you roast them
Q4: Can I use a different kind of pasta?
Of course! While the angel hair is key to the 15-minute speed, this delicious sauce is also fantastic with a classic linguine, spaghetti, or even a short pasta shape like a penne or a farfalle. You will just need to adjust your pasta cooking time accordingly.
Q5: Can I add some vegetables to this dish?
Yes! This dish is a wonderful canvas for some quick-cooking vegetables. You could add some fresh baby spinach or arugula to the bowl and let it wilt into the hot pasta, or you could roast some asparagus spears or some halved cherry tomatoes on the same sheet pan with your shrimp.