Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, artichoke hearts and a creamy lemon garlic sauce is a wildly flavorful dinner that will knock your socks off! If you love shrimp or pasta, this meal will make you swoon!
Date night recipe, anyone?
Nothing says, “I love you,” like shrimp pasta, and that’s an actual fact!
I recently googled the time of year that shrimp pasta recipes are trending the most, and it’s right before Valentine’s Day.
Turns out, folks tend to do a savage amount of shrimp pasta googling before the romantic holiday.
Well, here we are in September, doing as true rebels do.
Eating Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta whenever we please!
Freedom never felt so good!
This Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta is a whimsical stroll through flavortown.
We’ve got this incredible zesty garlicky cream sauce (that is dairy-free…more on that in a bit), sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and artichoke hearts for those amazing ocean or countryside feels, and that carby pasta. OHHHH the carby pasta!
It’s just so inviting and satisfying!
This recipe is a boosted version of the Easy Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta I posted a few months back.
It includes most of the same ingredients with the additions of sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and capers for epic travel vibes.
I make the pasta gluten-free using gluten-free pasta noodles and dairy-free using full-fat coconut milk instead of cream.
If you’re feeling hesitant about the coconut milk, just trust me on this!
It makes a thick, silky smooth sauce and because there are so many other flavors going on, you can’t taste the coconut milk. I personally like the flavor of coconut milk, but if you don’t, no worries – it’s undetectable 😉
Ingredients for Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta:
Pasta: Use your favorite noodles! I use Tinkaya Brown Rice Spaghetti, which I find soaks up sauce marvelously well and creates that twisty spaghetti experience you just love in a rustic pasta like this.
If you’re paleo, you can go with Cassava Flour Noodles, or if you are neither grain-free nor gluten-free, simply pick your favorite noodles!
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté, I use avocado oil because it has a high smoke point, making it ideal for high-temperature cooking. It also has a neutral flavor, allowing the other flavors in the recipe to shine.
Garlic: A big flavor booster, fresh garlic is amazing in any pasta. Feel free to scale the amount up or down depending on your personal taste.
Shrimp: The all-star here! We use raw shrimp that is peeled and deveined for the pasta. It provides a nice heartiness without making the pasta feel heavy or overly rich. If you only have access to frozen shrimp, no worries! Frozen works too.
Paprika: I love sprinkling shrimp with paprika to give it a little extra flavor. If you don’t keep paprika on hand, feel free to skip it! It’s nice but not mandatory by any means.
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: That sauce I was telling you about! Full-fat coconut milk makes an amazing sauce in just about any application, and I find it works particularly well in creamy pastas and saucy chicken recipes.
Be sure to use the full-fat canned kind of coconut milk, as coconut milk from a carton will separate while cooking and doesn’t contain enough fat to make the sauce delicious.
If you aren’t dairy-free, feel free to use half & half or heavy cream instead of coconut milk.
Lemon Zest & Juice: Lemon zest is what gives the pasta that amazingly powerful yet soft lemon flavor, and the lemon juice gives it just the right amount of tang. For me, a good lemon recipe is zest-forward with a small amount of juice so that it isn’t overly bitter but has an almost creamy essence to it.
Artichoke Hearts, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Capers: Those tangy goodies that give the Mediterranean pasta the Mediterranean vibe! Feel free to also add olives if you like them!
Fresh Basil and Parsley: Fresh herbs make the world go round! Basil and parsley add that herby earthiness that levels up the flavor in a simple and appealing way. If you don’t have them on hand or have no need for them in other recipes, you can skip them and the pasta will still be plenty flavorful. Also feel free to use one or the other instead of both.
Black Pepper & Sea Salt: Flavor enhancers! A touch of black pepper gives that small kick to round out all of the flavors, and the sea salt brings out all of the flavors. Add sea salt to your personal taste!
How to Make Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta:
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. I typically cook pasta noodles 1 to 2 minutes less than the time recommended in order to keep them al dente. Once the noodles are cooked, drain them into a colander and immediately rinse them with cool water.
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the peeled shrimp in a single layer, sprinkle with paprika, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce to the skillet (coconut milk, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, sea salt, and black pepper) and bring to a full boil.
Transfer the cooked pasta noodles and shrimp to the skillet with the sauce and toss everything together until the noodles are coated with sauce.
Taste the pasta for flavor and add sea salt and/or lemon zest or juice to taste.
Serve with fresh parsley and enjoy!
That’s it! So quick and easy! You’d never guess such a romantic, fancy feeling meal would be so simple to prepare!
If you’re anything like me, recipes like this don’t require a special occasion…for me, this is an anytime I’m craving pasta situation. No romantic holiday or acts of rebellion required!
More Delicious Pasta Recipes:
- Rigatoni Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
- Baked Feta Pasta with Pesto Sauce (Gluten-Free)
- Chicken Sausage Pesto Pasta
- 30-Minute Sausage Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- Chicken Zucchini Orecchiette Pasta
I hope you enjoy this metaphysical trip to the Mediterranean as much as I did!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces gluten-free pasta noodles
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ lbs raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 2/3 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- 2 Tbsp capers
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. I typically cook pasta noodles 1 to 2 minutes less than the time recommended in order to keep them al dente. Once the noodles are cooked, drain them into a colander and immediately rinse them with cool water.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the peeled shrimp in a single layer, sprinkle with paprika, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
- Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce to the skillet (coconut milk, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, sea salt, and black pepper) and bring to a full boil.
- Transfer the cooked pasta noodles and shrimp to the skillet with the sauce and toss everything together until the noodles are coated with sauce.
- Taste the pasta for flavor and add sea salt and/or lemon zest or juice to taste.
- Serve with fresh parsley and basil and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Greg Divine
Tuesday 12th of April 2022
I commented on this wonderful recipe last night on how good it was . My picky Son didn’t care for it but my 3 year old Granddaughter loved it for lunch. The Meatloaf song was “Two outta three ain’t bad” so my math was off . Last night it was 3 outta 3 loving it . With a grand total of 4 outta 5 ain’t bad . The Little Princess says it’s “Yummy!”
Julia
Wednesday 13th of April 2022
LOL thanks for the laugh and the sweet note, Greg! So happy you and your granddaughter enjoy the pasta! :D xoxo
Greg Divine
Monday 11th of April 2022
I made this tonight for dinner and absolutely loved it ! I’m all about the whole Mediterranean Food vibe anyway . The flavors are amazing, comes together easily and tastes WOW . Shrimp , pasta artichokes , sun dried tomatoes & capers. How could you go wrong ? Well , in my book you can’t . My picky eater wasn’t here for this tonight when Mom , Dad & Sis had it & loved it and look forward to his critique when he tries it . I’ll show my age here and in the words of the Late Great Meatloaf, RIP . “ Two outta three ain’t bad “ . Thanks for sharing the recipe with us! Five stars
Becky
Thursday 20th of July 2023
@Greg Divine, I don’t like coconut milk, can I use something else?