This Shrimp Goat Cheese Pasta is made with shrimp, penne, butter, garlic, lemon, pesto, goat cheese and cooked to perfection.
This Shrimp Goat Cheese Pasta is a great recipe for any weeknight, weekend, or even date night. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is so delicious. It is guaranteed to get you great reviews as it is always a crowd pleaser. The combination of the goat cheese, garlic and pesto is absolutely perfect.
If you love shrimp, feel free to try my Honey Lime Shrimp Tacos or my Sweet and Sour Glazed Shrimp.
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Why you will love this recipe
Full of flavor: The combination of the pesto with the goat cheese is phenomenal.
Kid Friendly: My nieces absolutely loved this recipe (especially the sauce). If they want another pasta, you can make the sauce and add whatever pasta you prefer.
Great for cold or warm weather: I have made this during the cold winter days and the hot summer days.
Serves a crowd: It is super easy to double this recipe, making it very simple to serve this at your next dinner party.
Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Shrimp
- Garlic powder
- Butter
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Pesto
- Goat Cheese
- Penne
- Parmesan cheese
- Parsley
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Read the instructions on the pasta box to cook al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
In a large bowl, add the shrimp as well as garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. In a large skillet on medium heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt. Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until pink and opaque. Remove and set aside on a plate.
In the same skillet, toss in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Pour in the lemon juice. Lower the heat and add the goat cheese and pesto, stirring quickly.
Slowly add about ½ cup pasta water and keep stirring until the goat cheese completely melts. Add the pasta and cooked shrimp, tossing to combine. If too clumpy, add more pasta water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with parsley and top with parmesan cheese.
Hint: If the sauce is too clumpy, add more pasta water. If too thin, add a bit more pesto.
Substitutions
Shrimp: Make sure to buy shrimp that haven’t been previously frozen for best quality, although you totally can use previously frozen shrimp. Ask the fish monger to devein your shrimp before to make your life easier.
Goat Cheese: Instead of goat cheese, crumbled feta cheese is a great alternative for a saltier cheese. Goat cheese is usually in the gourmet cheese section of the grocery store and rarely in the actual dairy/cheese section.
Garlic powder: I love seasoning my shrimp before cooking so I used garlic powder. You could use onion powder or Italian seasoning instead.
Butter: I love using salted butter for this recipe. If you prefer using olive oil, you can.
Lemon: For best quality, use fresh lemons and not lemon juice from the store. Instead of lemon, you could use balsamic vinegar instead.
Pesto: I used store bought pesto for this recipe and it was delicious.
Garlic: I used fresh garlic although you could use garlic from a can and top with the prepared minced garlic.
Pasta: I used penne pasta for this, but you can opt to using any bite sized pasta.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes in with the lemon juice for a spicy alternative.
- Deluxe - add crushed sun-dried tomatoes in with the pesto for a nice kick.
Check out my Shrimp and Vegetable Skewers.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality.
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
This Shrimp Goat Cheese Pasta can be frozen for up to three months.
Top tip
If the sauce is too clumpy, add more pasta water. If too thin, add a bit more pesto.
Shrimp Goat Cheese Pasta
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Shrimp Goat Cheese Pasta is made with shrimp, penne, butter, garlic, lemon, pesto, goat cheese and cooked to perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup pesto
- 5 ounces goat cheese
- 1 pound penne, or any bite size pasta
- ⅓ cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the shrimp as well as garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Read the instructions on the pasta box to cook al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- In a large skillet on medium heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt. Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until pink and opaque. Remove and set aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet, toss in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Pour in the lemon juice. Lower the heat and add the goat cheese and pesto, stirring quickly. Slowly add about ½ cup pasta water and keep stirring until the goat cheese completely melts.
- Add the pasta and cooked shrimp, tossing to combine. If too clumpy, add more pasta water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with parsley and top with parmesan cheese.
Notes
If the sauce is too clumpy, add more pasta water. If too thin, add a bit more pesto.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 219.7
- Sugar: 1.7 g
- Sodium: 238.7 mg
- Fat: 7.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.2 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 15.1 g
- Cholesterol: 106.1 mg
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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