Delicious and easy to make, this Shrimp Pasta Primavera dish is the perfect combination of healthy and tasty ingredients! Pair pasta with tender shrimp and veggies and a creamy homemade sauce for the ultimate savory dinner.
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With refreshing and savory flavors and perfectly cooked shrimp, this pasta primavera dish is the perfect family dinner for a spring or summer evening.
Why this Recipe Works
This pasta dish features a homemade creamy sauce that perfectly ties together shrimp, your choice of pasta, and fresh vegetables like asparagus and zucchini.
Everything you need for a well-rounded and healthy meal is in one dish, similar to my Creamy Tuscan Tortellini or One Pan Lemon Herb Chicken.
This hearty family favorite is great for a weeknight meal or Sunday dinner like this Crab Stuffed Shrimp!
Ingredients Needed
- Rotini Pasta: You can use just about any kind of pasta you like, but I love the way rotini picks up lots of the creamy sauce.
- Large Shrimp: I buy mine peeled and de-veined to streamline prep and make things easier.
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Vegetables: A blend of asparagus, red bell pepper, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, frozen green peas, and frozen corn provides lots of flavor and nutrition.
- Butter: Gives the homemade sauce a rich and buttery flavor.
- Garlic: For some classic savory flavor.
- Flour: Thickens the sauce for a nice silky result.
- Chicken Broth and Bouillon: Use both chicken broth and a chicken bouillon cube ensures that the sauce is plenty flavorful.
- Half and Half: Gives you a nice thick and hearty sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese: For some comforting cheesy flavor.
- Seasonings: Add mustard powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to your sauce.
- Lemon Juice: I prefer to use fresh lemon juice, but you can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch.
How to Make this Easy Shrimp Primavera Recipe
- Step 1: Cook the pasta to al dente then drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Step 2: Remove the shrimp and add another drizzle of olive oil. Saute the asparagus, bell pepper, zucchini, and tomatoes for about 6 minutes and set aside with the shrimp.
- Step 3: In the same pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat and cook garlic until fragrant. Add flour and whisk until combined and slightly brown.
- Step 4: Whisk in chicken broth and the bouillon cube, then reduce the heat to medium low and stir in half n half until combined.
- Step 5: Add all of the seasonings to the sauce and whisk until well combined.
- Step 6: Once you have a consistency sauce, fold in the cooked shrimp, sauteed veggies, cooked pasta, and frozen corn and peas.
Recipe Tips
- If you don't have Italian seasoning, use a combination of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. You can also add sage and marjoram.
- Feel free to add other veggies like broccoli, green beans, red onion, spinach, cauliflower, snap peas, mushrooms, or carrots.
- I like to use rotini, but any kind of pasta served in this sauce will be delicious.
- For a nice side dish, pair this pasta primavera and shrimp with a nice crusty bread or this Ciabatta Garlic Bread.
- You can use regular milk instead of half and half, but your homemade primavera sauce may not be quite as thick.
- Garnish with even more fresh herbs like fresh basil or parsley, or a bit of lemon zest and some lemon wedges.
- Omit the shrimp and use vegetable broth for a vegetarian pasta primavera, or use a different kind of protein like grilled chicken.
Recipe FAQ's
This Italian word essentially translates to "in the style of springtime," which refers to the fresh spring veggies that are often included along with pasta and creamy sauce.
Crucial ingredients to any primavera sauce are chicken broth, butter, and cream. Some sauces are then seasoned or supplemented with additional ingredients, but you could pare it down to just those three for a simplified and more subtle result.
Allow your leftovers to cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat your pasta in the microwave or over medium heat on the stove with a splash of additional chicken stock.
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Shrimp Pasta Primavera
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup red bell pepper julienned
- 1 cup zucchini cut into chunks
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1 1/4 cups half n half
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook pasta to al dente according to the pkg directions, drain and set aside.
- Heat a 12-inch skillet on medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining olive oil and then add in the asparagus, bell pepper, and zucchini, cherry tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes or until desired softness. Remove to the same plate as the cooked shrimp.
- Add in the butter to melt then add in the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in the all-purpose flour and cook for another minute.
- Then whisk in the chicken stock and bouillon cube until smooth, reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in the half n half until combined. Let simmer on low 2-3 minutes to thicken.
- Whisk in the parmesan cheese, mustard powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Fold in the cooked pasta, shrimp, cooked veggies, corn, peas and lemon juice and let simmer on low 2-3 minutes until heated through.
- Serve!
Perfect John! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I substituted regular milk for half and half since that's what I had on hand, and while the sauce was a tad thinner, it still turned out deliciously creamy. Overall, this recipe is definitely going into my regular rotation. It's simple, tasty, and versatile, can't wait to experiment with different veggies next time!