Creamy Spinach, Red Pepper, and Shrimp Pasta

Michael turned 30 in March and we went to the Outer Banks for a long weekend in April to celebrate. On the way home, we stopped at a road-side farmer's market and picked up fresh local shrimp, and for the next three hours in the car I was dreaming up this shrimp pasta dish. Why pasta? Because I was in a car coming home from vacation with the same boring snacks I'd been eating for four days, and I wanted nothing more than to dive into a bowl of carbs and drown out my post-vacation blues. That's what mature young professionals do.

We don't typically eat a lot of pasta. We love it, but when Michael was having health problems in 2019, we cut out grains and dairy, and became accustomed to avoiding pasta (especially the creamy kind). I know there are alternatives to traditional pasta and dairy, but we never found any that we considered worth it. Now that Michael's health is better, we occasionally sneak pasta back in, and this one has become one of our favorites. It's full of blistered red peppers, spinach, and shrimp, which keep it summery and fresh, and it's creamy without being too heavy.

Ingredients and variations of this shrimp pasta.

• Linguine. Michael and I have had this dish with spaghetti and linguine, and it's great with both. We've also had it with Trader Joe's lentil spaghetti and Banza chickpea linguine and spaghetti, and it's great with those too.
• Shrimp. We used fresh shrimp, but frozen would work too--just make sure it's not already cooked and you defrost it before cooking. If you want to make this dish vegetarian (or just make it more budget-friendly), you can omit the shrimp altogether--it's still delicious.
• Red Bell Pepper. We use red bell pepper for the color (and because that's what we had on hand when I dreamed this up), but yellow or orange would taste great too. I've never tried it, but I bet you could also substitute some cherry or grape tomatoes.
• Baby Spinach
• Milk. We used 2%. Whole milk would work too.
• Cream Cheese. I would avoid reduced-fat for this recipe.
• Fresh Garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Crushed Red Pepper

The Best Creamy Shrimp, Spinach, and Red Pepper Pasta

Recipe by Mollie

This pasta is full of blistered red peppers, spinach, and shrimp, and it's creamy without being too heavy. Perfect for a summer gathering with friends.

Course: DinnerCuisine: PastaDifficulty: Medium

4.1 from 26 votes

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Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

469

kcal

Total time

30

minutes

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Ingredients

• 10 ounces linguini (for gluten-free, use GF pasta)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 12 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 large red bell pepper, diced

• ½ cup milk

• 2 ounces cream cheese

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon pepper

• 3 cups baby spinach

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
• Place a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil.
• Add garlic to the pan and let cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add the crushed red pepper flakes.
• Pat shrimp dry and add to the pan with the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1.5 minutes on each side, or until it's no longer translucent. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside (if you're omitting the shrimp, skip this step and go directly to step 5).
• Add the diced red bell pepper to the same pan you cooked the shrimp in. Cook for around 6 minutes, until the peppers are gently seared.
• Add milk and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese melts and is combined with the milk. Let simmer until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
• Add reserved pasta water, salt, pepper, and spinach, and allow the spinach to cook down and sauce to thicken again, another 3-5 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings as necessary (if it tastes bland, add more salt).
• Add pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix to combine. Add shrimp and serve. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

• Spaghetti also works in this recipe. For gluten-free, we recommend lentil or chickpea pasta.
• We used 2% milk, but any milk should work.

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