This Creamy Spaghetti with Shrimps is a comforting pasta dish for busy weeknights. Rich and creamy!
It has been a really stressful month, so comfort food is all I want. For the longest time, I thought there is only one type of white cream sauce. That is made with butter, flour and milk (roux). But recently, I realized that the cream sauce that I’m grew up with may just be another type of cream sauce. It’s easier to make too!
My childhood cream sauce is not homemade, but from restaurants. My parents took me and my sister to western style cafes in Hong Kong when we were little. Seafood pasta in cream sauce was my favorite. So what is in the cream sauce? It’s actually just mostly heavy cream.
Since the sauce is so simple, it’s important to give the sauce extra layers of flavors. First, sautéing aromatic, like shallots and garlic. Then add the rich cream and let the flavors infuse for a bit. Next, stir in some grated parmesan. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. That’s it. Super easy, right? Compare to a roux, this sauce has a silkier texture. And I can also taste a hint of sweetness from the cream.
I used shrimps in this recipe because it’s what I love growing up. I marinated the shrimps with some white wine. The wine brings a little sweetness to the shrimps. But if you don’t have any, you can skip. Cook the shrimps in a large skillet until just cooked through. Make sure to season with salt and pepper. In the same pan, start making the cream sauce, so all that tasty shrimp flavors will get into the sauce too. You can switch out the shrimps for chicken too.
One tip is that once this cream sauce starts to cool, it will thicken. You would want the sauce to be slightly runny when plating. The reserved pasta water can be used to thin out the sauce when needed.
Even though Bryan is not a huge fan of cream sauce, he did enjoy this one a lot. For me, this spaghetti brings back a lot of memories and I’m going to make this often for dinner now. Creamy and flavorful, and definitely comforting!
Creamy Spaghetti with Shrimps
Ingredients
- ¾ pound large shrimps (16 – 20 counts) (peeled and deveined)
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine (optional)
- 7 ounces spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium shallot (minced)
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (grated)
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Pinch of paprika
- 1 tablespoon parsley (minced)
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dried the shrimps with paper towels. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add white wine and gently mix. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water (salted) to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, warm the pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the shrimps in a single layer. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook until no longer translucent or just cook through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate to set aside.
- In the same pan over medium-low heat, add shallot and cook until soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the cream. Bring to just a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Add cheese and cooked pasta. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes. Add a little bit of pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Taste and adjust with more seasoning if needed. Stir in the shrimps and cook for one more minute.
- Transfer to serving plates. Sprinkle with parsley and top with ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I got shelled on shrimps and removed the veins myself. To save time, you can get ones that are peeled and deveined. It’s ok to get slightly smaller ones too, just reduce cook time.
- The white wine adds a little sweetness and extra flavors to the shrimps. But if you don’t have any on hand, you can skip.
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