This easy one-pot Creamy Tuscan Shrimp recipe is a delicious meal, easy enough to make for dinner on a busy weeknight, and so impressive you’ll want to serve it on special occasions. Succulent shrimp are coated in a light, rich and decadent creamy sauce made with Parmesan cheese, and filled with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh baby spinach.
Restaurant-Style Tuscan Shrimp
If you are looking for a quick and easy recipe that will have everyone wondering if you had the whole meal delivered by a five-star restaurant, this Tuscan Shrimp recipe is for you! This one-pot, 30-minutes meal is made with simple ingredients and delivers juicy shrimp cooked with garlic, butter and Italian seasoning and then enveloped with a simple, yet luxurious cream sauce. Serve it with crusty bread or toss it with cooked pasta for an unforgettable meal sure to become a family favorite.
What’s Creamy Tuscan Shrimp and How Does it Taste?
In this great recipe, fresh shrimp cooks in a delicate and mouthwatering garlic, butter, Parmesan sauce seasoned with Italian herbs.
Just like Alfredo sauce, this Tuscan sauce is luxurious and rich but it gets brightness from the addition of flavorful sun-dried tomatoes and fresh spinach.
The creamy Tuscan sauce tastes buttery, cheesy, creamy with plenty of sun-dried tomato flavor. Creamy Tuscan garlic shrimp is a fun twist on the popular creamy Tuscan chicken dish served at The Olive Garden.
Why You Should Make this Shrimp Recipe?
- Quick and Easy: No special skills needed and 20 minutes to dinner time. A great meal for busy nights.
- One-Pot Meal: Makes cleaning up a breeze.
- Versatile: Swap the spinach and sun dried tomatoes with kale and baby bella mushrooms. Add red pepper flakes for a kick of spice.
Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp Ingredients
For the complete list of ingredients and quantities, check the printable recipe card below.
- Shrimp: The star of the dish. I use large (26-30) raw shrimp (not pre-cooked shrimp), devein and peeled, tails on or off. Buying the shrimp this way saves you time and makes prepping easier. Medium shrimp, extra large and jumbo shrimp can be used. I always keep frozen shrimp in my freezer for when I need a quick meal. You can thaw out shrimp by placing them in a colander under running cold water.
- Heavy Cream: Also sold as heavy whipping cream, this ingredient makes the Tuscan sauce very rich and super creamy. As for substitutions, using half and half is a great option although the sauce won’t be as thick and luxurious.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes: I prefer using the ones that come in a bag and not the ones packed in oil but both can be used. If using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drain them well so the sauce doesn’t turn out greasy.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter but if you only have salted butter that’s OK too.
- Broth: You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Wine: For this shrimp recipe, a white wine that is not too sweet works well. Pinot gris and chardonnay are good options. If you want to skip the wine, use additional broth instead.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is the way to go here. The freshness of minced garlic cannot compare to garlic powder. Your second best option is garlic paste.
How to Make Tuscan Shrimp?
- In a large skillet, melt the butter on low heat and add the minced garlic. Using low heat is excellent when flavoring butter and also helps to keep the garlic from browning.
- Season shrimp and add it to the skillet. Cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat. You want the shrimp to be undercooked at this point. Transfer it to a plate.
- In the same skillet, sauté the onions until translucent and then, deglaze the skillet with the wine and cook to reduce the wine by half.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning and heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Add Parmesan cheese and return the shrimp to the skillet so it finish cooking. Add fresh herbs and serve.
What to Serve with Tuscan Shrimp?
- Tuscan shrimp can be served as an appetizer or lunch with crusty French bread or with garlic bread.
- As a hearty main course, make creamy Tuscan shrimp linguine or toss the saucy shrimp with any other pasta shape. Keep some of the pasta water to loosen up the cheesy sauce if needed.
- You can also serve the shrimp with mashed potatoes or rice.
- For a low carb meal option, serve it over spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.
- Complete the meal with a simple salad or veggies like green beans or broccoli.
How Do I Know that the Shrimp is Done Cooking?
Shrimp cooks very quickly and goes from grayish and translucent to opaque and pink when is cooked. The shape of perfectly cooked shrimp is like the letter C, while overcooked shrimp contracts and looks like the letter o.
What Type of Pasta Should I Use to Make Tuscan Shrimp Pasta?
Any shape of pasta can be used. From long noodles like spaghetti to short pasta like penne, shells and rigatoni.
Storing and Reheating
Tuscan shrimp is a dish best served fresh, right after is cooked; especially if you toss it with pasta.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1-2 days. I personally don’t like to store cooked shrimp for over 24 hours.
- To reheat, warm up the saucy shrimp over very low heat. You can use a small skillet or the microwave at 50% power. You may need to add additional broth.
- If tossed with pasta, the pasta will absorb most of the sauce so reheating may be tricky. Reheat over lower heat or in the microwave at 50% power. Add broth if needed.
Tuscan Shrimp Tips for Success
- If you use sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, make sure you drain the oil as much as possible so the sauce doesn’t turn out greasy.
- You can substitute half and half for the heavy cream if you prefer. The sauce won’t be as rich but it will still be amazing!
- Keep the shrimp tails on for visual impact.
- Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese can be used.
- If tossing the creamy shrimp with pasta, cook the pasta until al dente and reserve some of the pasta water to loosen up the sauce.
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Creamy Tuscan Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 6-8 garlic cloves minced or chopped finely
- 1 pound large or jumbo shrimp
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine such as pinot gris or chardonnay
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomato strips – not packed about 3 ounces I prefer the ones sold in a bag and not the ones packed in oil
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup water or vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped finely
If Serving Over Pasta
- 12 ounces pasta cooked until al dente drained
- 1/2 – 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
Instructions
- In a large skillet over low heat, melt the butter and stir inthe garlic. Cook on low for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring constantly . Don’t let the garlic get browned.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook on medium heat until it starts to get pink side (about 2 minutes on one side, and about a minute on the other). Transfer to a plate. The shrimp should not be fully cooked at this point.
- In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until they become soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the wine to deglaze the skillet, and scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits stuck at the bottom of the skillet Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the wine reduces by about half.
- Stir in the sun-dried tomato strips and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and broth and the Italian seasoning.. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently over low heat.
- Add the fresh spinach and allow them to wilt. Add the Parmesan cheese and mix to combine. Adjust seasoning.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet. Add the fresh basil and mix well to combine. Let the shrimp cook for about 2 – 3 minutes or until cooked through.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread or tossed with pasta. Garnish with basil and additional Parmesan (optional).
If Serving with Pasta
- Add the cooked pasta into the shrimp skillet. Gently toss until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water, one a bit at a time, to keep the pasta creamy.
Video
Chef’s Tips
- If you use sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, make sure you drain the oil as much as possible so the sauce doesn’t turn out greasy.
- You can substitute half and half for the heavy cream if you prefer. The sauce won’t be as rich but it will still be amazing!
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1-2 days.
Nutrition
Karen Heiser says
can’t wait to try
Jean Bush says
This was outstanding,followed the recipe to the tee.(which usually I don’t)had company and we all enjoyed this .Definitely Resturant quality meal.
Penny Greenfield says
This turned out great for someone that can’t cook. This would be good for company. Made with Texas toast
Kathy says
Thank you!
Kathy says
Oh I love that. Happy to hear you liked it. Now you can definitely cook!! Woohoo!
JudyPasqualone says
I’ve made this only with orzo pasta. It’s delicious..I use halved grape tomatoes instead of sun dried tomatoes. And I use fat free 1/2 & 1/2 instead of heavy cream…works fine & cuts fat & calories.