Angel hair pasta with shrimp is a quick and easy meal prep that the whole family can enjoy.
There's a whole lot of wisdom to stocking your pantry and freezer with shortcut ingredients. That's part of the appeal of this angel hair pasta with shrimp recipe. Shrimp, which we love because it's a great protein source, can hang out in the freezer for a while. Many of us stock our pantries with pasta, right? If you've got those ingredients on hand, that's awesome. All you need is to add some fresh parsley and limes and you're part of the way to dinner.
On as a side note, if you're curious about what kind of shrimp to buy because you're concerned about sustainability and the like, check out Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. They're what consumers and restaurants alike use to learn more about how seafood and fish are harvested, distributed, and sold.
Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp Ingredients
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
- 1 pound frozen shrimp (peeled and deveined, ideally; it's easier to deal with)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 limes, juiced
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (jarred or fresh is fine!)
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving, if desired
How to Make Angel Hair Pasta
If you can boil water and quickly saute in a big deep skillet, you're halfway to dinner. Start the water for pasta. Then, get that skillet good and hot with some butter, add the shrimp, salt and pepper, along with the garlic. Cook until the shrimp is done, which only takes a few minutes; it'll turn pink and curl up a bit. Add in the parsley, lime juice, and red pepper flakes and the cooked pasta. Toss it all together and boom, dinner is served.
How to Serve Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp
We love to serve this right away. It's so fast you hardly need to worry about "meal prepping" in a traditional sense, as with many of our other recipes. Serve it from a big bowl along with a green salad and another green veggie, if you like, or toss in some peas at the last minute.
How to Store Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp
If you have leftovers, they'll keep for a couple of days in the fridge. Seafood tends to start to smell fishy (pun intended) after a few days.
Nothing about this dish will freeze well, so it's best to eat up or set aside leftovers for lunch. Reheat in a skillet with a little olive oil or butter, or if you want, the microwave. (Although the texture of pasta and shrimp can sometimes suffer in the microwave.)
Substitutions and Alterations
Well, we wouldn't change much about the basic bones of this recipe, because it's pretty spartan to begin with. However, feel free to do the following.
- Toss with freshly grated Parmesan cheese while it's still hot, before serving.
- Add in a cup of frozen peas to the pasta water just before the pasta is ready.
- Add more red pepper, lime juice, and/or parsley to the finished dish.
Tips for Prep
Angel hair pasta cooks fast, usually in about 5 minutes. Plan accordingly.
Defrost the shrimp overnight in the fridge if you think of it, but if not, no biggie. You can let cold water run over frozen shrimp in a colander and it will be defrosted in minutes. That's the beauty of frozen shrimp. It's a solid and very versatile protein source on hand that's ready in a jiffy.
If you want to level up this dish, YOU HAVE to try this Shrimp Scampi with White Wine and Parmesan!
MORE PASTA! Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep (say that three times fast!)
MORE SHRIMP: Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas!
