Blackened Shrimp Pasta

5 from 2 votes

This blackened shrimp pasta is made with an easy, homemade spicy tomato sauce, pasta and spiced shrimp. Perfect for date night!

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 988kcal

Author: Sarah Trenalone

Equipment

large heavy skillet (12-inch minimum)

Ingredients

Pasta Sauce:

¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
½ teaspoon red chili flakes Use more or less as desired
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 pounds fresh tomatoes (diced) or 28oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ pound spaghetti Use gluten-free spaghetti if needed

Shrimp:

8 ounces shrimp (4oz per person) Shells removed + shrimp deveined. Tails on or off, as desired.
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne Omit for less heat
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 lemon, juiced (divided)
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil (divided

Instructions

Pasta Sauce:

Add the oil, onions, chili flakes and salt to a large, shallow pan. (Use a 12" pan or larger, see recipe notes.) Cook the onions over medium heat until they begin to brown (~5 min).
Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute, or until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, water, and oregano to the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
Simmer the tomatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
Taste the sauce and add more chili flakes, salt, or oregano if desired. Simmer 1-2 more minutes if you added more seasoning.
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Add the cooked spaghetti to the pasta sauce and toss to coat.

Cook Shrimp:

Toss shrimp in paprika, oregano, cayenne, salt, and the half the lemon juice. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on medium-high heat.
Add shrimp to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes per side, until shrimp are opaque.
Remove shrimp from pan.
Lower heat to medium and add the remaining ½ tablespoon oil and the remaining lemon juice. Stir the liquid with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.
Pour the pan-sauce into the pasta and toss.
Divide pasta between two plates, and then divide the shrimp between the dishes. Serve immediately.

Notes

Serves: This serves two people generously. For more modest portions, store half the pasta sauce for later and use ¼ lb. spaghetti.

Prep Time does not include preparing shrimp. It is difficult to know how long shrimp prep will take, because shrimp can be purchased in all stages of preparation. Be aware that if your shrimp need to be fully prepped, it will increase the prep time.

Pan Size: Some readers have reported that their 12″ pans were too small for the volume of sauce. You may find a heavy Dutch oven works best for you, although I’ve always had success with my 12″ carbon steel pan.

Prepare Sauce Ahead: The sauce can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for 4-6 days, or frozen and used within a year.

Smoother Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are peeled, and will yield a smoother sauce with less texture. If you’re using fresh tomatoes and want an extra-smooth marinara, you have two options:

1. Peel the tomatoes first. Use a knife to mark an X on each tomato, and then blanch them in boiling water until the tomato peel loosens (~15-30 seconds). Peel, and then proceed with the recipe. Crush tomatoes with your hands instead of dicing.

2. Blend the sauce. After cooking, add the sauce to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend the peels into the sauce.

Varieties of tomatoes: For the thickest sauce, use San Marzano tomatoes (or other varieties of Roma tomatoes). However, this recipe works well with juicy tomatoes also.

Nutrition