Quick & Easy Garlic Shrimp and Penne Pasta

This easy Shrimp and Pasta dinner is simply divine!  Fresh shrimp, garlic, and warm pasta married together with alfredo sauce equals perfection! 

I love those recipes that are made from ingredients you just happen to have on hand, and that allow you to kind of just throw something together at the last minute. 

This was the case the other night when I had nothing planned for dinner and when 5:00 rolled around I panicked.  I glanced around the pantry and saw some penne pasta. I knew that I could do something with that!  I opened the freezer and instantly spotted the enormous bag of large prawns that we just purchased at Costco.  The lightbulb went off and I came up with a tasty recipe idea. I could mix the the two with a few other ingredients and have a nice little Pasta dish with large prawns…yum!

Quick & Easy Garlic Shrimp and Penne Pasta

What other recipes can be made with Shrimp?

I may not have mentioned how much I love shrimp, but I do. I could eat them day and night and in every form. Shrimp Louie Salads are a favorite of mine, as are any type of shrimp salad really. a couple of other favorite shrimp dishes are shrimp soft tacos, shrimp fajitas and shrimp/prawns grilled on a skewer. All of them are so good! 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THIS EASY GARLIC SHRIMP AND PENNE PASTA DISH?

Prawns, alfredo sauce, milk, penne pasta, Emeril’s Essence spice, garlic, paprika, olive oil and parmesan

How to make Shrimp Penne Pasta

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 3/4 – 1 lb. large fresh or frozen prawns, defrosted, shelled and deveined
• 1 16 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
• 3/4 cup milk
• 16 oz. box penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon Emeril’s Essence (or similar spice mixture)
• 3 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Shredded parmesan (optional)

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[directions title=”Directions”]

An easy pasta dish made with large prawns

Boil Penne pasta using directions on box.

Defrost, shell, devein and rinse prawns. Dry thoroughly on paper towel. Add olive oil to large pan and saute prawns over medium heat just until they turn white/opaque. After they have cooked through, drain, and add garlic, Alfredo sauce,  paprika, essence and milk (*see helpful hint below about milk). Mix well.

*Hint: What I usually like to do is, after I pour the Alfredo sauce in the pan, I add the milk into the jar, put the lid on and shake it up, then add it to the pan. This is an easy way to get all of the sauce out of the jar.

Add cooked prawns and pasta. Cook uncovered over low-medium heat, stirring frequently until heated through. Sprinkle with a little more paprika, and shredded parmesan if desired. Serve with garlic bread and salad.

*You can add more milk if sauce is too thick. Season to taste with more or less essence.

This Shrimp and Penne Pasta dish has become one of my husband’s favorite dishes ever, and he constantly requests it. I don’t mind though – it is one of the easiest shrimp recipes I have ever made!

[/directions]

Enjoy!