A shrimp scampi style sauce with zesty roasted tomatoes and fresh lemon served with long, twirly noodles.

I used bucatini but any twirling noodle would work

Just the Recipe | 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 lb Shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Pint Grape Tomatoes

1 Cup Diced Onion

4 Cloves Garlic

1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

6 Tbs Butter

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (optional)

1 Lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 + 1/2 Cup White Wine

1/2 Cup Italian Parsley

1 Lb of Twirling-Friendly Noodles (I used Bucatini)

Pecorino Romano, for sprinkling (optional)

From the Pantry:

Salt

Pepper

Granulated Garlic

Olive Oil

Stove Top | Dish: Cast Iron Braiser and Pasta Noodle Pot

Oven Temp: 425° | Sheet Pan

Steps

Roast the tomatoes:
- Preheat the oven. While it heats, halve or quarter the grape tomatoes.
- Layer evenly on a sheet pan.
- Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp granulated garlic. Toss.
- Roast for 12 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare ingredients:
- Peel and devein the shrimp. Drizzle with 1 Tbs olive oil, 1/4 cup white wine, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Toss and set aside to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Dice the onion finely.
- Mince, grate, or finely sliver the garlic.
- Zest the lemon and set aside. Then juice, removing the pips.
- Chop the parsley and set aside.
Make the sauce and noodles:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package to be al dente. You’ll finish the noodles in the sauce so the key is to time the sauce so it is done when the noodles are al dente.
- In a cast iron braiser, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent, stirring.
- Add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp (including the marinade). Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side (don’t stir), until light pink. Flip each shrimp and cook for another 2-3 minutes. When both sides are pink, remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add the rest of the white wine, the lemon juice, and the roasted tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the shrimp back into the sauce, two minutes before adding the noodles.
- Using tongs, move the al dente noodles from their pasta water pot directly to the sauce. Feel free to drip pasta water into the sauce, it’ll add a nice flavor.
- Add the heavy cream (if using) and stir. Turn off the heat and let the noodles and sauce meld for another minute.
Sprinkle on the Italian parsley and lemon zest and mix to combine.

My sister just had a landmark birthday. Happy birthday, Anna! Unfortunately the national lockdown for Covid-19 kept us from celebrating as a family. She loves shrimp scampi and in her honor I decided I would make a batch for us to celebrate vicariously. Cooking family favorite recipes always helps me to feel connected when we’re apart. So I set out to make shrimp scampi.

But then I started prepping and grabbed a pint of grape tomatoes that needed to be used up. And when I opened the refrigerator, I saw the heavy cream with an expiration date creeping closer. So we ended up with this creamy, tomato and lemon pasta instead of shrimp scampi, oops! Honestly though, that is why I love cooking. Once I mastered a few techniques and started to learn flavor combinations, I felt so much freer to experiment and create new recipes. Could I have made this free style recipe 10 years ago? Likely not. Not all of my creations work out, but let me tell you this one did. My husband and I silently slurped it up, delighting in the flavors. And the leftovers were just as delicious.

And I promised I would post the shrimp scampi recipe for Anna, so check that out in the tips below.

Kitchen Acumen Tips:

Cutting the tomatoes helps the peels to melt into the sauce. You can absolutely roast them whole knowing that you may see some larger peels in the sauce. If you keep them whole, roast for 15 minutes.
Timing is the only tricky part of this recipe. I typically get a big pot of water on the stove and turn it on med-low as soon as I start assembling ingredients for pasta. If it’s boiling before I’m ready for it, I turn down to low and then raise it back to boiling when I’m ready. For more tips on timing sauce and noodle, see my Spinach and White Bean Pasta recipe.
This recipe can be adjust slightly to make it as shrimp scampi. Here’s how to tweak the above recipe to make Anna’s favorite shrimp scampi:
- Skip the tomatoes and heavy cream
- Add 1 Tsp finely diced fresh rosemary when you add the garlic
- Add 2 additional TBS of butter to the sauce
- Use a thin noodle like Angel Hair or Fettuccini
The cream and cheese in this recipe is entirely optional. If using cream, always add it in right at the end. Some argue that cheese does not go with seafood but I find sharp parmesan or Pecorino Romano go nicely with shrimp in pasta. Eat what you like!
If you don’t want to use white wine, use chicken stock in the sauce and skip it in the shrimp marinade.
As always, if using wine in a recipe use a wine you’d actually drink from a glass.