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Prawn pasta is coated in a lusciously creamy sauce, flavoured with a touch of sun-dried tomato pesto, fresh basil and garlic. This quick dinner comes together in under 20 minutes.
Not a fan of shrimp? Use chicken or scallops instead or take a look at our popular Chicken and Bacon Pasta.
Quick pasta dishes are the real weeknight heroes. And this recipe ticks all the boxes:
- Quick
- Easy
- Delicious
- Versatile
- A huge crowd pleaser
Prawns or shrimp, as it is called in the US, pair especially well with sauces that don’t overpower their mild, sweet taste.
So in order to make them shine in this pasta recipe, I decided to serve them with a delicate yet flavourful sun-dried tomato cream sauce with a touch of basil and garlic.
As much as I am a big seafood fan and prawns are my favourite, I have to admit that the best part of this dish is the sauce.
Tomato Cream Sauce
Very large cookbooks are dedicated to sauces alone. Perfecting challenging sauces is considered to be the pinnacle of haute cuisine. This creamy sun-dried tomato sauce is not one of the those sauces.
It’s quick and easy. It takes literally five minutes to make and requires only basic cooking skills!
One of the my secret weapons for creating quick and complex flavours is store bought sun-dried tomato pesto. It’s exactly the ingredient I want to use in my weeknight dinners for maximum flavour. This recipe for Tortelloni with Creamy Tomato Sauce and Spinach is one of the examples.
Adding fresh basil and garlic goes without saying. Big, bold flavours, and fast! To put it simply…just do it.
For another example of a creamy tomato sauce, give Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta Sauce a try. It’s even silkier because of the creamy mascarpone, and wonderfully easy to make.
Do cheese and seafood go together?
Controversial topic. According to strict Italian cooking rules, there should be no cheese within a mile of fish or seafood.
However, I have seen Italian chefs in the UK compromise on this rule and sprinkle a good measure of This is an affiliate link.Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese on seafood pastas.
My personal rule is do what feels right for your palate. This creamy sun-dried tomato sauce does not need any cheese in my opinion. But if you add some, you’d still be invited to my house!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- I have used raw, frozen prawns in this pasta. In fact, I have added prawns to the sun-dried tomato sauce while they were still frozen, which is absolutely fine to do since they take only a couple of minutes to cook.
- You can use cooked prawns or shrimp in this pasta as long as you add them at the same time as cooked pasta, then toss to combine for them to warm through.
- Adding cooked prawns to pasta sauce earlier can result in overcooked, rubbery shrimp.
- I also highly recommend adding hot pasta directly to the sauce rather than serving the sauce on the side. This gives the flavours more time to meld together.
- Pasta shapes matter, and I chose This is an affiliate link.linguine because the long, flat strands become beautifully coated in the luscious sauce. But this is a forgiving dish which will work with a whole range of shapes.
Suitable prawn substitutions
I think prawns are perfect for this sauce, but that doesn’t mean that other forms of protein can’t be used instead. Here’s what I would recommend:
- any seafood you love…shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops
- chicken
- salmon
- any other fish you love, just make sure the bones are removed.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this shrimp pasta with our Tuscan Panzanella Salad. Zesty vinaigrette and juicy ripe tomatoes balance out the rich creamy sauce of the pasta.
Love to finish your meal off with a treat? Finish the meal on a sweet note with our easy Polenta Cake with Peaches.
Favourite seafood pasta recipes
Prawn Pasta in Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 500g/1 lbs pasta such as linguine or any other kind
- 3 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto such as Scala brand or Delallo in the US
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4-5 basil leaves, torn
- 125ml/1/2cup double/heavy cream
- 500g/1 lbs prawns or shrimp
- 125ml/1/2cup reserved pasta water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot filled with salted water.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the sun-dried tomato pesto to the pan together with minced garlic and briefly stir for 30 seconds over low heat. Add double/heavy cream and stir to combine, bring to a simmer, then add prawns and fresh basil, add salt and pepper to taste. (If prawns are frozen, you can cook them from frozen.) Bring the sauce to a boil, then take off the heat immediately after the prawns turn pink.
- Drain the pasta and add directly to the pan with the sauce, add some of reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Toss to combine and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In the ingredients it says “ 125ml/1/2cup reserved pasta water” … what do I do with it as it makes no mention of it later.
That’s a good point!! I always reserve some of the pasta water to add to the sauce later if needed.
What can I do for the sun dried tomato pesto which we can’t get here. How can I make it? (it surely can’t be that dfficult!!)
Hi Diana, you can take this basil pesto recipe and substitute basil with sun-dried tomatoes or you can use tomato paste instead.
My boyfriend said this was the best dish of the month so far! Added some San Marzano tomatoes from a can (about half a cup) to the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. We used chilli and lime 24 hour marinated prawns. Seared them in a pan beforehand before putting them in the sauce.
What a compliment, Natasha! Thank you for sharing your experience with me!
This was delish i used phyli cream cheese for cooking instead of cream i threw in a handful baby spinach as well hubby gave thumbs up. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you for such a lovely review, Josie!
That cream sauce looks amazing! I love how you added sun dried tomato pesto. We get the best crab meat in the summer months and I bet it would taste amazing in this sauce. Pinning this one!
You had me at pasta! If I had to choose any type of protein in my pasta, I would choose prawns in a heartbeat. This looks so creamy and delicious!
I am the same and so is my daughter, so we get the most seafood in the family because the boys couldn’t care less! 🙂
Your pictures make me want to have a bowl of Prawn pasta in front of me right now!)) I”ve had pasta on my mind all week and I have prawns in the freezer, I think it’s a sign!
You will love it, Marina! So quick to make and such comfort food!!