Pesto Shrimp Spaghetti with Burst Tomatoes (35 Minutes)
This Pesto Shrimp Spaghetti is one of those dishes that looks absolutely stunning on the table and comes together in 35 minutes! Seared shrimp, burst cherry tomatoes coaxed into something jammy and sweet, and silky homemade pesto sauce; bright, briny, and finished with a squeeze of lemon that wakes the whole thing up. Don’t want to make your own pesto? One good quality 6-7oz jar works perfectly. Pull up a chair because this is a meal worth sharing!
This is my favorite dish to make when we have friends or company over; there is something about pesto shrimp spaghetti that feels genuinely special without feeling fussy, and honestly, who doesn’t love pesto?! Growing up as the daughter of a second-generation fishmonger means shrimp has always been a staple in my kitchen, and pairing it with fresh homemade pesto at peak summer when my garden basil is going absolutely crazy feels like the most natural thing in the world. Light, punchy, and bursting with fresh tomatoes; this is peak summer in a bowl. If you love shrimp pasta, you’ll also want to try my Frutti di Mare Pasta, Shrimp Scampi Risotto, and Linguine alle Vongole.
Ingredients Notes
A few things worth knowing before you start. For the shrimp, always go for 16/20 count; that means 16 to 20 shrimp per pound, which gives you a size that’s substantial enough to hold its own against the pesto and tomatoes without getting lost in the sauce. And please, please remove the tails before they go in the pan! Nobody wants to wrestle a saucy shrimp tail at the dinner table, especially when you have guests over; it’s the kind of thing that takes a dish from elegant to chaotic in one bite. Pat them completely dry before they hit the pan too; surface moisture is the enemy of a good sear and you need the fond for the sauce.
The cherry tomatoes don’t need to be perfect but they do need to be ripe. An underripe tomato won’t blister and won’t give you that sweet jammy juice that becomes part of the sauce base. And please salt your pasta water generously; it should taste like the sea.
A Few Testing Notes on Homemade Pesto:
For the pesto, this recipe uses a true Genovese-style pesto; thick, almost paste-like, made with both Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano. That combination of two cheeses is what gives it depth; the Parmigiano brings richness and the Pecorino brings a sharp, salty bite that makes the sauce sing. When that thick pesto hits the pan with a splash of water, it loosens instantly into something silky and glossy that coats every strand of spaghetti perfectly. That’s the move. Don’t want to make your own? One good quality 6-7oz jar of store-bought works; just know your pesto will be looser than mine so you may need a little less water.
How to Make Pesto Shrimp Spaghetti
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, then sear in a single layer in hot olive oil for 2-3 minutes per side until pink and just opaque. Work in batches so they sear rather than steam, then remove to a bowl.
2. Add butter to the same pan and let it foam, then add the cherry tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the skins blister, split, and release their juice into the pan. Add a splash of pasta water and scrape up every bit of fond from the bottom; that’s your sauce base.
3. In a food processor, combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano, Pecorino, and a pinch of salt and process until finely chopped, then stream in the olive oil until the pesto is thick, vibrant, and paste-like.
4. Add the pesto to the same pan you cooked the shrimp and tomatoes in and whisk in the 1/2 cup of water; the sauce will loosen and turn silky and glossy almost immediately.
5. Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and toss with tongs, adding reserved pasta water a splash at a time until every strand is coated and the sauce is silky.
6. Add the shrimp and tomatoes with all their juices back into the pan, toss to combine, then take the pan off the heat and squeeze in the lemon. Serve immediately topped with grated Parmesan and torn basil.
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Pesto Shrimp Spaghetti with Burst Tomatoes (35 Minutes)
Equipment
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Large pot for pasta
- Colander
- Large skillet (for shrimp, tomatoes, and sauce)
- Food processor or blender (for pesto)
- Mixing bowl (to hold the shrimp and tomatoes)
- tongs
- whisk
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 12 oz shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the tomatoes
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
For the pasta
- 12 oz spaghetti
- Kosher salt for the pasta water
- 1 cup reserved pasta water divided use
For the pesto
- 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- 6 tbsp pine nuts
- 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano 3.5 oz
- 6 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano 1.5 oz
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup water
To finish
- 1/2 lemon for squeezing
- Grated Parmesan
- Torn basil
Instructions
- Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it's glistening and just barely moving in the pan. Add the shrimp in a single layer. Work in batches so they sear instead of steam, you never want to crowd them — and cook, flipping once, until pink and just opaque, about 2–3 minutes per side. Remove to a bowl.12 oz shrimp, 1 tsp kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper, 3 tbsp olive oil
- Add the butter to the same pan and let it foam and turn nutty for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes. They should sizzle and glisten right away, that's the fond (brown stuff on the bottom of the pan) doing its job!1 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- While the tomatoes cook, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti to al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.12 oz spaghetti, Kosher salt, 1 cup reserved pasta water
- Add 2–3 tbsp pasta water to the tomatoes and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan — that’s flavor, not mess. Continue cooking over medium heat until the skins blister and start to split, about 5–7 minutes, using the back of a spoon to help the stubborn ones along. The pan should smell like summer and the tomatoes will be sitting in their own juice. Transfer them and every drop of that juice to the bowl with the shrimp; set aside.
- (Skip this step if you are using store bought pesto) Make the pesto: in a food processor, combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, a pinch of salt, Parmigiano, and Pecorino. Process until finely chopped. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil until the pesto turns vibrant green and smooth.3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, 1 garlic clove, 6 tbsp pine nuts, 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, 6 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, Pinch of salt
- Add the pesto to the same pan you used to cook the shrimp and tomatoes — don’t wipe it out, that fond and those tomato juices are the sauce base. Add the 1/2 cup water and whisk to combine; the sauce will loosen and turn glossy almost immediately.1/2 cup water
- Add the cooked spaghetti, then the shrimp and tomatoes with their juices. Use tongs to toss until every strand is coated and glossy, adding more reserved pasta water as needed to keep the sauce silky, not tight.
- Take the pan off the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice, then toss once more. You must do this off the heat. It keeps the acid bright instead of cooking it flat.1/2 lemon
- Serve immediately, topped with grated Parmesan and torn basil.Grated Parmesan, Torn basil
Notes
- Remove the shrimp tails before cooking. Nobody wants to wrestle a saucy shrimp tail at the dinner table, especially with guests over. Peel them completely before they go in the pan; it takes two minutes and makes the whole dish so much more enjoyable to eat.
- Never crowd the shrimp pan. Work in batches so the shrimp sear rather than steam. Crowding drops the temperature and you’ll lose the fond that the entire sauce is built on.
- Scrape the fond after the shrimp come out. Those browned bits at the bottom of the pan are flavor you’ve already built. The tomatoes go in next and pick up every bit of it; don’t skip the scrape.
- Whisk water into the pesto before the pasta goes in. This pesto is true Genovese style; thick and paste-like. Whisking in water is what transforms it into a silky sauce that coats every strand of spaghetti perfectly. Don’t skip this step or the sauce will be too thick and won’t coat the pasta the way it should.
- Squeeze the lemon off the heat. Adding acid while the pan’s still on the burner cooks it flat and you lose the brightness. Off heat is what wakes the whole dish up.
- Storage: This one’s best eaten fresh; shrimp toughens on reheat and basil dulls. If you have leftovers, reheat gently in a pan with a splash of reserved pasta water until warmed through and glossy again. Keep a small jar of pasta water in the fridge alongside your leftovers for exactly this.