One Pot Shrimp Pasta with Asparagus and Lemon

Save the dishes with this one pot shrimp pasta recipe. Perfectly cooked pasta with sauteed shrimp, fresh juice and lemon thyme and grated Parmesan cheese.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Instructions
• Tips for making pasta with shrimp
• What to serve with shrimp pasta
• Storage
• FAQs
• Recipe

Pasta is one of my favorite things to have for dinner. There are just so many possibilities.

You can make a bright and zippy lemon pepper pasta, a savory tomato sauce with chicken and spinach, decadent browned butter pasta, or make a super easy sauce with this 5-ingredient hummus pasta recipe.

See? The possibilities!

And this one pot shrimp pasta is is perfect for a quick family meal on busy weeknights. It's quick and easy, uses only one pot and features perfectly cooked pasta, the bright flavors of lemon and thyme and comforting Parmesan cheese.

If you, like me, have not yet won the title of "World's Best Gardener" then your lemon thyme plants might have overgrown a smidge and are now overrun with edible flowers and you should really trim them.

And now you will! Because you just learned that thyme flowers are edible. And they make such a pretty garnish. So now's it's gardening and food prep in one when you pick the flowers off.

Or just skip that and use store-bought thyme. Or basil. Or oregano or rosemary. Whatever you have on hand.

Also, you can definitely just cook the pasta separately and have great results, but I love one pot pasta recipes because:

• at my cabin in the summer I only have one burner available
• the pasta reheats at the end
• the shrimp cooks fast so the pasta doesn't sit long
• less dishes

This isn't the typical one-pot pasta where the pasta cooks at the same time as all of the other ingredients - you just reuse the pot that you boiled the pasta in.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

• pasta: I use gemelli pasta shape for this recipe. It has a nice bite and I like the twisty shape because it holds the sauce.
• shrimp: about 8 shrimp per person, depending on the size, or more if you like.
• asparagus: fresh asparagus - there's nothing like it and I always pick it up when it's on sale.
• lemon: for a fresh bright flavor. Fresh lemon juice is best because you'll also use the zest, but you can skip that and use bottled lemon juice if it's what you have on hand.
• thyme: I grow lemon thyme in my garden so I love to use it wherever I can. It adds a bright herby flavor to this dish.

Substitutions

• pasta: When testing this recipe, I liked orecchiette also. Any pasta shape with some texture that will hold the simple pan sauce would be good.
• shrimp: try chicken instead or chickpeas.
• asparagus: try green beans instead.
• thyme: try basil or oregano instead.

Instructions

How to chop asparagus

For the recipe we're sautéing asparagus in a pan in smaller pieces, not whole. To cook it evenly, you'll want to cut it in a certain way so that you can add the thicker sturdier bottom pieces first and then the delicate tops last.

1. Cut the asparagus in 2 inch sections.
2. Next boil the pasta. Add water to your pot of choice, salt it well, and bring it to a boil.
3. Cook the pasta to al dente using the package instructions and before you drain it, keep a cup or so of the cooking water aside.
4. Rinse the pasta with cold water so it stops cooking and doesn't stick together while you make the rest of the dish, or drizzle olive oil. Just be careful not to add too much oil because it can prevent the sauce from sticking to the pasta.
5. Reheat the pot or pan you chose and add a tablespoon of oil.
6. Add the bottoms of the chopped asparagus and heat it for a few minutes to get some color on it and cook it through.
7. Add the garlic and the asparagus tops and cook for about half a minute or so, while stirring.
8. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and then add the shrimp. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
9. Flip the shrimp, add a lid and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked.
10. Add the pasta, the lemon thyme, lemon zest and juice and the Parmesan cheese.
11. Stir together and cook to heat through, adding the pasta water as needed to thin it out a bit.

Serve with extra Parmesan on top if you want and pick over the lemon thyme flowers if you have them. If not, add a bit of fresh thyme if you like. I like adding some red pepper flakes for some spice also.

Tips for making pasta with shrimp

• Chop the asparagus into sections and cook the thicker, sturdier bottom parts first and the delicate asparagus tops last so you don't end up with overcooked asparagus.
• Don't overcook the shrimp. It only takes a few minutes to cook small shrimp. When it turns a bright orange-pink color, it's done.
• Cook the pasta to al dente. You'll cook it further when you reheat it at the end so cooking it to al dente helps prevent overcooked pasta.
• Add cream with the pasta water for a super creamy sauce.

What to serve with shrimp pasta

Serve this pasta with more vegetables on the side like sesame broccoli, roasted broccoli and carrots, or roasted green beans. Or serve this dish with pull apart garlic bread, or cheesy garlic bread.

Love one-pot pasta? Try one-pot zucchini mushroom pasta, or one-pot creamy pesto pasta.

Storage

This pasta is best served right when it's made because shrimp is delicate and is easily overcooked. However, you can store the leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge and reheat gently in the microwave or a skillet with a splash of water.

Recipe