Light Garlic Shrimp Baked Penne Recipe - Pinch of Yum
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Light Garlic Shrimp Baked Penne

8 reviews / 4.6 average

Homemade Garlic Alfredo Sauce.

Would you mind if I just stopped there? Sighh.

Garlic shrimp baked penne with a spoon in a white baking dish on a green napkin.


There’s more.

Butter.

Garlic shrimp.

Fire roasted tomatoes.

Whole grain penne.

Parmesan? Extra? Sure.

And don’t you forget about that homemade garlic alfredo sauce. I know you didn’t.

Bake it, eat it, eat it again.

Make a mental note to double the recipe next time.

Make another mental note to stop at the store for some minty gum. Or tell Siri to make your mental notes for you. Or tell Siri to make a mental note for Bjork.

Train Siri to recognize “Bjork” instead of “New Yhork”.

Give up on Siri and eat more baked penne.

Garlic shrimp baked penne on a plate with a fork.
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A picture of <span class="fn">{Light} Garlic Shrimp Baked Penne

{Light} Garlic Shrimp Baked Penne


Description

This light garlic shrimp baked penne has a delicious and lighter homemade Alfredo sauce, penne pasta, tomatoes, garlic, and shrimp. Easy and healthy!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb. raw, deveined tail-off shrimp
  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
  • 1 can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 6 ounces 2% evaporated milk (about half of a can)
  • 1 ounce light cream cheese
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese for topping

Instructions

  1. In a skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter and add 1 clove minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute or until garlic is soft and fragrant. Add shrimp and cook about 3 minutes on each side, until no longer pink.
  2. Cook pasta as directed until al dente. Drain and return to pan. Drain tomatoes and add to the pasta. Add cooked shrimp.
  3. In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and add 3 cloves minced garlic over medium-high heat. Saute for 1 minute. Add flour and stir until a soft, sticky mixture forms – about 1 minute. Add half of the evaporated milk and whisk until smooth. As it cooks, the mixture will start to thicken and bubble – when it does, add the rest of the evaporated milk. As the mixture thickens and bubbles again, add the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. As the mixture thickens, add the chicken stock to thin out the sauce. Season with salt to taste.
  4. Pour sauce immediately over pasta and mix gently. Pour into a small baking dish. Top with Parmesan cheese; bake at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Notes

The sauce will start to really thicken within a few minutes of taking it off the heat. Make sure to mix it in with the pasta right away. When I made this, I used a 10×6 baking dish. You could also top this with seasoned breadcrumbs.

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: baked penne, shrimp recipe, shrimp pasta

Blue sky over lake.

I think this big blue sky is the sign of a good week.

That, and Alfredo.

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71 Comments

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      It feels a little weird not to have snow everywhere, but I can’t complain if it means better walking weather and a pretty view!

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Ha! Siri needs a tutor. I think it is hilarious that you mentioned to make a double batch next time, because I was JUST thinking that it looked like either a tiny dish, or a monstrous spoon – but delicious, of course. I thought, “Huh, that must be the portion she cooks for just she and New Yhork”. Ahhhh. Too funny. Thanks for the morning chuckle – and the scrumptious looking dinner! I just can’t decide which yummy new dish to make this week – there are too many!

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    That pasta looks to die for. It’s made me hungry just reading your post. Yum.
    Also, loving the use of wholewheat penne – my favourite too.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I like whole wheat penne even better than regular penne! The texture is awesome.

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    My head tells me that it’s lightened up but my eyes tell me that it’s fully delicious – the best kind of combination. It looks awesome, I could dive into a big plate of that right now!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      It was seriously so surprisingly good for being “light”. I would have never guess it was light, except that I made it so I knew it was. 🙂

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Oh man, this looks delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try 🙂

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    You just about made me forget what I was going to say with that last picture of the blue sky (and the blazing white beneath it). It’s been in the 50s here. Where is there snow? 🙂

    Yes, garlic alfredo sauce had my soul singing. Seeing the world {light} in front of it got the whole Hallelujah Chorus. It looks amazing.

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Yum!! I have a can of evaporated milk in the cabinet leftover from the holiday baking and I had no idea to do with it…. until now. Shrimp! Garlic! Light! Yeeeessssssss! This is making it onto the next menu with a quickness.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I’ve actually used evaporated milk in quite a few recipes lately… especially pasta. It makes for great creamy sauces.

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Love that blue sky!! And you know what else I’d love? To see your grocery list each week!! I am such a horrible grocery shopper–I need some advice on how to show well for a full week!!

    🙂
    xoxo

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I just downloaded this app called Grocery List and Bjork and I can both update to the list and then check the items off whenever we go to the store. I am generally a bad grocery shopper, too… I like to buy everything. But I really try to stick to budget and I usually make at least one super cheap thing each week. Frozen pizza, anyone? 🙂

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Haha, Siri could definitely use some work on name recognition. My husband’s name is Ulysses and she struggles with that one, every.time.
    I adore alfredo sauce and have never made my own. I love you for posting this. 😉

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Meee too! I bet shrimp in LA is a little more fresh than shrimp in MN. But still. 🙂

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I love seeing the nutrition info and then eating all the servings. At once. Ha. 🙂

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This dish looks absolutely divine and a perfect winter meal. It doesn’t feel much like winter where I live, but since it gets dark at 5:00 it still feels ok to have those winter comfort dishes. My kids would love this dish as they are big shrimp fans.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Man, that early darkness is a bummer. But at least it gives a good excuse for some comfort food!

  10. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Hot damn, this dish sounds so fantastic! I’m always looking for Alfredo recipes that aren’t so high in fat and calories, and this one sounds totally spot on. I especially love that you paired it with shrimp. Kinda reminds me of Olive Garden but without the ensuing heart attack that typically happens occurs following a meal there. Way to be, girl, way to be.
    Hope you have a fabulous Monday!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I’m with you on the OG thing. Except better, and minus that heart attack. 🙂

  11. Pinch of Yum Logo

    oh silly Siri!!! As for that pasta dish, there’s nothing silly about it – YUM!!!! I love garlic and shrimp and tomatoes together…over pasta, it’s one of my favorite pasta combos!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      And those fire roasted ones (tomatoes) are my favorite! You have to try them if you haven’t.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I know. When I made this, we got a little generous with our servings and ended up only getting 3 out of this instead of 4… but still. Light is light. 🙂