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My husband I loved this dish! The sauce paired well with the shrimp. Loved the lemon, I used 2T and added the optional Parmesan! We will definitely make this again!
Nancy Anderson
Date night pastas are my favorite.
Especially those that involve silky-smooth, creamy, lemon pappardelle ribbons topped with freshly ground black pepper and a pile of impossibly juicy, buttery, tender jumbo shrimp. Is there anything more romantic than a fork-twirl of creamy noodles with some cooked shrimp to effortless perfection in ONLY BUTTER? I cannot even express my love properly. The simplicity, the purity of textures and flavors, the combination of everything on the plate… goodbye.
Reasons date night pastas are ideal:
- Just because it’s date night! You don’t have to wait for Valentine’s or a reason to celebrate, or even another person, for that matter. It’s a special treat, a little mini-celebration of life and love, just because! Nothing better than that.
- Pasta is fancy-feeling.
- Pasta is manageable and fast.
- Pasta can be made in small-ish batches.
- Pasta is SO SERIOUSLY GOOD.
- Pasta goes well with wine. Which goes well with date night.
Lemony, creamy, silky, rich, delicate, simple and elegant all in one. It is the food manifestation of the heart-eye emoji. Go now. ♡
If you aren’t a fan of shrimp, this is also delightful with some crispy chicken!
Other Date Night Pasta Yums
- Date Night Rigatoni with Sausage and Kale
- Date Night Mushroom Fettuccine
- Date Night Mushroom Pasta with Goat Cheese
Check Out Our Video For How To Make Lemon Pappardelle:
Click here to see the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
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Date Night Lemon Pappardelle with Shrimp
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
Description
Lemon Pappardelle with Shrimp! Creamy, lemony, silky pasta piled high in a bowl with buttery shrimp and freshly cracked black pepper. Everything you need for date night! ❤️
Ingredients
- 1 lb. uncooked shrimp
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic, grated (less than one clove)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine (I usually eyeball it)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 8 ounces pappardelle or fettuccini pasta (egg pasta or fresh pasta – yum)
- freshly grated black pepper
Instructions
- Pasta: Cook according to package directions (add a big pinch of salt to your water for better-tasting pasta). Drain and reserve some water. Toss pasta with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Sauce: Melt 2-3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the garlic; sauté for 1-2 minutes (do not brown the garlic). Add the wine; let it sizzle out for a few minutes. Add the cream; bring to a simmer. Add the lemon juice, salt, and optional Parmesan; bring down to low heat.
- Shrimp: Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Heat one tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp, season with salt, and flip when pink (1-2 minutes per side). Cover with foil and set aside.
- Assemble: Toss your pasta with the warm sauce. Serve alongside a pile of fresh, juicy, hot, buttery shrimp. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper and little wedges of lemon. Ooooh baby.
Notes
Shrimp: Tail off, tail on – either works. I usually look for the larger size (16-20 per pound).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: date night pasta, lemon pasta, shrimp pasta, date night recipe, lemon shrimp
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our must-have lemon recipes page. Check it out!
I made this for Father’s Day because my dad requested a lemon shrimp pasta. I knew I wouldn’t. Be disappointed by a POY recipe and I was right! It was so good. Everyone loved it.
I love your recipe. Yesterday I made it perfectly followed by your recipe.
I love this recipe and make it often. But every time I add the cream, it separates, is there a truck to prevent this? Otherwise love this recipe, thanks!
Hi. Can you please share what type/brand of skillet or pan you are using to sauté the sauce
Thx you
Sure! We’re using this one in the video!
My husband and I have made this a few times and we’re still not over it! We usually use a Riesling for the wine (and drink it along side dinner) and top with chilli pepper flakes for some heat!
We are a celiac household so I used GF egg noodles but otherwise followed the recipe exactly – definitely belongs in the yum category! We already made it again!
Holy cow this meal is so amazing and SO easy to put together. Even my pickiest eater (4 year old) loved it. It’s going on the weekly rotation!
Glad to hear it, Paula!
So delicious! I mean, we couldn’t stop eating. I will be making again ASAP.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Katy!
WOW! This was fantastic! Made this last night for my husband and myself for our Valentine dinner (we’ve been Valentine’s for 34 years now)! We both LOVED this! I was a little skeptical about the lemon juice, but it actually made the dish! This is a keeper for sure!
So happy to hear that, Diana!
I did make one change – I used chicken stock instead of white wine because we don’t consume alcohol. And I also added the optional parmesan. It was fantastic! 🙂
I made this and this is great !!! Silky and delicate pasta, shrimps which is always good, Love this !!
So glad you liked the recipe, Daniel!
Really awesome recipe. I did not know how to cook this. Today I will try this recipe at home even though I can’t cook as well as you.
Great recipes. It doesn’t always look so good on my plate. Thank you for the recipe. Best regards.
Is there a healthier alternative for pasta here? Like a rice or something
We’d really recommend some type of noodle for this dish. You could try chickpea-based noodles for a higher fiber option. 🙂
I just realized this recipe never tells you what to do with the reserved pasta water. I assumed it was in case the sauce was too thick (which it was the first time I made it)…
This meal has gotten me through some long work days. Even though I’m usually loathe to reheat shrimp in a microwave, this is just so much more enticing than a sandwich
Yep, that’s how we like to use the reserved pasta water. 😊
Looks so yummy and delicious! I’ll Definitely try to cook
Enjoy, Nick!
Hello! I’m excited to try this recipe tonight! (I’ll be using red wine instead of white so I hope it goes well) Stupid question: when you reserve some of the water from cooking the pasta, do you let the pasta sit in it while you’re cooking the shrimp? Or do you set aside some of the pasta water for the sauce? It’s not clear in the recipe. Thanks!
Hi, Brigette! You’ll just that extra pasta water to the side rather than letting the pasta sit in it. Enjoy!
My husband I loved this dish! The sauce paired well with the shrimp. Loved the lemon, I used 2T and added the optional Parmesan! We will definitely make this again!
Glad you and your husband enjoyed this, Nancy!
This is delicious. It’s restaurant worthy and so easy to make. We’ll make this often.
Glad to hear it, Deb!
So simple, yet so good! Quick recipe and creamy, but not too creamy. I used chicken broth instead of white wine, since I didn’t have any wine and I finished the fish off with more ground pepper, fresh parsley, Parmesan and red pepper flakes. Will definitely be making again!
YUM!
What can I substitute for the wine? We don’t drink.
You could use broth you have on hand instead. Enjoy!
This was sooo delicious! Best pasta dish I’ve ever made. Thank you so much!
Yay! So happy to hear this, Louise!
This was excellent. Made it for Valentine’s Day for my 93 year old mom and husband. Huge hit! Had 12 Oz pasta so increased sauce by half. This would be great even without the shrimp.
So glad this was a hit, Pam!
Oh yes, that’s what I needed now. My boyfriend loves pasta and I love shrimps. Recipe looks easy and tasty
Enjoy!
super
The recipe was delicious! My husband, four year old, and two year old loved it! Thanks!!!!
So glad to hear this was a hit with your family, Susan!