Shrimp Scampi With Asparagus
Published 1/19/2024
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This asparagus shrimp scampi recipe will absolutely blow your mind because it’s made with tons of veggies, fresh shrimp, and a delicious olive oil butter sauce with a splash of lemon. It’s light, fresh, and ready in 30 minutes.
The beauty of this delicious shrimp scampi recipe is that you can really use any veggies you have on hand. We chose tender asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and frozen peas for this recipe. I always have some kind of dry pasta, I always have butter, and I always have random veggies in the fridge.
Shrimp is something I’ve been eating more of because it’s just convenient and so tasty (oh, and super high protein!). I like to buy frozen shrimp from the grocery store because then I have it on hand whenever I need it.
The best part about this shrimp scampi pasta recipe is that it serves 6, so it’s likely that you’re going to have some leftovers. As always, you have the option to double this recipe if you’re serving a crowd, too!
What is in this shrimp scampi recipe?
- Shrimp: We used precooked jumbo shrimp, but you can use any size shrimp. Just remember, the smaller this shrimp is, the less time it needs in the water.
- Asparagus: We used fresh asparagus for this recipe, but you could use any other green veggies like green beans or spinach.
- Pasta: We used fettuccini noodles, but you can use any type of pasta that you would like.
- Tomatoes: We chose cherry tomatoes for a little burst of sweetness throughout the dish, but grape tomatoes would also work.
- Peas: We use frozen peas for this recipe because it’s much easier than fresh peas! Feel free to omit these if you don’t like peas.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated parmesan cheese gives this dish such a rich, umami flavor that we love. You could also use pecorino Romano or asiago cheese for a similar taste. If you want to cut down on time, we recommend buying grated parmesan cheese.
Variations and Substitutions
- Craving some heat? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the mix. It’s a simple way to give your dish a spicy kick that’ll keep you coming back for more.
- Want a creamier sauce? Add a few tablespoons of heavy cream in step 5 to make this dish creamy.
- You can also swap in some gluten-free noodles in case you’re gluten-sensitive! So many options here, ladies and gents.
- Shrimp: feel free to use uncooked jumbo shrimp. You can quickly cook the shrimp on the stovetop for a few minutes before adding it to the pasta.
Quick Tip
You can also use raw shrimp instead of precooked shrimp for this shrimp scampi with asparagus, but we suggest cooking that separately in a skillet with oil and a bit of salt.
How to Store Leftover Pasta
Store leftover shrimp scampi in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Reheat your leftover shrimp scampi in a large skillet over medium heat until everything is warmed up.
If you’re in a pinch, the microwave works, too!
Serving Suggestions
- Garlic Bread: Serve this delicious dish with some garlic bread to soak up that delicious sauce.
- Side Salad: Add a salad with some Homemade Caesar Dressing and Homemade Croutons. YUM.
- Garnish: Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top for garnish.
Shrimp Scampi with Asparagus
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
- 2 cups chopped asparagus
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 oz. pasta, any kind
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 tablespoons butter
- juice of one lemon
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 cups thawed precooked jumbo shrimp
- zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan*
Instructions
- Begin by heating a large saute pan over medium/high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- When olive oil is fragrant add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Then add in asparagus, tomatoes and garlic. Saute veggies until onion is translucent and asparagus is cooked, but not mushy. About 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer vegetables in to a separate bowl.
- Next, bring 4 quarts a water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until pasta is al dente, 7-11 minutes. When pasta is almost done, add frozen peas to the boiling water and let boil for an additional minute.
- Strain pasta and peas in a colander and set aside.
- Finally, heat butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in the same saute pan as before. When olive oil is fragrant, add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Cook for one minute and add the rest of the vegetables to the pan. Mix the shrimp and veggies together, cooking for an additional 3-5 minutes over medium heat.
- Remove from heat and toss the pasta and peas with the vegetables and shrimp. Add lemon zest, fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper (if needed).
Tips & Notes
- Parmesan is not included in nutrition information
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Easy, tasty, healthy – we loved it! The lemon really makes it. I also loved fresh basil on top.
Made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! Hubby even went back for a full second bowl. I made it with chickpea noodles to keep it GF and used large shrimp instead of jumbo since it’s what I had. Definitely a keeper!
One thing to note – the recipe doesn’t say when to add the lemon juice or tomatoes. So I added them both at the end?!
That looks so yummy, Melissa! And thanks for catching that error — we’ve updated the recipe to add the tomatoes and lemon juice. Appreciate it! 😀
This is a HIT for me and my fiance. We love this recipe! We often use Banza pasta for a little added protein, plus finish it off with some crushed red pepper flakes for some heat! We make this at least twice a month, but usually more!
Added the lemon in with the shrimp. Very easy and quick too! Next time I will boil the water first, then prep everything else so that everything is ready at the same time. I used chickpea pasta (Banza) and it was great! Next time I’ll use more lemon and garlic though. And cook the tomatoes with the asparagus.
This was so good I added red and green peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, and garbanzo beans. I left out the pasta and served it over yellow rice.
This turned out so good. I put red and green bell peppers mushrooms, asparagus and garbanzo beans. I didn’t use pasta. I served it over yellow rice.
The recipe really doesn’t say when to add the lemon juice or tomatoes. So I winged it! Added extra butter garlic and lemon juice plus artichoke hearts! Skipped the peas.
Delicious!
Very good. It’s a very fast recipe, so I had to have my sous chef’s (husband’s) help to get everything ready on time. I added 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes and parsley, leaving out the basil. We liked it a lot.
Yum! We added more veggies 🙂 great flavor!
I plan on making this tonight. I want to add Italian seasoning to this recipe for an added flavor. I’ll let you know how it came out.