This recipe is a total staple in our house. It is such a quick and easy weeknight meal, but has the feel of a fancy restaurant or weekend meal. My Dad started making this dish for us about 20-25 years ago and I fell in love with it then. I know make it for my family and they too have fallen in love.
This is the perfect dish to make all one meal and customize if you need to. For example, this original dish has crushed red pepper flake in it. I omit that for the girls, but add it back in for me and the hubs. I also omit the shrimp for my youngest daughter, but keep it for the rest of us. I am hoping she will come around to the shrimp soon.
You can make this dish in 30 minutes or even less. Basically, if you need to quick thaw the shrimp it will take you 30 minutes. If not, it will take you as long as it takes for your pasta to cook. Which is usually about 10-12 minutes depending on which noodle you choose. Maybe an extra 5 minutes for the water to come to a boil. That is no time at all. How you ask? Well, I am about to show you!
How can you make this restaurant quality dish as a week night meal?
Simple, you cook everything as the pasta cooks. So, in a large skillet next to your pasta pot, you are heating the oil. Then sauteing the garlic and searing the shrimp. You drop the broccoli into the boiling pasta water for 2-3 minutes max so you don’t overcook it. You just want a quick blanch. Then you add your wine and reduce as your pasta cooks. Toss everything together in the pan and serve. I even a lot of times will make a quick homemade garlic bread using French bread rolls while it all cooks and BOOM! A complete meal in less than 30 minutes.
What is the best pasta for this dish?
That is the best part… you can use literally any pasta you prefer in this dish and it will be amazing. It is so funny because we have used so many different pasta shapes to make this over the years and one is just better than the next. My Dad’s favorite was the tri-color corkscrew pasta. He loves how all the sauce soaked into the curls of the pasta. Plus you can get everything in one fork full all together.
I love making it with spaghetti noodles. I love it lightly coats the noodle and you can wrap it all around the fork with a shrimp on the end. My husband likes it best with penne pasta. Especially the penne rigati with the lines on it. Basically the same reason as my Dad. The ridges hold the sauce nicely and penne is his favorite pasta shape. So, in the recipe I call for spaghetti noodles, but do you! Make whatever shape pasta you can your family love and I bet it will be perfect, perfect for you!
My favorites for this dish
You will not need much for this dish. A large skillet, a great pasta pot and a good olive oil and white wine. Obviously, get your shrimp from a reputable vendor so that they are fresh in smell and flavor. Yet, as for equipment and essentials, it is not much. Here are my favorite skillet and my absolute favorite olive oil to use in this dish.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31dXkvjjasL._AC_AC_SR98,95_.jpg
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41xeiWz6xhL._AC_AC_SR98,95_.jpg
Chef’s tip
Not too much can go wrong here. This is a very simple and straight forward dish. However, the best tips I can give you for this dish are use a white wine that you enjoy drinking. It will give the sauce a nice flavor.
Do not overcook your broccoli or your pasta. The broccoli should just be a super quick 2-3 minute max blanch in the pasta water because then it is going in the pan with shrimp and will be cooking for a bit in there. Overcooking will make it super mushy in the pasta and nobody wants mushy broccoli.
Secondly the pasta. Make sure you cook it to al dente. Most package instructions today give you the al dente time, but taste it. When you see the pasta color change to a lighter more pale color, check it. You still want a bite in it because you will be adding into the pan with the sauce and shrimp and broccoli. So, it will cook a little more in there and you don’t want it to over cook on you.
Last quick tip, is for warmer weather. If you live in a warmer climate or it is Summer time you can grill the shrimp and then add them into the sauce with the pasta and broccoli. You get a wonderful smokiness and char flavor that really lends to this dish. ENJOY!
Pasta with shrimp and broccoli
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb shrimp peeled, cleaned and deveined- I leave the tail on but it is only for the look. You can remove
- 8 oz uncooked spaghetti
- 2 cups broccoli cut into florets
- 1/2 cup good quality white wine-something you like to drink
- 1 lemon
- pinch of crushed red pepper flake optional
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place a medium pasta pot on to boil. Heat a large skillet on medium heat heat on the stove top as well.
- Once the water is boiling for the pasta, salt the water liberally. It should taste of the ocean.
- Meanwhile, add the olive oil to the skillet and lightly saute the garlic. Only for a minute or two until it becomes fragrant. You do not want it to brown or burn, that will taste bitter in your dish.
- Add the shrimp to the garlic and slightly lower the flame. You do not want to cook them too quickly, but you want them to lightly sear the outside. Just a hint of brown around the edges. As soon as they turn very light pink, flip them over and cook the other side the same way. This only takes 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Meanwhile, as the pasta water is boiling, add the broccoli in for 2-3 minutes to quickly blanch it. Add it to the shrimp skillet and lower the flame. You should be on low at this point in the skillet.
- Add your pasta to the water and cook to al dente. This should only take about 6 minutes for spaghetti. Possibly slightly longer for a larger noodle.
- Meanwhile, add in the crushed red pepper, if using it. Also, add in your wine and let it reduce. You want to simmer it at this point.
- Once the pasta is cooked, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and add it into the skillet. This is going to add to your sauce. Scoop the pasta into the skillet using a pasta spoon or a spider. You will want the residual pasta water in this dish. So, it is better to do it this way than drain and dump.
- Lightly toss everything together for a minute or two until all of the pasta is coated with the sauce and the shrimp and broccoli is mixed in. Serve immediately with a side of garlic or regular Italian bread. ENJOY!
Notes
