Creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta is a restaurant-style dish you can make at home in about 30 minutes. Tiger shrimp, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms go into a spicy tomato sauce with plenty of parmesan and fresh herbs.
I buy fresh tiger prawns in bulk, peel and freeze them, so I can make this on any weeknight. The chili is up to you, one for a gentle heat or two if you like it hot.
It's rich without being heavy, and it works for a date night or a quick Tuesday dinner. It's better than most versions I've had in restaurants.
Jump to:
- Why This Recipe Works
- How to Peel and Devein Shrimp
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How to Make Creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta?
- Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Variations and Substitutions
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- What to Serve with Creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta?
- Recipe FAQs
- Related Recipes
- Creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta
If you love quick and easy pasta dishes for a weeknight meal, have a look at my Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese (Baked) and Pasta with Green Sauce.
My Shrimp Risotto is another easy one made with shrimp.
If you'd rather watch than read, here's a short video that shows the whole recipe from start to finish.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's ready in about 30 minutes, and you make the sauce while the pasta cooks.
- You control the heat, so it suits people who like it hot and people who don't.
- It tastes like restaurant pasta, and there are no complicated steps.
- It's rich from the mascarpone and cream, but not heavy, because of the fresh tomatoes.
- Frozen shrimp is fine here, so you can make it straight from the freezer.
- Easy enough for a weeknight, and good enough for a date night or friends coming over.
- The leftovers reheat well, and it freezes well.
How to Peel and Devein Shrimp
I buy my shrimp with the shell and head on when I can, and peel them myself. Pull off the head first, then peel the shell away starting from the legs, and pinch off the tail.
To devein, run a small knife along the back of the shrimp and lift out the dark vein with the tip.
It's safe to eat, but it can be gritty, so I always take it out. The video above shows how I do it.
Once they're peeled and deveined, cut the big ones in half lengthwise so they go further and cook evenly.
If you're not cooking them all that day, freeze the rest in small portions. They keep for up to 3 months.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Shrimp - Raw tiger prawns or king prawns are my first choice because they're big and meaty. Look for jumbo or extra jumbo shrimp, that's 21 to 25 or 16 to 20 per 1 lb (450 g). Good quality frozen raw shrimp is fine, thaw it fully and pat it dry before you add it to the pan. Smaller shrimp are ok to use, just cook them for less time.
- Brandy or white wine - I use brandy because it goes really well with seafood, and dry white wine works just as well. If you don't cook with alcohol, use chicken or vegetable stock instead.
- Garlic - This isn't a garlic-heavy sauce, but you can add more if you like. Grate it or chop it very finely.
- Heavy cream - A little goes in with the mascarpone to make the sauce rich and loosen it.
- Parmesan - Grate it yourself from a block. The pre-grated tubs don't melt smoothly and make the sauce grainy.
- Mascarpone Cheese - A soft Italian cream cheese you'll find next to the cream cheese in most supermarkets. If you can't get it, crème fraîche or cream cheese work instead.
- Shallots - They're milder and sweeter than onions. A small onion works instead if you don't have them.
- Pasta - I use long pasta such as fettuccine, tagliatelle, linguine or spaghetti for creamy sauces. Penne or rigatoni work if that's what you have.
- Cherry Tomatoes - I halve them and cook them until soft. They give the sauce its color and a little sweetness. Any small ripe tomatoes work.
- Mushrooms - I use sliced button or cremini (chestnut) mushrooms. Leave them out if you're not a fan, the sauce is just as good without them.
- Red Chili - Finely chopped. Take the seeds out for less heat, and use red pepper flakes if you don't have fresh.
How to Make Creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta?
Cook the Pasta and the Shrimp
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil and cook the pasta following the packet instructions, until it's just al dente. Start the sauce as soon as the water is on, and both will be ready at the same time.
Before you drain the pasta, scoop out a cup (240 ml) of the cooking water and keep it to one side.
Put a wok or a large non-stick skillet on medium-low heat and melt the butter. Add the shrimp and cook for about a minute, just until they turn pink.
If you cook them longer they shrink and go rubbery. They finish cooking in the sauce later on. Lift them out onto a plate and set them aside.
Make the Sauce
Add the olive oil to the same pan and cook the shallots and garlic for a couple of minutes until soft. Turn the heat up, add the mushrooms and cook them for a few minutes.
When the mushrooms have softened, pour in the brandy or white wine and let it cook off until it has almost all evaporated.
Add the cherry tomatoes, the chili and the black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
Stir in the mascarpone until it melts. Pour in the cream and about ½ cup (120 ml) of the pasta water. Turn the heat down and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon.
Finish the Pasta
Add the cooked shrimp and the parmesan, then taste the sauce and add salt if it needs it. The parmesan is salty, so you might not need much.
Stir in the parsley and dill, then drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss it well, and add a splash more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
Take it off the heat and serve it straight away, with extra parmesan on top.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels before you cook them, or they won't brown properly.
- Cook the shrimp for about a minute only, just until they turn pink, then take them out. They finish cooking when they go back into the sauce.
- Salt the pasta water well, or the pasta will taste bland.
- Cook the pasta until it's just al dente, because it softens a little more in the sauce.
- Save a cup of the pasta water before draining. The starch in it helps the sauce thicken and stick to the pasta.
- Stir the mascarpone in over low heat. Don't let the sauce boil hard once the cream and parmesan are in, or it can split.
- Grate the parmesan yourself from a block. Pre-grated parmesan doesn't melt smoothly.
- Taste before you add salt at the end. The parmesan and the pasta water are both salty.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of pasta water. If it's too thin, simmer it for another couple of minutes before you add the pasta.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add a big handful of spinach or arugula at the end and let it wilt.
- Stir a little lemon zest in with the herbs for a fresher taste.
- Swap half of the cherry tomatoes for chopped sun-dried tomatoes for a stronger tomato taste.
- You can use gluten-free pasta. Check it a minute or two before the time on the packet, because gluten-free pasta overcooks faster than normal pasta.
- For anyone who doesn't like heat, leave the chili out and put red pepper flakes on the table.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The sauce thickens as it cools.
Reheat it in a pan on low heat with a splash of milk, cream or water. You can use the microwave instead, on medium power, and stir it halfway through. Don't let it boil, or the shrimp will go rubbery.
This pasta freezes well. The pasta soaks up the sauce as it freezes, so the sauce doesn't split when you reheat it.
Freeze it in portions for up to 3 months and thaw it in the fridge overnight. Don't freeze it if the shrimp was already frozen when you bought it, because you shouldn't freeze shrimp twice.
You can make it a few hours ahead and reheat it the same way, but I think it's best straight from the pan.
What to Serve with Creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta?
We usually have this with my Italian Cheese and Herb Bread on the side, and a green salad.
My Arugula Spinach Salad is the one I make most often with creamy pasta.
If you want something different, Gozleme and a bowl of Lebanese Fattoush Salad both go well with it.
Recipe FAQs
Parsley and dill are my favorites for this one, and I use both. Tarragon, chervil and chives are all good with prawns, and basil suits the tomatoes in this sauce.
Mascarpone melts into the sauce and makes it thick, smooth and silky, with a slightly sweet, milky taste. It is milder than cream cheese and less sharp than crème fraîche, and it makes the tomato sauce taste milder and creamier.
Heavy cream, which is called double cream in the UK. It has enough fat to thicken the sauce, and it doesn't split when it simmers. Single cream, whipping cream and half-and-half all give a thinner sauce that is more likely to split.
Usually because it boiled too hard after the cream and cheese went in, or the cream was too low in fat. Keep the heat low once the mascarpone is in, add the parmesan when the sauce isn't boiling, and use full-fat cream. If it has already split, stir in a splash of hot pasta water and it will usually come back together.
Related Recipes
For more shrimp dishes, try these next:
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I hope you enjoy the process of making this deliciously creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta
Ingredients
- 14 oz fettuccine or linguine pasta (400 grams)
- 1 tablespoon salt (to add to water to cook the pasta)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium banana shallot (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 7 oz sliced button or cremini mushrooms (200 grams; chestnut mushrooms in the UK)
- ⅓ cup brandy or dry white wine (80 ml)
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes (cut in halves) (300 grams)
- 1 red chili (finely chopped; use 1 for a gentle heat or 2 for hot)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon mascarpone cheese
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (160 ml)
- 1 lbs tiger shrimp (peeled, deveined and cut in half lengthwise) (450 grams)
- ⅔ cup parmesan (grated; 65 g)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon dill (finely chopped)
- salt to taste
Instructions
Cook the Pasta and the Shrimp
- Put a large pot of water on high heat with enough water to cook the pasta and add 1 tablespoon salt.
- Cook the pasta following the packet instructions until it's just al dente. Before draining, scoop out a cup (240 ml) of the cooking water and keep it to one side.
- Start the sauce as soon as the water is on, so both are ready at the same time.
- Put a wok or a large non-stick skillet on medium-low heat and melt the butter.
- Add the shrimp and cook for about a minute, just until they turn pink. If you cook them longer they shrink and go rubbery. Lift them out onto a plate and set aside.
Make the Sauce
- Add the olive oil to the same pan and cook the shallots and garlic for a couple of minutes until soft.
- Turn the heat up, add the mushrooms and cook them for a few minutes.
- Pour in the brandy or white wine and let it cook off until it has almost all evaporated.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, chili and black pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
- Stir in the mascarpone until it melts, then add the cream and about ½ cup (120 ml) of the pasta water. Turn the heat down and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon.
Finish the Pasta
- Add the cooked shrimp and the parmesan, taste, and add salt if needed.
- Stir in the parsley and dill, drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss well, adding a splash more pasta water if it's too thick.
- Take it off the heat and serve straight away with extra parmesan.
Video
Notes
- Save a cup of the pasta water before draining. The starch in it thickens the sauce and helps it stick to the pasta.
- Cook the shrimp for about a minute only, just until pink, then take them out. They finish cooking when they go back into the sauce. Overcooked shrimp shrink and go rubbery.
- Frozen raw shrimp is fine here. Thaw it fully and pat it dry before cooking. There is a short video attached to the recipe card showing how to peel and devein raw shrimp.
- Keep the heat low once the mascarpone is in, and don't let the sauce boil hard after the cream and parmesan go in, or it can split. If it does, stir in a splash of hot pasta water and it will usually come back together.
- Grate the parmesan from a block, because pre-grated parmesan doesn't melt smoothly. Taste before adding salt at the end, since the parmesan and the pasta water are both salty.
- Use heavy cream (double cream in the UK). Lighter creams make a thinner sauce that can split.
- Substitutions: crème fraîche or cream cheese for the mascarpone, chicken or vegetable stock for the brandy or wine, red pepper flakes for the fresh chili, and a small onion for the shallots.
- One chili gives a gentle heat and two makes it hot. For a mild version, leave the chili out and put red pepper flakes on the table.
- Storage: leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on low heat with a splash of milk, cream or water, and don't let it boil. Reheat only the portion you need, and only once.
- Freezing: it freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight. Don't freeze it if the shrimp was already frozen when you bought it.
Olivia says
Had this for dinner tonight…yummy
Joanne says
Absolutely fabulous. Easy to follow. Simple menu and the taste was incredible. Thank you!
Lena says
I love the flavour combination, the sauce is out of this world!
Ayla says
Excellent recipe Thank you so much