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This creamy shrimp and broccoli pasta recipe is quick and simple. It’s made with cream cheese, garlic, and pantry staples.
Shrimp and broccoli are a great combo, and since you know how much I love to make easy pasta recipes, I figured it was high time for a shrimp + broccoli pasta.
You may also like my shrimp and broccoli bowls!
I usually use heavy cream when making creamy pastas, but I decided to switch it up for this one. I love the tangy flavor that cream cheese brings to dishes, and it also makes a thicker sauce without having to worry about adding flour to it.
How to make shrimp and broccoli pasta
- Get the pasta water boiling. Once the pasta’s on its way to being cooked, start the sauce;
- In a skillet, cook the shrimp for 2 minutes/side and then take them out of the pan;
- Cook the broccoli in the skillet with the pan covered for a few minutes;
- Take the broccoli out and add the cream cheese, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the pan;
- Add the shrimp and broccoli back, let everything heat through, and then drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce.
Pro tip: Want to add a little heat? Sprinkle some red pepper flakes on.
Use whatever type/shape pasta you have on hand. I used a mix of regular and whole wheat spaghetti in the photos to change it up a little.
What size shrimp do I use in this pasta?
I used 31-40/pound count frozen raw shrimp. Smaller or larger shrimp would work too!
A few recipe notes:
- If the sauce is too thick for whatever reason, add a little more chicken broth or pasta water to thin it out.
- I chopped the broccoli florets fairly small so they would cook faster, so keep that in mind.
- You can use frozen broccoli florets, and if you do, I’d give it a minute or two longer to cook.
- Thinking about doubling the recipe? I’d double everything except the olive oil and butter if you want to save a few calories. You also probably won’t need 6 cloves of garlic in there unless you love garlic as much as I do. 😉
More shrimp pastas:
- Creamy Lemon Shrimp Pasta
- Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Shrimp Pasta in a Rosé Sauce
- Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta Recipe
- Healthy Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta Recipe
- Shrimp and Bacon Pasta
- Creamy Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta with Mushrooms
- Easy Shrimp Alfredo
Will you give this broccoli and shrimp pasta recipe a try?
Questions? Let me know in the comments below.
Creamy Shrimp and Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 pound medium shrimp thawed & peeled
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 4.4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 dash Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional
- 4 ounces uncooked pasta
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it al dente according to package directions. Once the pasta water is boiling, start making the sauce.
- Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan's hot, add the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes/side and then take them out of the pan and set them aside.
- Add the broccoli to the pan and give it a good stir. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pan with a lid and let the broccoli cook for 3 minutes. If it's still too crisp for your liking, cover the pan for another minute or two. The broccoli may get a little brown on some parts, which I love because it adds extra flavor.
- Take the pan off the heat and take the broccoli out. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the chicken broth, cream cheese, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the skillet. Return the pan to the heat and stir until the cream cheese has melted and it's a nice and creamy sauce.
- Add the shrimp and broccoli back into the pan and let it heat through. Season the sauce with salt & pepper as needed. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce (you can add a little pasta water to thin the sauce if needed). Serve immediately with parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- I used 1/2 a block of Philly cream cheese for this recipe (approx 4.4 ounces).
- I chopped my broccoli into fairly small florets and they were tender-crisp with the recommended cooking time.
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For the recipe of Shrimp and broccoli pasta what size of pasta is best to use?
I used spaghetti, so that works for sure. I think whatever shape you have on hand will be fine, though. Enjoy! 🙂
This is delicious, I will definitely be making it again and again! 😋 made it exactly like the recipe says, I made crusty bread and was a delicious meal. Thank you
You’re very welcome, Joy. 🙂
Made the recipe exactly as is aside from seasoning the shrimp with garlic powder, italian seasoning and s+p before searing. Good recipe will make again
Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh wow, what a great recipe! I made a few changes: 1. I used finely chopped garlic from the store.
2. I used a 2-lb bag of frozen shrimp and cooked it in batches.
3. I used a bag of frozen chopped broccoli.
My husband and I loved the result.
Glad it was a hit!!
Made this for dinner tonight because I had some shrimp in the freezer and found some fresh frozen broccoli. It was a hit with the family! Very easy and so tasty!
Wonderful!! 🙂 Glad it was a hit!
Can I use whipped cream cheese? That’s all I have!
You could give it a try, yes. I don’t know if it’ll be exactly the same, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Just did not like the mixed flavors.
I made this dairy free (with plant butter and cream cheese alternative) and gluten free (with rice noodles) and this is SERIOUSLY the best gf/df meal I’ve ever made. I never leave reviews, but I needed to let you know how amazing it is for those with specialty diets! Thank you, thank you!
I’m glad that you were able to tweak it for your diet! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to write me a review… we food bloggers definitely appreciate it!