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    Home » Fish & Seafood

    Easy Creamy Shrimp and Broccoli Pasta

    Published: Jun 15, 2019 / Updated: Oct 11, 2019 / 34 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my affiliate disclosure for more details.

    Jump to Recipe

    This creamy shrimp and broccoli pasta recipe is quick and simple. It's made with cream cheese, garlic, and pantry staples. 

    shrimp and broccoli pasta in a bowl with a fork

    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.

    two bowls of shrimp and broccoli pasta

    How to make shrimp and broccoli pasta

    1. Get the pasta water boiling. Once the pasta's on its way to being cooked, start the sauce;
    2. In a skillet, cook the shrimp for 2 minutes/side and then take them out of the pan;
    3. Cook the broccoli in the skillet with the pan covered for a few minutes;
    4. Take the broccoli out and add the cream cheese, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the pan;
    5. 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

    broccoli and shrimp pasta with a cream cheese sauce in a bowl

    Will you give this broccoli and shrimp pasta recipe a try?

    Questions? Let me know in the comments below.

    shrimp and broccoli pasta in a bowl with a fork

    Creamy Shrimp and Broccoli Pasta

    This creamy shrimp and broccoli pasta recipe is quick and simple. It's made with cream cheese, garlic, and pantry staples. 
    4.55 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 2
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    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. 
    Keyword creamy shrimp and broccoli pasta
    Author Natasha Bull
    « Turkey White Bean Chili
    Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup »

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    1. Somchith says

      May 8, 2023 at 2:44 PM

      4 stars
      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

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        May 8, 2023 at 2:53 PM

        Glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    2. Brenda T says

      July 10, 2022 at 4:47 PM

      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.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        July 10, 2022 at 5:23 PM

        Glad it was a hit!!

        Reply
    3. Diane K says

      May 11, 2022 at 5:30 PM

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        May 11, 2022 at 7:31 PM

        Wonderful!! 🙂 Glad it was a hit!

        Reply
    4. Lauren R Sculley says

      January 9, 2022 at 1:00 PM

      Can I use whipped cream cheese? That's all I have!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        January 9, 2022 at 1:28 PM

        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.

        Reply
    5. Melissa Page says

      August 22, 2021 at 3:37 PM

      1 star
      Just did not like the mixed flavors.

      Reply
    6. Jennie says

      April 15, 2021 at 3:18 PM

      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!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        April 16, 2021 at 8:17 AM

        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!

        Reply
    7. Mila says

      March 10, 2021 at 6:14 AM

      5 stars
      Sooook delish! Every single recepie I tried from this blog was a great success. I got loads of compliments from my family. Thank you ❤️

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        March 10, 2021 at 9:13 AM

        Aww I'm so happy to hear that!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! XO

        Reply
    8. Beth Kroupa says

      March 4, 2021 at 5:28 PM

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        March 4, 2021 at 7:36 PM

        Thank you!!

        Reply
    9. Diana says

      January 15, 2021 at 4:31 PM

      5 stars
      I am a Flavor nut! So I also tiny minced half a small sweet onion & added that to olive oil with 3 Tbl. unsalted Butter & 2 Tbl. Olive oil...3 lg. cloves garlic crushed. Then added small flowerettes of broccoli. Cover & simmer 3-5 min. I pan browned slightly my shrimp in butter 3 min. Remove. Remove veggies & add cream cheese to pan 1 half cup whole milk, 1half cup chicken broth, sliced mushrooms, 1half cup parmesan cheese (self grated the good stuff). Stir over med heat, 6minutes. Stirring. Add all back to pan, heat through. Add Aldente pasta. Mix. To die for. Serve with garlic bread.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        January 15, 2021 at 7:12 PM

        Sounds delish!!

        Reply
      • Steve says

        July 3, 2022 at 2:16 PM

        You need your own blog, where you can post your own recipes. Since you've changed pretty much everything on this one, you should claim it...

        Reply
      • Nancy Block says

        June 7, 2023 at 4:08 PM

        5 stars
        This was easy and delicious. I will make it again!

        Reply
        • Natasha says

          June 7, 2023 at 6:03 PM

          Thank you!

          Reply
    10. Claire says

      December 8, 2020 at 1:46 PM

      I commit to cooking three meals per week for our family and every single recipe comes from this website. I adore how simple and kid friendly they all are. However, we are a family of 5, and I try to cook enough to get two meals out of them. I struggle with scaling these recipes, but I am sure that is user error on my part! Love this blog and the food that comes out of it!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 8, 2020 at 2:08 PM

        Aww I'm so happy you're enjoying the recipes, Claire!! That makes me so happy. Yes... 5 is a bit of an awkward number when it comes to scaling recipes, so straight doubling everything as you've been doing is what I would suggest too. If you have specific questions about doubling a recipe before you make it, do let me know and I will try to steer you in the right direction. XO

        Reply
    11. La says

      August 5, 2020 at 3:36 PM

      5 stars
      Tasty

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        August 5, 2020 at 3:50 PM

        Awesome! Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    12. Ingrid says

      June 7, 2020 at 10:06 AM

      This meal made our rotation - it’s so delicious! I also added sliced mushrooms. It’s quick and easy to prepare!! 👍🏼

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        June 7, 2020 at 12:48 PM

        I'm so happy to hear that, Ingrid!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Ayesha says

      April 9, 2020 at 2:42 PM

      5 stars
      So succulent and delicious! It was easy to follow thIs recipe! Will definitely be making this regularly! ❣️

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        April 9, 2020 at 2:54 PM

        Yay! so happy you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    14. Lori Schermerhorn says

      March 3, 2020 at 4:56 PM

      5 stars
      This was delicious! My husband and I are doing WW so I used reduced fat cream cheese, whole grain pasta, and light butter and I it was still full of flavor with a lighter flare! I will be making this again! Thanks for the great recipe!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        March 4, 2020 at 8:26 AM

        I'm so glad it worked well! XO

        Reply
    15. Liza says

      January 13, 2020 at 5:23 PM

      Delicious! I added spinach too.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        January 14, 2020 at 10:52 AM

        Wonderful!

        Reply
    16. Sandra Morrissey says

      August 15, 2019 at 6:49 PM

      5 stars
      Well it's a keeper. Very delicious very easy family loved it didn't change anything except I doubled the recipe

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        August 16, 2019 at 12:12 PM

        Aww so happy to hear it! Thanks for letting me know, Sandra!

        Reply

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