Today I’m here to share a fabulous shrimp recipe you can impress just about anybody with: cilantro pistachio pesto shrimp pasta. GUYS, IT’S SO GOOD and absolutely perfect for date night or a fun weeknight dinner. It’s made with my favorite pesto of all time, too!
This pesto shrimp pasta is one of those recipes that tastes like it belongs on a restaurant menu, which is exactly why I’m calling it my ‘Date Night In’ pasta. Make a side salad or my famous garlic bread recipe and get ready to have a cooking night in with your hunny. Or yourself. Whatever floats your boat, sweetie pies.
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Ingredients in this pesto shrimp pasta recipe
This simple pasta is filled with fresh flavors thanks to homemade pesto, and has the perfect amount of creaminess. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Spaghetti: I love using spaghetti noodles in this recipe for delicious pasta twirling. Feel free to use any noodle shape you’d like, even gluten free.
- Cilantro pistachio pesto: wow, just wow! This pesto is beyond incredible and is made with roasted pistachios, olive oil, fresh cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, and lime juice. It has a little zip to it!
- Shrimp: feel free to use frozen or fresh shrimp — just make sure to devein and remove the tails.
- Garnishes: I love topping this pesto shrimp pasta with goat cheese crumbles (or leave it out to keep it dairy-free), extra cilantro, and some chopped roasted pistachios. While these are optional, I LOVE the flavor they add to the pasta.
How to use frozen shrimp in this pasta
No need to even defrost the shrimp; instead, just throw them in a pan with a little olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and cook until they just turn pink and opaque. Done!
Can I make this vegetarian?
Sure! This pesto shrimp pasta recipe can easily be made vegetarian by simply swapping the shrimp for a plant-based protein like chickpeas. YUM. Also, feel free to try my brown butter pistachio chickpea pasta.
Customize your shrimp pasta
This pesto shrimp pasta recipe is super easy to customize to fit any dietary needs or to use up what you have stocked in your kitchen.
- Keep it gluten-free: simply use your favorite gluten-free pasta. I recommend long noodles for twirling!
- Pick your cheese: I love the creaminess and tang of goat cheese, but you could also add feta cheese or freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- Swap your protein: while I love the uniqueness of shrimp in this pasta, feel free to try it with cooked, cubed chicken, cooked salmon, cooked, sliced chicken sausage, or even bacon.
- Make it dairy-free: because the homemade cilantro pistachio pesto is naturally dairy-free, you’ll simply leave off the goat cheese crumbles to keep the full recipe dairy-free.
Easy shrimp pesto pasta in 4 steps
- Make your pesto. You’ll simply combine all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until nice and smooth.
- Cook the shrimp. Add oil, shrimp, garlic powder, salt & pepper to a large skillet and cook it until it’s no longer pink.
- Cook pasta & toss. Then, cook your pasta in a large pot until al dente, drain it, and stir in the pesto, cooked shrimp, and goat cheese.
- Garnish & enjoy! Finally, add the pasta to bowls and top with extra goat cheese, cilantro, and extra crushed pistachios if you’d like.
Make it extra creamy
Looking for a bit of a creamier “sauce” in this recipe? Simply reserve a few tablespoons of pasta water when you drain it and add it in with the homemade pesto. You’ll get a nice, creamy pesto shrimp pasta — especially when added with the goat cheese!
What to serve with this shrimp pasta recipe
Storing tips
Store any leftover shrimp pasta in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat in intervals in the microwave and feel free to freshen it up with more cilantro and goat cheese.
Tools I used to make this pasta
Get all of my go-to kitchen essentials here!
More pasta recipes you’ll love
Get all of my pasta recipes here!
I hope you love this cilantro pistachio pesto shrimp pasta! If you make it, please be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below.
The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Cilantro Pistachio Pesto Shrimp Pasta
by
Delicious pesto shrimp pasta with a crazy good fresh cilantro pistachio pesto! This flavorful shrimp pesto pasta recipe is easy to make but will make you feel like you’re at a fancy restaurant. Serve with garlic bread or a side salad for a great ‘date night in’ meal.
Ingredients
- For the pesto:
- ¾ cup packed fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ lime, juiced
- 3 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons water, to thin pesto
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the shrimp:
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound raw shrimp, deveined and tails off
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the pasta:
- 10 oz spaghetti, gluten free if desired
- To garnish:
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped roasted pistachios
Instructions
-
Make the pesto: add the following to the bowl of a food processor: cilantro, pistachios, jalapeño, garlic cloves, lime juice, olive oil, water and salt and pepper. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides and processing again, if necessary.
-
Cook the shrimp: add olive oil to a large skillet or pan and place over medium high heat. Add in shrimp, garlic powder and salt and pepper; cook until shrimp is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes (depending on the size of your shrimp). Remove from heat and set aside.
-
Cook the pasta: cook the pasta until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and set aside, then drain pasta, then add back to pot. Stir in the pesto, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to make the pasta extra creamy. Then stir in shrimp until well coated. Add pasta to bowls and garnish with goat cheese, a few cilantro leaves and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios. Serve immediately. Makes about 4 servings.
Recipe Notes
To make vegetarian: simply use 1 can of chickpeas in place of the shrimp.
To make dairy free: omit the goat cheese.
To store: any leftover pesto shrimp pasta can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (based on 4)Calories: 448calCarbohydrates: 54.6gProtein: 17.4gFat: 18.4gSaturated Fat: 3.2gFiber: 3.9gSugar: 1.3g
Recipe by: Monique Volz | Photography by: Yoga of Cooking
This post was originally published on February 4th, 2019, republished on February 9th, 2021, and republished on March 15th, 2026.
