20-Minute Broccoli and Shrimp Pasta
Looking for a quick and tasty dinner? Try this 20-minute broccoli and shrimp pasta! It’s easy to make and packed with flavor.
With fresh broccoli and succulent quick cooking shrimp, this dish is perfect for busy weeknights.
In just 20 minutes, you can serve a delicious bowl of pasta that the whole family will love. All you need are a few ingredients to make this simple yet satisfying recipe!
What you’ll love about broccoli and shrimp pasta
This 20-minute broccoli and shrimp pasta recipe is a quick, nutritious meal that combines tender shrimp, vibrant broccoli, and al dente pasta. Here’s what you’ll love about it:
Only takes 20 minutes: Believe me when I say this recipe is quick to put together. You’ll have dinner made in no time!
Tastes delicious: Despite the simplicity of the ingredients and cooking method, this pasta is really delicious and satisfying.
It’s a complete meal in one pot: In just one pot you get your protein, carb, and vegetables. This recipe makes feeding yourself and your family a balanced meal very easy.
Ingredients
This dish features a light onion, garlic, and lemon sauce, enhancing the natural flavors while keeping the preparation time minimal. The ingredients you’ll need for the recipe are the following:
- Pasta – Any common variety of pasta will work for this recipe. In my experience, short pastas like penne or rigatoni are the easiest for kids to feed themselves (spaghetti always proves tricky for my kids to eat. Lots of the spaghetti noodles end up dropping on the floor).
- Broccoli – Fresh broccoli is what I used, but frozen broccoli florets will totally work and make prep time even faster.
- Shrimp – Use peeled, tail off raw or cooked shrimp. If already cooked, you only need to warm it up by putting the shrimp in the hot pot for about 30 seconds.
- Onion – Mince the onion by hand or put it in a food processor and pulse until chopped.
- Garlic – If you use the food processor to chop the onion, make it easy on yourself and add the garlic in the processor as well.
- Butter – Provides great flavor to the dish. You could also use olive oil or a combination of butter and olive oil.
- Parsley – Fresh parsley gives the dish some vibrant color as well as as some fresh flavor.
- Lemon juice – Lemon juice gives the dish a pop of freshness and bright flavor.
- Salt and pepper – Salt makes all the other flavors come alive. Pepper gives a little kick.
How to make this 20-minute pasta
Perfect for busy weeknights, this recipe offers a balanced mix of protein and vegetables, making it both satisfying and healthy.
This is how you put this recipe to together:
- Cook the pasta and broccoli. In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. During the last two minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets to the pot. Collect half a cup of pasta water then drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander. Set aside.
- Sauté onions and garlic. Melt the butter in the empty pot. Add the chopped onions and cook for 5 minutes over medium low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Cook the shrimp. Add the shrimp to the pot and cook until pink and opaque. Shrimp cooks quickly, it should only take a few minutes. Stir in the minced parsley and squeeze in some lemon juice. Cook for 30 more seconds.
- Add the pasta and broccoli. Return the pasta and broccoli to the pot and gently toss everything together. Squeeze in more lemon juice.
- Enjoy! Eat up and enjoy this easy to make dinner.
Storing and reheating
To store broccoli shrimp pasta, first allow it to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer the pasta to an airtight container. Separate the pasta into individual portions if you’d like to pack this for lunches throughout the week.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you want to keep it longer, you can freeze it for up to 2 months.
When reheating, if refrigerated, microwave on medium power or reheat in a skillet with a splash of water or broth to prevent drying out.
For frozen pasta, thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating. Remember, shrimp can become rubbery if overcooked, so reheat just until warm.
Tips
With just one pan needed, cleanup is super easy, making it so you can enjoy a delicious homemade dinner without the hassle.
- Salt the water. Add about half a tablespoon of salt to every quart of water when making pasta. The pasta will absorb some of the salt as it cooks and be more flavorful.
- Save some pasta water. Pasta water is a perfect addition to the sauce. The starch in the pasta cooking water helps the sauce stick to the pasta better and make the sauce a perfect consistency. The added salt in the pasta water also helps season the sauce. With those things in mind, be sure to save at least half a cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Use a food processor. To make prepping this recipe even faster, make use of your food processor. Pulse the onions and garlic cloves to quickly break them down. Once those are prepped and sautéing, you can then also throw the parsley in the food processor to quickly mince that ingredient up as well.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Shrimp is a great protein to have around because it cooks quickly. Because it cooks so quickly, you need to be careful to not overcook the shrimp. Overcooked shrimp can become tough and rubbery. Shrimp is cooked when it becomes pink and opaque.
Wrapping it all up
In conclusion, this 20-minute broccoli and shrimp pasta is a quick, delicious, and healthy meal that anyone can definitely can make.
With just a few simple ingredients, you can enjoy a nutritious dish packed with flavor.
This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights when you want something satisfying and easy. By combining fresh broccoli and tender shrimp with pasta, you create a balanced meal that your family will love.
20-Minute Broccoli and Shrimp Pasta
August 13, 2024
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta
- ½ lb broccoli florets
- 4 TBSP butter
- ½ onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ bunch parsley, minced
- ½ cup pasta water
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the pasta according to package instructions. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets to the pot. Cook for two minutes. Collect ½ a cup of pasta water, then pour the pasta and broccoli in a colander to drain. Set aside.8 oz pasta, ½ lb broccoli florets
- Place the empty pot back on the stove over medium low heat. Melt the butter in the pot. Add the onion and a dash of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Next, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.4 TBSP butter, ½ onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Put in the shrimp, salt, and pepper and cook until pink and opaque. That should only take a few minutes. Once cooked, stir in the minced parsley and squeeze in half of the lemon juice.1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, ½ bunch parsley, minced
- Return the pasta and broccoli to the pot. Pour half the pasta water over everything and squeeze in the rest of the lemon juice. Stir to coat the pasta and broccoli. Add more pasta water if needed.½ cup pasta water, juice of 1 lemon
