Creamy Garlic Tuscan Shrimp

Enjoy this rewarding restaurant-quality meal with pan-seared shrimp smothered in a creamy garlic white wine sauce with fresh spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.

Taking cues from the decadent Tuscan chicken pasta, today we’ll be making some creamy garlic Tuscan shrimp. This was so delicious, it took a lot of self-control not to scarf it all down and to leave it for dinner instead. The sauce is just perfect and so very addicting and you can use it for chicken and salmon too. It’s hearty, rewarding and perfect for a quick comfort meal or a romantic date night.

Serve over a bed of your favorite pasta or with rice or mashed potatoes. There are also many ways to customize this or add more flavor like red pepper flakes for some spice or lemon juice for zest. And if you’re not a fan of shrimp, try this vegetarian sun-dried tomato and spinach pasta or this salmon pasta with spinach for something with a similar flavor profile.

But back to the recipe, let’s get cooking!

CREAMY GARLIC TUSCAN SHRIMP TIPS AND TRICKS

Skillet: I used a 12″ skillet for this recipe. You can probably get away with a 10″ skillet but with one pound of shrimp to cook, you’ll want to make sure it’s not too crowded so they don’t end up steaming instead of searing. Plus I like not having to worry about spilling over the sides and focusing instead on the cooking.

Shrimp: We’ll be using uncooked shrimp for this recipe. Shrimp tends to cook really fast so be careful not to overcook it. All it needs is a few minutes over high heat. Wait for them to go from translucent gray to opaque white and pink. You’ll know it’s overdone when it shrinks and curls.

Garlic: I like using this mini grater to grate fresh garlic but you can also use a garlic press. I just find the mini grater easier and faster to use. You’ll want to use these to mince the garlic because I’ve noticed more garlic punchy flavor from mincing it this way as opposed to chopping it up with a knife, which is what I did for many, many years.

Sautéing in sun-dried oil: You can use this instead of olive oil while sautéing the garlic to add more flavor.

Tomatoes: If you don’t like the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes or want something fresher, I’ve seen many recipes use 1 1/2 cups of halved cherry or grape tomatoes as a substitute.

Heavy cream: You can usually get away with substituting heavy cream for half and half only if you reduce the heat to very low so the sauce doesn’t curdle.

Parmesan cheese: Try to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese because the pre-shredded stuff usually has some chemicals that affect the way they incorporate into the sauce. I’ve found the packaged stuff usually results in a lumpier sauce. So I usually buy a block of Parmesan and grate it myself using a microplane.

The feathery soft Parmesan shavings have an easier time melting into the sauce. Add the Parmesan in batches and stir it in as you go to prevent clumping. If you’ve managed to find pre-packaged grated or shredded Parmesan cheese that melts beautfully into the sauce, let me know what brand you used in the comments below!

Switch up the spinach: You can substitute spinach with fresh asparagus spears or fresh basil.

Add some zest: Add more vibrant flavors with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Add some spice: Try adding a little kick with some red pepper flakes.

What to serve: You can serve this on a bed of your favorite pasta, with rice, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or with some hearty, crusty bread.

That’s all there is to it! Quick and easy and ready in 10 minutes of cooking time. Try to have everything prepared and turn on some music for a fun, cooking experience! Enjoy the food and let me know if you have any questions.

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