Easy lemon garlic shrimp pasta! This healthy shrimp pasta has a light yet flavorful sauce made with Sunkist_® lemons, olive oil, vegan butter and garlic. It’s dairy-free and gluten-free and ready in less than 30 minutes!

This lemon garlic shrimp pasta makes for a light and fresh dinner that’s easy enough for a weeknight but also feels fancy enough for a date night or to serve at a dinner party. It’s gluten-free and dairy-free when made using gluten-free pasta and vegan butter, although you can use regular pasta and butter if you prefer. The zesty lemon garlic butter sauce gives a bold flavor. It’s simple, yet perfect and one of my favorites.

This is one of those easy pasta recipes that you make a few times, you’ll have it memorized and can throw it together for an easy weeknight dinner in less than 30 minutes! But honestly, once you get into the groove of making it, I’d say only 20 minutes.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Pasta – to keep this more traditional, use linguine or another thin, long pasta like spaghetti, capellini or angel hair. But any pasta shape is fine. I love this brand of gluten-free pasta. You could also use chickpea or lentil pasta to boost the protein.

Butter – To keep this recipe dairy-free, I recommend using vegan butter like this brand. The salted version is easier to find but using unsalted will give you more control of the saltiness of your dish. Of course, you can use regular butter or more olive oil if you wish. I recommend grass-fed, pasture-raised butter if you go that route.

Minced shallots + garlic – These alliums add flavor and depth to the lemon butter sauce. Yellow onion will work in place of the shallot. You’ll need about 2-4 tablespoons of diced onion.

Wild-caught shrimp – Shelled, peeled, and deveined raw shrimp. When choosing seafood, I recommend wild-caught if possible. Wild-caught seafood is more nutritious and sustainable for the planet.

White wine or broth – Dry white wine gives an added depth of flavor to the dish as it pairs really well with seafood. I used a sauvignon blanc. No wine on hand? Chicken, vegetable or seafood broth is a fine substitution. This liquid, along with the lemon juice and reserved pasta water help create the bulk of the lemon butter sauce.

Fresh lemon juice – You’ll need 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed Sunkist_® lemon juice. Sunkist_® lemons give this pasta it’s zesty flavor that pairs well with the garlic butter sauce.

How To Make Healthy Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

This recipe comes together quickly. You can cook the shrimp and prepare the sauce while the pasta cooks. This makes for an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes. Honestly, 20 minutes, if you’re efficient!

Cook the Pasta – cook the pasta in heavily salted water according to the package instructions. You’re going for an al dente texture as the pasta will continue to cook once tossed with the sauce. Make sure to reserve 1 cup of salted pasta water before draining. This is key to the best lemon butter sauce as the starchy water helps thicken the sauce.

Cook the Shrimp – while the pasta cooks, heat a skillet with olive oil. Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Shrimp cooks quickly 1-2 minutes per side. The shrimp are done when they turn from grey to opaque white and pink. Remove from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside so they don’t overcook.

Prepare the Sauce – Add the shallots to the pan with the remaining olive oil and sauté until translucent. Next, add the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant; about 1 minute. Then add the white wine or broth. Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes or until wine reduces by about half. Stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Toss and Serve – Add the shrimp and pasta to the skillet and toss until glossy with sauce. Add about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water to loosen up the sauce, if needed. Finish with parsley, flaky salt, black pepper and red chili flakes, if desired.

Lemon Nutrition Facts

Lemons add a lovely flavor to foods and beverages but they also add a nutrition boost. They’re packed with numerous health benefits! One medium Sunkist® lemon is an excellent source of vitamin C, containing 25% of the daily recommended value. It also offers fiber. Lemons also contain numerous antioxidants that can have powerful health benefits.

The main antioxidant compounds include citric acid, hesperidin, diosmin, and d-limonene. While each of these compounds has its unique properties, there have been links to lowering your risk of heart disease, cancer, and kidney stones. (2) (3) (4)

I love starting my day with lemon water and incorporating lemons in most of my meals to add to my overall nutrient intake throughout the day. I recommend having lemons on hand year-round as their tart, tangy flavor is a lovely addition to recipes. Plus, adding lemon juice or lemon zest is a great sodium-free way to add flavor to meals.

Some of my favorite lemons recipes are these grain-free lemon bars, grain-free lemon thumbprint cookies, and crispy lemon potatoes. Lemon is also delicious squeezed on an avocado toast, added to homemade hummus, or used to flavor soups!

Other Citrus Recipe You’ll Love

• • Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup
  • Crispy Lemon Roasted Potatoes
  • Citrus Ginger Soba Noodle Salad
  • Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad
  • Grain-Free Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

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DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #nourishedbynutriton and #SunkistSummers. You can also find this recipe on Sunkist.com/recipes/

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