What makes a good shrimp recipe, you might ask? Creamy sauce, juicy shrimp and quick and easy to follow recipe instructions! Rich, decadent and very, very creamy – this homemade creamy shrimp recipe is incredibly easy and requires minimal time and effort. Enjoy it for busy weeknight dinners or on special occasions.
If you are looking for a comforting seafood dinner – try this creamy shrimp. Juicy shrimp is good on its own, but if you add delicious creamy spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, as well as a generous amount of Parmesan – now you get an entire seafood dinner on one plate! Serve it over a plate of mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.
The best part? This comfort food is ready in about 30 minutes. It’s such a delicious weeknight dinner, not to mention quick and easy.
Ingredients to make Creamy Shrimp
Olive oil– Use olive oil or salted or unsalted butter.
Shrimp – I used peeled and deveined frozen shrimp that I defrosted in the fridge overnight. Use 1 to 1.5 pounds of shrimp.
White Wine – I prefer to use Pinot Grigio for cooking. This dry white wine is such a great tasting wine in food that I don’t use any other kind.
Spinach – Use about 2 cups of baby spinach. You can use fresh or frozen.
Sun Dried Tomatoes – I love to cut them up since they tend to be chewy.
Heavy Cream – You can also use half and half instead of the heavy cream
Seasonings – Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and FRESH garlic is all you need.
How to cook shrimp
Cooking shrimp is super easy, and the best thing is that shrimp makes for a fantastic dinner and lunch option for all occasions. Sometimes I like to eat it for brunch a well!
- Season generously!
- Use high quality seasoning such a Gourmet Italian or Sicilian seasoning.
If you are a novice to cooking shrimp or simply want to brush up on how to do it, just remember that seasoning plays a big role in how the shrimp will look and taste. I also wrote a post on how to cook shrimp that provides detailed information on many aspects of shrimp cooking. Please check it out!
Tips on making the creamy sauce
- Reduce heat. Before adding heavy cream, reduce heat to low-medium and bring the cream to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally to allow the sauce to reduce.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan. Use Parmesan that is either freshly grated or shredded. Avoid Parmesan that has cellulose powder in it as it will prevent even melting of cheese into the sauce and will create clumps.
More delicious shrimp recipes
Creamy Shrimp with Spinach
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- 1 cup heavy cream, or half and half
- 2 cups baby spinach, about 3 ounces
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- parsley, chopped, if desired
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large skillet on medium high heat. While oil is heating, in a large bowl toss shrimp with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder until evenly coated.
- Add in the shrimp to the skillet with oil and cook for two minutes on each side, until pink in color. Remove the shrimp on a plate.
- Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Now add sun-dried tomatoes and continue cooking them on medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Next, pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce by at least half.
- Now, pour heavy cream and once it's bubbling, add spinach leaves. Stir them in sauce until wilted.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust according to your liking.
- Gradually add Parmesan cheese until incorporated into the sauce.
- Add the shrimp back into the pan and sprinkle with chopped parsley (optional).
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Turned out really well. I doubled the spinach to up our veg quotient. Would add a pinch of red pepper flake when sauteeing the garlic, and a splash of lemon juice to finish for a little brightnes.
I tend to use lots of spinach myself since it has a habit of shrinking. It sounds like you nailed it, Alvina!
Delicious and flavorful! I used cherry tomatoes and added fresh mushrooms.
Thank you, Susie! Sounds really good with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
Delicious. Made with canned diced tomatoes rather than sun dried tomatoes
Your way sounds very delicious!
Excellent. Came together quickly once everything was prepped in advanced. Doubled amount of spinach as we love it. Slightly less cream and added a dab of butter. Would also be great with chicken. Keeper.
Thanks so much and love that you added more spinach, CookBug!