Shrimp Carbonara
This Shrimp Carbonara combines juicy wild shrimp, a creamy carbonara sauce, juicy plum tomatoes and fresh herbs.
Shrimp is making a comeback
This decadent pasta dish was designed for a client of mine who hired me to cook a 3 course meal for their 5 year wedding anniversary. Her husband loves shrimp and pasta so we decided to incorporate that into the menu for the night.
When recipe testing for clients, I usually end up cooking the menu anywhere from 3-4 times in my own kitchen. This process helps me in fine tuning the ingredients and steps.
Usually, my boyfriend is a huge fan of my recipe testing for clients. It always means lots of leftovers of food that is anything but average.
That said, he’s not a fan of shrimp.
I was a little worried I’d be stuck eating 3-4 batches of creamy pasta all on my own but it turns out this Gluten Free Shrimp Carbonara is so good, he’s now a shrimp lover too.
So I’m not saying you have to force your shrimp-skeptic friends to try this dish… but if you do, I’m sure they’ll love it.
Nailing your Carbonara sauce
When it comes to making a good carbonara sauce, it’s all about using good quality ingredients. I’m talking heavy cream, freshly grated parmesan and real basil leaves, freshly minced.
By not cutting corners with ingredients, the result is a rich and flavorful sauce that creates magic when poured over just about anything.
It all starts with butter (let’s be honest, this is what all good things start with, right?) The shrimp gets sautéed until it’s pink and cooked through.
Next, the sauce party really begins with some pancetta and shallots. The pancetta provides some delicious flavor and fat that elevates the sauce and cuts through the creaminess.
Gluten free flour and wine join the party to create a nice thick base to add our heavy cream, fresh tomatoes and parmesan to.
The fresh basil gets minced and added to the sauce along with the pasta and a scoop of that beautifully starchy pasta water and just like that, your sauce has arrived.
Other pasta dishes we love
In this household, we love our carbs.
Here are some of our other favorite carb heavy, weeknight meals:
Here’s my go-to gluten free pasta I use in just about any Italian dish.
Happy cooking!
Salima
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Shrimp Carbonara
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 package gluten free spaghetti or fettuccini
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6-8 jumbo shrimp (deveined)
- 2 shallots (minced)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped roughly)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup white wine
Instructions
- Bring 5 cups of water & 2 tablespoons salt to a simmer for pasta.
- In another large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add shrimp to the pan and cook until pink on all sides. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining butter and shallots to the pan and sauté until shallots begin to get caramelized. Sprinkle the flour over the pan and whisk as the flour begins to coat the ingredients and brown. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, continuing to whisk.
- Bring wine to a simmer and reduce by half. Add heavy cream and whisk over low heat. Add tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes. At this point, add your pasta to the water and cook as instructed on the packet.
- Return your shrimp to a small saucepan to warm. Turn the heat off on the cream sauce and add parmesan cheese, mixing to melt and combine.
- Add pasta and a few tablespoons of hot pasta water to your sauce. Add fresh basil, mixing pasta with tongs. Plate your pasta and top with shrimp, more fresh basil and parmesan cheese.