25-Minute Creamy Pesto Shrimp
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(34)
Ingredients
serves 4
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup (160ml) half-and-half, divided
- 1 lb medium or large uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 cup (about 150g) halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (about 40g) parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
- 1 cup (240ml) store-bought or homemade pesto
- Optional: fresh basil and extra parmesan cheese
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Preparation
Chef’s notes
Garlic:
If you don’t have fresh garlic cloves, use 3 teaspoons minced garlic from the jar or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. (If desired, add more garlic powder for a stronger flavor.)
Half-and-half:
Half-and-half is strongly recommended for best texture. If you don’t have half-and-half but you have heavy cream and whole milk, whisk 1/3 cup (80ml) of each together to use in this recipe instead. Using all heavy cream or even canned coconut milk will make a very heavy and rich sauce, while whole milk, lower fat milks, and nondairy milks will create a much thinner sauce. Keep this in mind when making substitutions.
Shrimp:
You can use frozen and thawed uncooked shrimp if needed. If using pre-cooked shrimp, make sure it’s thawed first. Stir it in with the lemon juice and parmesan cheese towards the end of step 2 and cook in the sauce until heated through. See post above if you’d like to substitute chicken.
Tomatoes:
If needed, you can use 1 cup diced tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes.
Parmesan Cheese:
Parmesan adds an extra layer of flavor, so I don’t recommend substituting or skipping it! In a pinch, though, you can substitute another cheese or leave it out.