Creamy vodka sauce with shrimp is an easy and flavorful dish done in just 30 minutes! Serve it as a pasta dish, over vegetables, or on its own.
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Shrimp smothered in a creamy vodka sauce is an easy and delicious meal for any night of the week. The perfect combination to serve over pasta!
As we know I'm a huge fan of rich pasta dishes and this vodka sauce recipe is the perfect addition to my already stacked pasta repertoire.
More of my favorite pasta sauce recipes:
🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Creamy tomato sauce. A creamy sauce that's delicious over pasta, vegetables, or rice.
- Simple ingredients. Simple and easy-to-find ingredients that are probably already in your home.
- 30-minute recipe. This pasta sauce is a part of my 30-minute meals for busy nights.
🥘Ingredients
- Wild-caught large shrimp. Frozen or fresh shrimp, I like to buy deveined shrimp for less of a hassle but you can prep the shrimp yourself if needed.
- Shallot. Shallots are more delicate than other onions, adding a sweeter and more unique flavor.
- Tomato paste. Tomato paste brings a deep, rich tomato flavor to the sauce. This depth of flavor is important in balancing the sweetness of the cream and the sharpness of the vodka.
- Calabrian chili peppers or red pepper flakes. These supply an added subtle kick to the sauce.
- Vodka. Vodka is used in the base of the sauce to enhance and emulsify the fats in the sauce. In other words, it helps combine the cream and tomato paste!
- Heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk. The fat component in the sauce adds to the thickness, balances the flavors and creates a velvety texture.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
📖Substitutions & Variations
- Don't love shrimp pasta? Add another protein like Italian sausage, pancetta, chicken or pork.
- Gluten-free. This recipe can easily be gluten-free by choosing a gluten-free vodka like Titos, as well as serving it over a gluten-free pasta of your choosing.
- Tomato paste. If you don't have tomato paste on hand you can use a can of chopped tomatoes instead. You may need to add 10 minutes of cooking time to concentrate the flavors of the tomatoes.
- If you'd like an alcohol-free option try my 20-minute pink sauce recipe instead!
🔪Instructions
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Cook to al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve a bit of water.
Step 1: Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until they're pink. Remove and set aside.
Step 2: Add the shallot to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili paste to the pan and stir to combine.
Step 4: Pour in the vodka and let it cook for a few minutes for the alcohol to cook off.
Step 5: Pour in the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Season with salt black pepper to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Step 6: Add the shrimp and pasta to the saucepan. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the reserved pasta water to thin it out. Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese, enjoy!
💭Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make vodka sauce without the cream. I do however recommend using a substitute like coconut milk instead. Thai Kitchen and Whole Foods 365 brands do not leave a coconut taste and make the sauce creamy without the extra dairy.
Vodka sauce is not traditionally spicy, but you can adjust the heat level to your preference by adding more ingredients like the crushed red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili paste. Both ingredients are used to balance out the sweet rich flavors of the other ingredients.
When it comes to seafood you should always look to buy wild-caught. Frozen or fresh is just fine. For this recipe, I used already deveined shrimp to avoid the headache of peeling and deveining the shrimp myself.
👩🏻🍳Sarah's Top Tips
- Reserve pasta water. Always reserve some of your pasta water when draining your pasta. I do this when making my sauces in case I need to thin out the sauce a bit!
- Change up the spice level by adding more Calabrian chili paste or even top the pasta with red pepper flakes.
- Make it your own. I love adding extra vegetables to my sauces. Vodka sauce goes great with sautéed mushrooms or leafy spinach.
- Don't overcook the pasta. Cook it just until al dente so it can finish cooking in the sauce.
🥗Serving
Serve this shrimp with vodka sauce over pasta or a bed of fresh arugula for a lighter meal!
I love this over a short pasta like rigatoni or penne pasta.
🥣Storage & Reheating
Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
You can freeze the leftover sauce in a freezer safe container for 3-4 months. To defrost, place in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat sauce on the stove top, this allows everything to heat up slowly and won't overcook the shrimp.
More Pasta Recipes
- Chicken Marsala with Fettuccine40 Minutes
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta20 Minutes
- Chicken Piccata Pasta30 Minutes
- Easy No-Boil Pasta Bake (5 minute prep time!)45 Minutes
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Shrimp with Vodka Sauce
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- 1 Knife and cutting board
- 1 Large pot or Dutch oven
- 1 Colander
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Ingredients
- 1 pound wild-caught large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili peppers or red pepper flakes
- ½ cup vodka
- ⅔ cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserving some pasta water just in case.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until they turn pink and opaque. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the shallot and sauté until it becomes translucent.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and calabrian chili paste and stir.
- Pour in the vodka and let it simmer for a couple of minutes to cook off the alcohol.
- Pour in the heavy cream or coconut milk and stir well to combine.
- Season with salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce for about 10-15 minutes, allowing it to thicken.
- Add the shrimp and pasta to the pan. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the reserved pasta water to thin it out. Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese, enjoy!
Sarah's Tips
- Reserve pasta water. Always reserve some of your pasta water when draining your pasta. I do this when making my sauces in case I need to thin out the sauce a bit!
- Change up the spice level by adding more Calabrian chili paste or even top the pasta with red pepper flakes.
- Make it your own. I love adding extra vegetables to my sauces. Vodka sauce goes great with sautéed mushrooms or leafy spinach.
- Don't overcook the pasta. Cook it just until al dente so it can finish cooking in the sauce.
- Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- You can freeze the leftover sauce in a freezer safe container for 3-4 months. To defrost, place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat sauce on the stove top, this allows everything to heat up slowly and won't overcook the shrimp.
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