Creamy Shrimp Pasta With Pico De Gallo Recipe

A hearty pasta dish is a versatile and inherently satisfying meal to put on the dinner table. If you're looking for an option that packs in protein, vegetables, and plenty of flavor, this creamy shrimp pasta with pico de gallo is a winner. A fusion of Italian and Mexican flavors, this recipe starts along the same lines as a creamy shrimp penne Alfredo but elevates the dish with the addition of the zesty flavors of a classic pico de gallo. It gets a kick of heat from the jalapeño, juiciness from the fresh tomatoes, and a touch of bright tartness from the lime juice. Nutty herbaceous cilantro replaces the basil you might find in a traditional pasta dish for a surprising and delicious twist. The combination results in an unusual but perfect balance of flavors. Courtesy of Daily Meal recipe developer Kate Shungu, this dish is a quick and easy near-one-pot meal you'll want to add to your weekly repertoire. 

"I love a good under 30-minute dinner, and this one is a knockout," Shungu says. "It really does taste like an entree that you'd get at a restaurant, with a decadent sauce, tender pasta, and perfectly cooked shrimp." This multilayered recipe might look like it requires expertise in the kitchen, but it's actually straightforward to make. It's nourishing served as is, or pair it with a leafy green salad and some crispy garlic bread to round out the meal.

For this recipe, you'll need penne pasta, olive oil, a large shallot (minced), garlic cloves (minced), jalapeño (minced with the seeds and membranes removed for less heat, if desired), and large Roma tomatoes (diced). Next, get peeled and deveined shrimp, salt, heavy cream, chopped cilantro, and limes for garnish.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium high heat. Add salt until the water is salty like the sea.

Add the pasta and cook until al dente (per the instructions on the box). Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, pour the olive oil in a large skillet.

Add the shallot, garlic, and jalapeño.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is soft, 3–4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the shrimp, and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until mostly opaque on the outside.

Stir in the salt and heavy cream. Let cook for 2 minutes or until warmed through and the shrimp is opaque throughout.

Stir in the cooked pasta and chopped cilantro.

Serve warm, with lime wedges for squeezing over the top.

Part of the appeal of a pasta dish is the endless customization you can play around with. Shungu has some ideas to guide your experimentation while keeping the essence of the dish the same. First of all, she notes that you can swap in whatever pasta shape you like. Short shapes like fusilli or rigatoni would maintain the general texture of a penne pasta with an added twist, whereas longer ones like spaghetti or linguine offer a different eating experience with just as much flavor.

Roma tomatoes work well here, but so does any other variety, according to Shungu, "including grape and cherry tomatoes — just add them with the shallots and cook until they burst." Although shrimp works well as the star of this dish, Shungu suggests, "Replace the shrimp with chicken or leave it out altogether for a meat-free meal." Finally, if you want to steer the recipe toward a more traditional pasta flavor profile, you can "swap the cilantro for basil and leave out the jalapeño for an Italian-inspired twist on the meal."

There's nothing quite like perfectly cooked tender shrimp, but though it's not a lengthy or involved process to get it right, it does require a little finesse. "Shrimp can get hard and rubbery when cooked, so it's important to cook them just until they're opaque all the way through, and no more," Shungu says. It's a fine line, though, and Shungu offers some tips to help determine when they're done — before it's too late. "When shrimp are cooked just right, they will form a 'C' shape. Overcooked shrimp will form an 'O' shape."

Shrimp don't only come in one size, and each requires a different cooking time, so it's better to follow the visual cues rather than try to monitor the cooking time. "Different sizes of shrimp will have different cooking times, so look for the color on the shrimp to change from gray to pink and for them to turn from translucent to opaque," Shungu explains. "For this dish, the shrimp will cook a bit more in the cream sauce, so add the cream once the shrimp are mostly opaque, but not fully," she adds.