This post may contain affiliate links.
One Pot Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta is an easy one pot meal mixing shrimp with your favorite Mediterranean ingredients, pasta and a creamy roasted red pepper sauce. Shrimp pairs nicely with the fresh tomatoes, artichokes, kalamata olives, spinach and is topped with a creamy roasted red pepper sauce.
We are about to combine a few of my favorite things into one mouth-watering recipe for this One Pot Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta. I am excited to be partnering with ADA Mideast to share this! I love a good one-pot meal because it means less dishes at the end of the meal. With three kids running around at dinnertime, I am looking to get dinner on the table with ease and with minimal post-dinner cleanup. As a lot of you know if you have been hanging around this corner of the Internet, I also am a huge fan of Mediterranean ingredients, like kalamata olives, artichokes and tomatoes, especially when mixed with shrimp and pasta.
I think the sauce that accompanies a pasta meal is just as important as the ingredients that go into the dish. It can add depth of flavor to a meal and really set it apart from the rest. The roasted red pepper sauce that is used in this dish mixes together roasted red peppers, milk, tomato paste, herbs and a little tahini to thicken it up. If you like shrimp pasta dishes try this Lemon Orzo Recipe, Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta or this Shrimp Pesto Pasta.
Recipe Ingredients
For the Shrimp Pasta:
- Red Onion: The red onion is a nice addition to this pasta dish but sweet onion or shallots also works.
- Pasta: Pick your favorite pasta for this dish. I find that I like medium pasta the most to go with the shrimp. If you want you also could try angel hair or spaghetti.
- Shrimp: The shrimp is the star of the show in this pasta dish. You can use fresh or frozen shrimp. Keep in mind if you have frozen there will be some excess water so you may need to drain it a bit.
For the Red Pepper Sauce:
- Milk: This sauce uses milk to help thicken it. You can use cream, 2 % milk or try subbing lactose-free milk if you are lactose intolerant.
- Roasted Red Peppers: The roasted red peppers help make this sauce slightly sweet and so delicious. You can also use fire roasted red peppers for a smoky flavor.
- Spices and herbs: The spices and herbs help create a rich, herby sauce. This sauce uses basil, oregano and crushed red pepper.
- Tomato Paste: The tomato paste helps to thicken the sauce.
- Tahini Paste: I love the addition of the tahini paste. It adds an earthy, rich flavor but can be left out if you want.
For more one pot pasta meals try this One Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta, One Pot French Onion Gnocchi or this One Pot Chickpea Kale Pasta Recipe.
How do You Make this One Pot Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta?
For the roasted red pepper sauce:
Step 1: Blend the Sauce: In a blender, put the milk, roasted red peppers, basil, oregano, crushed red peppers, salt, pepper, tomato paste, tahini and garlic. Blend until the sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and set aside.
For the Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta:
Step 1: Add pasta and onions to a skillet: In a large pot or skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic in and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the broth and pasta and bring to a boil over high heat.
Step 2: Simmer the pasta until al dente: Turn the heat down to medium and simmer, stirring frequently and cook for 5-6 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente (don’t fully cook the pasta). Add the shrimp and a dash of salt and pepper and cook until the shrimp turns pink, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 3: Add sauce and spinach: Add the olives, tomatoes, spinach and artichokes, spinach and slowly pour in the roasted red pepper sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is well mixed in and the spinach is wilted. Garnish with fresh parsley, crushed red pepper and the cheese of your choice.
If you want a vegetarian Mediterranean pasta try this Mediterranean Pasta Recipe.
What to Pair with Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta
- I like serving potatoes with our meals throughout the week. Some of my favorites are these Gouda Smashed Potatoes, Spicy Lebanese Potatoes or these Lemon Cilantro Potatoes.
- Adding a salad to your meals is a nice way to get those vegetables and greens in. A few of the ones I serve on repeat are this Lemon Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts, Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing or this Mediterranean Bean Salad.
- Simple side dishes work nicely with this shrimp dish. A few I make are this Simple Roasted Broccoli, Za’atar Roasted Cauliflower with Yogurt Tahini Sauce or these Za’atar Roasted Carrots.
Storage Tips
- Store the leftover pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat you can either quickly sauté in a skillet or microwave it.
- You might want to add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh herbs to freshen the dish back up.
More Seafood Recipes
Mediterranean
Quick and Easy Air Fryer Salmon Recipe
Seafood
Mediterranean Salmon Bowl
Mediterranean
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Mediterranean
Lemon Shrimp and Orzo
Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating and comment below! Subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest for the latest.
One Pot Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped {about 2/3 cup}
- 8 ounces of pasta, your choice
- 4 cups broth {you can use vegetable or chicken}
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 6 ounces kalamata olives, halved
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces fresh spinach
- 6 ounces artichoke hearts, quartered
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
- 1 cup lactose-free milk
- 12 ounces roasted red peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper {optional for spice}
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoons tahini paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
For the roasted red pepper sauce:
- In a blender, put the milk, roasted red peppers, basil, oregano, crushed red peppers, salt, pepper, tomato paste, tahini and garlic. Blend until the sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and set aside.
For the Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta:
- In a large pot or skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic in and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the broth and pasta and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Turn the heat down to medium and simmer, stirring frequently and cook for 5-6 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente (don't fully cook the pasta). Add the shrimp and a dash of salt and pepper and cook until the shrimp turns pink, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the olives, tomatoes, spinach and artichokes, spinach and slowly pour in the roasted red pepper sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is well mixed in and the spinach is wilted. Garnish with fresh parsley, crushed red pepper and the cheese of your choice.
Notes
- You can modify this recipe to your tastes: you can easily use a variety of ingredients or take things out that you don’t like. Try adding white beans or chickpeas, vegetables like zucchini or bell peppers, and use a variety of cheese including feta, parmesan or mozzarella.
- I like to use a small pasta when I make this dish, like orecchiette, but you can use whatever pasta you like.
- Store the leftover pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat you can either quickly sauté in a skillet or microwave it.
- You might want to add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh herbs to freshen the dish back up.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Today’s post is sponsored by ADA Mideast. As always, opinions are 100% my own.
Looks good and planning to try this weekend, BUT …
It doesn’t seem to make sense that you cook the pasta til done, then add shrimp and continue to cook pasta another 3-4 minutes + time to wilt spinach and then another 2-3 minutes after adding sauce. Seems like pasta will end up badly overcooked. Almost seems as though it’d be better to add the shrimp at the same time, or maybe a minute or 2 after getting the pasta back to a boil to keep from overcooking the pasta. Any feedback from those who have already made this would be greatly appreciated.
I suggest cooking the pasta until al dente (so not fully cooked) and then adding the shrimp and then the sauce. But you also could add the shrimp when you add the pasta especially if it is large pasta. I will update the directions.
Wife and daughter aren’t on this Mediterranean diet, but had this tonight with me. All of us gave it 5 stars for a Mediterranean diet dish and 3.5-4 compared to all other dishes. I’m fairly new to this Mediterranean diet so we don’t have a lot to compare to, but it was pretty darn good. Wife said she wanted to take leftovers for lunch before I even had a chance to taste it.
I used frozen artichokes instead of canned and those needed to cook for 12 min, so I got the broth boiling first then tossed those in before anything else, after it came back to a boil added Barilla Red Lentil Spaghetti, let it come back to a boil again and boiled for about 5-6 min and added in the Shrimp, then followed the rest of the recipe from there. Everything came out perfect. Thank you!
We’ll definitely make this again.
I love your changes! I am so glad you all like this.
My family loved this! What a wonderful dish!
I am so glad! Thanks for letting me know!
I used farro instead of pasta (personal preference). This is a wonderful, very tasty recipe!
Love that idea! I need to try that.
I love these flavors so much! I have to make this for the fam!
I love the tahini in the red pepper sauce!
Oh, this looks delicious! And I love that it’s a one pot meal!!
What a beautiful dish! I don’t know what I’d like to dig my fork into first!
This has such a fantastic combination of flavours. I love the creamy tahini sauce!
I love everything about this recipe!
Julia, I love that you added tahini to this pasta dish–what incredible flavor that adds. And thank you for the lactose free option–so many people need recipes like this
Thanks so much! We loved it. And yes, the tahini adds a nice hint of nutty flavor!