Quick & Healthy Shrimp Pesto Pasta
This basil-walnut pesto pasta recipe is made with linguine noodles, fresh arugula, and sautéed shrimp (both fresh and frozen shrimp work well). It’s a simple, healthy, 30-minute pasta dinner that’s packed with good-for-you ingredients.
This pesto linguine pasta with shrimp is a forever go-to recipe of mine – it always hits the spot!
As a dietitian, I’ve made sure this healthy pasta recipe is packed with balanced nutrition. The basil walnut pesto is rich in heart-healthy fats and fiber, shrimp provides quality protein, pasta contains energizing carbs, and arugula gives an extra boost of greens.
In this post I’ve shared many ways you can modify this recipe. You can make it gluten-free, nut-free, completely vegan, add more veggies, or swap the proteins to make it your own. It’s a super versatile dish.
Are you a pesto lover like me? Check out my roundup of more ways to cook with pesto! Shrimp lovers: I’ve got a ton of easy recipes with shrimp, too. This pasta salad with shrimp is a fan-favourite!
Recipe modifications & ingredient swaps
- Feel free to use a different pasta shape in place of linguine. This recipe would truly work well with every pasta shape – long or small!
- If you’d like to add in more veggies, feel free to throw in ones like cherry tomatoes, sautéed zucchini (or zoodles), broccoli, etc. You can even switch up the arugula with a different leafy green, like baby spinach or kale.
- This recipe can be easily be made gluten-free by choosing a gluten-free pasta.
- The original recipe is dairy-free, but you can always choose to top with freshly-grated parmesan and/or swap the nutritional yeast in the pesto with parmesan.
- If you wish to make this recipe completely vegan, simply omit the shrimp and serve alongside a plant-based protein.
- On that note, you can try serving this pasta with another animal protein source, like seared scallops, baked salmon, or grilled chicken in place of shrimp.
- For a nut-free version, simply swap the walnuts with a seed like hemp hearts or pumpkin seeds. I have a nut-free recipe for hemp seed pesto, if you’d like to use that one instead!
- Finally, feel free to use store-bought pesto if you feel like it! Doing so will certainly cut down on cooking time.
Step-by-step: how to make shrimp pesto pasta
Make the walnut pesto while the pasta cooks. Simply add fresh basil leaves, walnuts, nutritional yeast, olive oil, garlic, and salt into a food processor.
Then, pulse until a smooth mixture forms. If you wish to thin it out a little, add a tiny bit of water or extra olive oil.
Toss the prepped shrimp in a bit of olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Cook them on a hot pan, 1-2 minutes per side, until opaque and pink.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and return the noodles to the warm pot. Add in your homemade (or store-bought) pesto.
Add arugula to the pot as well. Using tongs, toss everything together until…
…the noodles are well coated in the pesto, and the arugula is slightly wilted from the heat of the pot and noodles.
Serve the pasta into bowls and top with the cooked shrimp. Enjoy immediately 🙂
Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Food processor for making pesto
Mini Food Processor
I love this mini food processor to make sauces in! It’s more affordable and takes up way less space than a full-sized food processor. An excellent option for smaller recipes!
Shrimp nutrition benefits
This crustacean is incredibly rich in protein, with a standard 3-ounce or 85-gram serving providing 18 grams of complete protein. Like walnuts, they’re also a source of omega-3s!
Shrimp are also a source of micronutrients like:
- selenium
- vitamin B12
- iron
- phosphorus
- niacin
- zinc
- magnesium
- iodine
Basil nutrition benefits
This green herb is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids as well as micronutrients like:
- vitamin C
- vitamin A
- vitamin K
- vitamin B6
- calcium
- magnesium
- potassium
- iron
Walnut nutrition benefits
Walnuts are rich in heart-healthy unsaturated fats, including omega-3s. In fact, walnuts are the only nut that contains significant amounts of ALA, the precursor to the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Omega-3 is anti-inflammatory and highly beneficial for the health of our heart and brain.
Walnuts are also a decent source of plant-based protein, as well as micronutrients like:
- vitamin B6
- vitamin E
- folate
- copper
- phosphorus
- manganese
More healthy seafood pasta recipes
- Pasta With Veggies, Zoodles & Garlic Shrimp
- Pan-Seared Scallops & Zucchini Noodle Pasta
- Winter Pasta Salad With Shrimp
- Mediterranean Canned Mackerel Pasta
- Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad With Shrimp
Did you give this Healthy Shrimp Pesto Pasta Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Healthy Seafood Dinners Ebook
Enjoy this recipe? You will love my 118-page eCookbook of 50 easy, delicious, and nutritious seafood dinner recipes. Get instant access from your phone, tablet, or computer – ad-free!
Get the Recipe: Quick & Healthy Shrimp Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- Approx. 16 large shrimp
- Approx. 112 grams linguine, dry (almost 4 ounces; enough for 2)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1-2 large handfuls baby arugula
Basil Walnut Pesto
- 2 cups basil, fresh
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Salt + pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- If using frozen shrimp: begin by thawing shrimp by placing them in a colander and running cold water over them.
- While shrimp thaws, make pesto by placing all pesto ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until the pesto sauce forms. If desired, you can thin the pesto out a bit by adding a tiny bit of water or extra olive oil. Adjust seasonings to taste and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for pasta). While water boils, remove tails, shells, and veins from shrimp. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Add shrimp to a large bowl with 1 Tbsp olive oil and garlic powder. Toss until shrimp are well-coated.
- Once water boils, add linguine and cook according to package instructions (about 7-9 minutes).
- While pasta cooks, heat a large pan over medium-high. Cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes each side, until opaque. Remove from heat.
- Drain pasta and return to pot. Add pesto and arugula, and stir everything together until well-coated with pesto.
- Serve pasta in bowls and top with shrimp. Option to top with cracked pepper, a sprinkle of fresh basil, and nutritional yeast or parmesan (if not dairy-free)!
Notes
- Feel free to use a different pasta shape in place of linguine. This recipe would truly work well with every pasta shape – long or small!
- If you’d like to add in more veggies, feel free to throw in ones like cherry tomatoes, sautéed zucchini (or zoodles), broccoli, etc. You can even switch up the arugula with a different leafy green, like baby spinach or kale.
- This recipe can be easily be made gluten-free by choosing a gluten-free pasta.
- The original recipe is dairy-free, but you can always choose to top with freshly-grated parmesan and/or swap the nutritional yeast in the pesto with parmesan.
- If you wish to make this recipe completely vegan, simply omit the shrimp and serve alongside a plant-based protein.
- On that note, you can try serving this pasta with another animal protein source, like seared scallops, baked salmon, or grilled chicken in place of shrimp.
- For a nut-free version, simply swap the walnuts with a seed like hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Finally, feel free to use store-bought pesto if you feel like it!
Nutrition
As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.
Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
Pin it for later:
18 Comments on “Quick & Healthy Shrimp Pesto Pasta”
Great Recipe! One of my go-to Dinner choices. I love anything with pesto and this pasta is so comforting and light at the same time. I love the extra peppery kick you get from the argula! I also sometimes add roasted mushrooms and feta to the dish, which i highly recommend as well! Thanks Carrie for this recipe!😊
Thank you so much for sharing Madeline! Love that you’ve added extra veggies to the dish – it’s a great way to get even more in! You’ve inspired me to make this recipe again <3
Excellent, thank you. I’ll try it as soon as tomorrow, I have all the ingredients.
You are so welcome Edgar! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
For some reason my pesto is not good. I was going over the ingredients again, maybe my walnuts are old, maybe the olive oil is not good enough but I don’t think so…I’m trying to figure it out. The taste is definitely off. Which is sad since I just pilfered my basil plant! After tasting I added parsley, garlic. Still not good, added parmesan. Better now but still I would not eat this. Will do the rest but sad as I was looking for a good healthy pesto..
Hi Diane,
I’m so sorry to hear this! I’m not exactly sure what went wrong here, but I make this recipe ALL the time and it’s very close to a traditional pesto. The only main difference is that I use nutritional yeast instead of parmesan. Nutritional yeast gives a cheesy flavour and is often what plant-based recipes substitute for cheese.
Did you by chance use active or baker’s yeast instead of nutritional yeast? The two are completely different!
Otherwise it would likely be due to walnuts that have gone rancid, or not adding enough salt and pepper?
I’ve had many readers and followers on Instagram make and enjoy this recipe, so again I’m not sure what went wrong here. Hopefully these tips help, and again I’m sorry that you had a basil plant go to waste because of this!!
I made this last week and it was DELICIOUS!! And so easy! We have a ton of basil right now and I’m definitely making this again when our swiss chard comes up this summer! But once more (or twice) with arugula!🤣
Hi Liz! Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one – SUCH a great use for all that basil ;). I have tons of basil plants growing around my apartment so I can relate haha. This would be so yummy with swiss chard too! Enjoy!!
Substituted the nutritional yeast with Parmesan Cheese
Smelt and tasted like restaurant-grade pasta!
Recipe proportions + timings are on point! Very impressed!
Would definitely recommend it!!
Hi Albert! Thank you so much for the kind review!! So appreciated :). I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and that the timing was easy to follow. Flattered you think it’s restaurant-worthy haha!!
This recipe was amazing! You are very talented with bringing tremendous flavor to your recipes!
Thank you so much Jordana! I so appreciate it. So happy to hear that you enjoyed this one as well. I can’t wait to see which one you try next 🙂
Looking forward to preparing this recipe.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!! 🙂
I had to add more olive oil in the making of the pesto than recipe called for. While it was still wonderful, I’m wondering if this was caused by my using a blender instead of a food processor?
Hi Erin! So happy to hear you enjoyed it – thank you for sharing.
Regarding the olive oil – did you feel like you needed to add more in order to get the rest of the ingredients to blend properly? If so, that was likely as a result of using a blender. In a blender, you often need to have more ingredients in order for the blades to do their job. That’s why I personally prefer to use my food processor when preparing sauces, unless I’m doing a really big batch!
However, if you needed to add more oil because you wanted the texture of the pesto to be a bit more “runny,” then that is likely a personal preference thing (and totally fine to do)! I hope that helps a bit 🙂
I look forward to trying this but will have to use Delallo Basil Pesto. How much do I add for a 2-person serving of pasta?
Hi Ann! Thank you so much for your question. You can certainly use a store-bought pesto. I would add the recommended serving amount indicated on the packaging, or simply eyeball what looks appropriate to your needs :). A quick look at the label, it seems like a 1/4 cup is a standard serving size for 1, so I’d aim for roughly 1/2 a cup of the pesto for 2 people. Enjoy!!