Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Green Beans – Easy 30 Minute Meal

Garlicky, creamy shrimp pasta with green beans is a quick and satisfying one dish meal that comes together in about 30 minutes using pantry staples, a seasonal vegetable and frozen shrimp. Easily varied with what you have on hand, this pasta recipe with it’s light creamy garlic sauce will become an easy weeknight dinner the whole family loves.

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This recipe for an easy, creamy shrimp pasta has been a family favorite ever since I made it up on a whim a few years ago when I had a bunch of green beans harvested and shrimp in the freezer. It was a regular weeknight (meaning, no time for fancy stuff – just get some food on the table) and I used pantry, fridge, and freezer ingredients I had on hand that cook fast and that I thought would go well together.

And did they ever.

My daughter immediately said I had to make it again and Brian simply ate a second helping – always a good sign.

This is another recipe in our occasional, ongoing series of easy meals from your pantry! For this series “pantry” includes not only the pantry shelves, but also the things we may have (or that we preserved!) in our fridges and freezers, too.

This shrimp pasta recipe is deliciously flavored with parmesan, Italian seasonings, white wine (or chicken broth), and cream that coat the shrimp and vegetables in a light sauce that highlights the ingredients.

This shrimp dinner also super easy to put together – honestly, peeling the shrimp is the thing that takes the most time. So if you have peeled shrimp, half the work is done and this will become a 15-20 minute meal!

The trick to making this so quick and easy is to cook the green beans (either fresh or frozen) with the pasta. And while that is cooking, you sauté the garlic-onion-shrimp mixture so it’s ready to go when the pasta is ready. An efficient kitchen is a good thing, right?

As if that’s not enough, by including a vegetable in with the shrimp and pasta, it’s a one dish dinner that’s healthy and balanced.

To make this even faster, I’m including directions in the recipe card for making this with already peeled and cooked shrimp – it works fine, I just find the shrimp is a little less tender than using raw shrimp that you cook with the garlic-onion mixture.

Ingredient Notes & Variations

Most of these items are pantry staples so if you have green beans (or other veggie) and shrimp you can pull this dinner together anytime!

• Shrimp: You can use both raw or cooked (instructions for each are included in the recipe card). This is also a great base recipe to use another cooked protein – try chopped rotisserie chicken, sliced steak, or sliced pork loin.
• White wine: This adds great flavor but if you’d like to avoid it, simply substitute with chicken broth.
• Whipping cream: It adds flavor, creaminess, and thickens the sauce slightly. To avoid dairy use a can of coconut milk with full fat in place of the cream
• Green beans: I use either fresh or frozen green beans for this recipe, simply cooking the frozen beans a bit longer in the pasta water. Mix up the vegetable according to what’s in season or what you have on hand – I love this with broccoli and asparagus, too.
• Pasta: I prefer using a whole wheat pasta (60 percent higher in fiber and 30 percent lower in calories than regular pasta!), or a chickpea pasta (this is my favorite brand after trying many) but you can use any pasta type in any shape.
• Cheese: Parmesan is wonderful in this and Romano is also good, but you can also use any type of grated cheese that you think sounds good.
• Fresh herb, optional: This is a nice way to add a boost of flavor as you’re serving the pasta. I like basil most, but thyme and oregano are also good.

TIP: Got leftover roasted or grilled vegetables? They are wonderful added to this recipe!

How to Make Shrimp Pasta with Green Beans- Video

Here’s a short video to illustrate just how easy it is to make a one dish pantry meal with vegetables, protein, and healthy carb from whole wheat pasta:

Kitchen Tip: How to Easily Cut An Onion

I’ve always found the traditional way of dicing an onion (keeping it whole and cutting two ways through the top of the onion before setting on it’s side to slice off the pieces) to be awkward – and a little dangerous since the whole onion can slip around. So here’s the super easy technique for cutting a whole onion that takes advantage of it’s natural layers that I use:

Step 1: Cut the root and tops off the whole onion. Slice the onion in half and peel.

Step 2: Lay one of the halves cut side down on the cutting board and make 1/4-inch slices, lengthwise.

Step 3: Turn the onion half and cut 1/4-inch slices from top to bottom of onion, holding the lengthwise slices together. Repeat with other half.

You have diced an onion! Some of the pieces may be stuck together since they are the natural layers, but you can either use your fingers to break them apart or just start stirring them into whatever dish you are making – they will come apart as they are stirred.

The steps to make this are super simple:

1. Start pasta water to boil.
2. Start prepping and chopping ingredients.
3. Add pasta to water and set timer (add frozen green beans at this point – other wise set timer for 5 minutes and then add fresh green beans or other fresh seasonal veggie).
4. Sauté onion, garlic, shrimp while pasta cooks in a pan big enough to hold the pasta/veggies (see tip below).
5. Add drained pasta and veggie to the shrimp mixture and toss it all with the cream and cheese.
6. Serve it right from the pan topped with optional basil and more grated cheese.

TIP: Use a deep, wide skillet with short handles to make it simple to go from cooking right to the table (this pan is sometimes called an everyday pan or a chef’s stir fry pan and I use it a TON – best pan I’ve ever bought!).

Of course you can also use a regular skillet and pour the shrimp mixture into the larger boiling pot after draining the pasta, mixing it all in there with the cream before pouring out into a large bowl for garnishing and serving. Definitely use what you have!

Storage

This keeps well in airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, making it good for meal prep, too. To reheat, add a splash of milk and microwave about a minute, stirring at the 30 minute mark, or heat gently on the stove.

I hope your family loves this creamy, garlic shrimp and green bean pasta as much as our family and that it becomes an easy part of  your regular menu planning.

Nothing makes me happier than to hear that you have tried a recipe and liked it enough to add it to your menu rotation, so let me know with a rating and review!

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5 from 10 votes

Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Green Beans – 30 Minute Meal

Creamy shrimp pasta with green beans is a quick, one dish dinner made with pantry staples, frozen shrimp and a seasonal vegetable for a 30-minute weeknight dinner.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Yield: 6 servings

1x2x3x

Author: Jami Boys

Equipment

• 4-6 quart pot
• large, deep sided skillet

Click for Cook Mode

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter*
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound dry pasta, whole wheat or regular (any shape)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (OR frozen cut beans)
• 1 pound medium to large raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, and tails removed**
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or full-fat coconut milk)
• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or other fresh herb (optional)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until onion is translucent (about the time it takes for the water to boil).
• When the water boils, add the pasta and set a timer for 5 minutes (or half the pasta's cooking time). Note: To use frozen green beans, cook them the entire time with the pasta, usually about 10 minutes.
• While the pasta cooks, add the wine (or broth) to the onion-garlic mixture along with the dry seasonings. Stir and simmer until the 5-minute pasta timer goes off.
• When the 5 minute timer is done, add the green beans to the boiling pasta and set the timer again for 5 minutes (the water will stop boiling – you can turn up the heat a bit if needed, but everything will still cook whether you do or don’t).
• After adding the beans to the pasta, add the raw shrimp to the simmering onion mixture and cook until pink. (It should take about the same time as the timer you have going, but if the shrimp get done sooner, lower the temperature of the skillet to low to not overcook the shrimp.)
• Drain the pasta and beans; add to the skillet (if your skillet isn’t large enough, add the shrimp mixture to the larger pasta pot). Pour in the cream and sprinkle with a 1/2 cup of the parmesan, mixing gently to combine.
• Serve immediately right in large skillet (or transfer to a large bowl) topping with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and chopped basil.

Notes

*You can use all olive oil if you’d like (the butter adds creaminess and flavor).

**To use precooked frozen shrimp: thaw and remove the tails if they are present and then add the shrimp to the onion mixture right before adding the drained pasta and beans, stirring a minute to heat through. Continue with the recipe.

Variations:

• Use a precooked protein like rotisserie chicken, steak, or pork loin, sliced  in place of the shrimp – 15 minute meal!
• Use cut broccoli in place of the green beans – we like it crisper, so add it only the last 2-3 minutes of the pasta cooking.
• Use cut asparagus in place of green beans.
• Use leftover roasted or grilled vegetables, adding them in with the cream and cheese (yummy!).

Nutrition

Serving: 11/2 cup | Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.1g | Protein: 24.6g | Fat: 13.2g | Saturated Fat: 5.9g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 716mg | Fiber: 6.6g | Sugar: 3.6g

Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!

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• Garden-to-Table Recipe: Shrimp and Asparagus with White Bean Puree
• Baked White Fish with Parmesan-Herb Crust {ready in 20 minutes}
• One Pot Italian Pasta with Sausage & Spinach
• Greek Salmon and Vegetable Frittata with Creamy Feta Sauce

This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in 2018.