In our home, pasta night is a big deal. Whether we’re having this Cheesy Italian Sausage Pasta Bake or this Caramelized Onion & Sun-dried Tomato Vegan Pasta, every pasta night is always a huge hit. For this Creamy Pesto Shrimp Fettuccine, I used my easy Spicy Fresh Basil Pesto recipe, which definitely kicked this dish up a notch.

In my opinion, nothing beats freshly made pesto. And although it may sound intimidating, homemade pesto is very easy to make and can be easily stored for future meals. During the summertime, I usually have an excess of basil in my herb garden, and I end up making tons of pesto.

If there’s no time to make your own pesto, you can certainly use store-bought pesto. When searching for a great store-bought pesto, I recommend choosing a refrigerated brand verses a shelf-stable pesto.

Creamy Pesto Shrimp Fettuccine

Creamy Pesto Shrimp Fettuccine. (Andrea Mathis / Beautiful Eats & Things)

Click here for a printable recipe.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fettuccine
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ⅓ cup Spicy Fresh Basil Pesto
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• ¾ cup heavy cream or half and half
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cook fettucine per the package instructions.
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water for later.
• Drain the pasta and set aside.
• Place the uncooked shrimp into a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Toss to coat.
• Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Place the shrimp in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
• Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.
• To that same skillet, add in the butter, heavy cream, pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice and the reserved pasta water.
• Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer until it starts to thicken.
• Season with salt and pepper and add in the fettuccine noodles and shrimp.
• Toss to coat and top with fresh basil and lemon zest before serving.

Recipe notes

Nutrition information (1 serving): calories 612, carbohydrates 66 grams, protein 30 grams, fat 25 grams, saturated fat 7 grams, sodium 792 milligrams, fiber 3 grams, sugar 3 grams, cholesterol 198 milligrams.

Andrea Mathis is a registered dietitian and owner of Beautiful Eats & Things. For more great recipes, visit beautifuleatsandthings.com.