Shrimp and Broccoli Penne Pasta

A fast and easy weeknight dinner recipe, the whole family will love this lemony, garlicky, shrimp and broccoli penne pasta recipe.

This dish is the perfect culmination of my family: it has pasta for my husband, shrimp for my boys, and broccoli for me. Add in the fact that it’s quick, tasty, and doesn’t dirty a lot of dishes? Sign me up! If you don’t often cook seafood at home, I still urge you to try this Shrimp and Broccoli Penne. It might just convert you to cooking shrimp or fish more often!

If you love broccoli with pasta, try my Lemon Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli!

Ingredients

• Penne pasta: I like penne for being bite-sized, but you can use whatever pasta you have on hand.
• Shrimp: To make things easier, they can often be bought peeled and deveined from the store. Shrimp are small, plump bites of buttery, tender protein.
• Garlic: Nutty, earthy, and cooks to be sweet and aromatic.
• Broccoli: Low in calories, high in fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamins, broccoli is a great vegetable to include in your daily meals.
• Lemon: This recipe uses both the juice and zest of a lemon, adding a bright, acidic, fresh flavor to the meal.
• Parmesan cheese: Nutty and somewhat fruity in flavor, its a hard cheese that pairs wonderfully with pasta dishes.
• Olive oil: A light, heart healthy oil to help dress and sauce the dish in place of butter.

How to Make Shrimp and Broccoli Penne

Start your shrimp and broccoli penne by washing and cutting your broccoli. You can use just the broccoli florets, but I love using the stalk as long as its cut into bite sized pieces.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente.

Add the broccoli to the pot of pasta about 4 minutes before finished and cook to a bright green color. Then drain and set both broccoli and pasta aside.

While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, you can pat dry and season your shrimp with salt and pepper.

Then heat some olive oil in a pan and add the garlic, sautéing until aromatic, no more than 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and sauté until pink, about 3-4 minutes.

Once shrimp is cooked, add the reserved pasta and broccoli to the pan.

Drizzle with remaining olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Add the fresh lemon zest, and I also like to add more freshly grated garlic.

Finish with the freshly grated parmesan cheese before tossing everything together, making sure it’s all evenly coated with the sauce and warmed through.

Serve with additional parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley. Enjoy your Shrimp and Broccoli Penne!

Easy Substitutions

• Don’t like seafood? Don’t worry, you can swap the shrimp out for chicken, or even sausage.
• Make it gluten-free. Use a gluten-free pasta and this dish is celiac friendly.
• Swap the veggie. Instead of broccoli, use zucchini, carrots, or leafy greens.

Frequently asked questions

More Seafood

• New England Baked Scallops with Panko
• Easy Pan Seared Salmon
• Broiled Whitefish with Mango Salsa
• Mediterranean Sautéed Shrimp
• Baked Dijon Salmon

Eat It, Like It, Share It!

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A hit for the whole family, my Shrimp and Broccoli Penne will make dinner easy and delicious.

Your fork is waiting.

Shrimp and Broccoli Penne

Liz Della Croce

4.18 stars average

A fast and easy weeknight dinner recipe, the whole family will love this lemony, garlicky, shrimp and broccoli penne pasta.

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

CourseCourse: Main Dish

ServesServes: 4

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition

Ingredients

 

US MeasurementsConvert to Metric

 

1x2x3x?

• ▢ 8 ounces whole wheat penne cooked according to package instructions
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil divided
• ▢ 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic grated
• ▢ 2 large heads broccoli – cut into florets about 4 cups
• ▢ 1 juice and zest of lemon
• ▢ parmesan cheese minced parsley or basil and red chili flakes – to serve
• ▢ chili flakes and parmesan cheese optional garnish

Equipment

• Nonstick Large Pot
• Large Skillet

Instructions

 

1. ▢
   Cook pasta according to package instructions, adding the broccoli to cook during the last 3 to 4 minutes. Strain and set aside.
   8 ounces whole wheat penne, 2 large heads broccoli – cut into florets
2. ▢
   Pat shrimp dry with paper towel then sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.
   1 pound raw shrimp, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
3. ▢
   Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and heat for 30 seconds to release aroma then add the shrimp.
   4 cloves garlic
4. ▢
   Sauté shrimp in the pan until they turn pink, just 3-4 minutes total, being careful not to overcook.
5. ▢
   Add reserved pasta and broccoli to the pan with the shrimp. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Toss well and add more salt or pepper to taste.
   1 juice and zest of lemon
6. ▢
   Serve with parmesan cheese, minced herbs, and red chili flakes.
   parmesan cheese, chili flakes and parmesan cheese

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcalCarbohydrates: 47.7gProtein: 32.2gFat: 17.7gSaturated Fat: 1.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 754mgFiber: 6.1gSugar: 0.4g

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Let us know how it was!