A fast and easy weeknight dinner recipe, the whole family will love this lemony, garlicky, shrimp and broccoli penne pasta.
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!
Ingredients
- Penne pasta: I like penne for being bite-sized, but you can use whatever pasta you have on hand.
- Shrimp: They can often be bought peeled and deveined, they are small, plump bites of buttery, tender flavor.
- 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.
How to Make Shrimp and Broccoli Penne
Start by washing and cutting your broccoli.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.
Add the broccoli to the pot of pasta about 4 minutes before finished to cook to a bright green color. Then drain and set both broccoli and pasta aside.
While the pasta and broccoli is 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.
Frequently asked questions:
Can you cook already cooked shrimp?
Yes you can, but you don’t have to worry about getting them to a specific temperature. Just cook them until the sides start turning golden brown.
How do you season frozen shrimp?
I recommend thawing them before cooking, then follow the same instructions of patting them dry, then seasoning with salt and pepper.
How long does cooked shrimp last?
In this dish in particular, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
More Seafood
- New England Baked Scallops with Panko
- Easy Pan Seared Salmon
- Broiled Whitefish with Mango Salsa
- Mediterranean Sautéed Shrimp
- Baked Dijon Salmon
Did you try this shrimp recipe? The next time you make it, snap a picture and share it to your socials! Tag @thelemonbowl and #thelemonbowl so we can admire and share your meal.
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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, adding the broccoli to cook during the last 3 to 4 minutes. Strain and set aside.
- Pat shrimp dry with paper towel then sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.
- 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.
- Sauté shrimp in the pan until they turn pink, just 3-4 minutes total, being careful not to overcook.
- 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.
- Serve with parmesan cheese, minced herbs, and red chili flakes.
Love this Shrimp and Broccoli Penne, this amazing recipe seems so delicious . Will love to try this . Thanks for sharing this one.
Can you clarify what “and receive” means in #1 of your Instructions?
Yes, it says “reserve 1 cup of water” so before you strain the pasta, dip a measuring cup in and keep one cup of the pasta water to use later.
Thank you for sharing this delicious one , loved this recipe truly
I loved this! I sped it up a bit by throwing the broccoli in to cook with the pasta, with about 4 minutes remaining in the cook time. Will make again!
I’m so glad to hear it Dori!
Superb! Simple ingredients that combine beautifully. I’m sure I’ll make this again and again. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Liz, thanks for another simple, yet delicious, recipe! I needed a quick, healthy dinner idea last night after a long day at work, and this was perfect! Love the balance of flavors and — most of all — that this recipe doesn’t skimp on the broccoli! My husband, who typically doesn’t like leftovers, wanted to take it for his lunch today. That’s a big win! Ha! I’ll be making this again, for sure!
That’s always a good sign!!! I’m so glad to hear it!!
I love shrimp scampi and this is a take off of it. Very good and I love Broccoli!
I’m so happy you liked it!
We are making food day on upcoming Sunday And I need to represent such Amazing Dish, I found best recipe.
Thank You
I’m so glad! Enjoy!
This looks delicious! Could it be a cold salad as well?
I don’t see why not!
Absolutely delicious, so glad I found this but to add more flavor cook the pasta in low sodium. Chicken broth you won’t regret it…
I’m so glad to hear it!
Just got done eating it… AMAZING! So simple and filling and flavorful. Thank you for the tasty recipe!
So glad you liked it Courtney!!
Anything similar but low sodium? Thanks
In order to reduce the sodium just look for low sodium shrimp and don’t add salt. :)
These are so nice to make. So i have to try once
still no mention of lemon in the recipe ingredient list
All fixed now – sorry about that!
Nice and easy. Thank you Liz
This recipe looks great! I realized the instruction call for lemon but the ingredients don’t list lemons. How much lemon juice/zest does this recipe call for?
Thanks
So sorry about that! The recipe is now revised to include the lemons!
you mention that this dish is ‘lemony’ and state to add lemon juice and zest in the recipe, but do not have lemon listed in the ingredients…?
So sorry about that! The recipe has been revised now to include the lemons. :)
Penne, shrimp, and broccoli is probably my favorite combination EVER for a pasta dish. Thank you so much for sharing Liz! Your photos are stunning.
Thank you so much Marina!! My photographer is so talented!