One pan shrimp fettuccine Alfredo is tender shrimp and long ribbons of pasta in a rich, garlicky Parmesan cream sauce, with the noodles cooked right in the skillet instead of a separate pot. It is a quick dinner for a weeknight that still feels like a night out.
How to make one pan shrimp fettuccine Alfredo: Cook the shrimp in a skillet until they reach 145°F and take them out. Simmer the fettuccine, covered, in chicken broth and milk in the same skillet, add heavy cream and cook until thick, then stir in Parmesan and nutmeg and return the shrimp.
Why You’ll Love It
- One skillet. No pasta pot to fill, drain or wash.
- On the table in 35 minutes. Ten minutes of prep and about 25 at the stove.
- Silky, clingy sauce. The pasta cooks in the liquid that becomes the sauce, so it coats every strand.
- Shrimp that stays tender. It cooks first and comes back only at the end.
Ingredient Notes
Shrimp. Buy 1 pound, peeled and deveined. Tails on or off is up to you.
Fettuccine. Eight ounces of dry pasta goes in uncooked. Do not boil it first.
Chicken broth and whole milk. These are the liquid the noodles simmer in.
Heavy whipping cream. It goes in after the pasta is cooked and thickens the sauce.
Parmesan and nutmeg. One cup of Parmesan and just a pinch of nutmeg are stirred in at the very end.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on or off
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
How to Make One Pan Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
1. Cook and remove the shrimp. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are done and reach 145°F on a food thermometer, then transfer them to a plate.
2. Start the pasta. In the same skillet, add the butter and minced garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and whole milk and whisk to combine.
3. Simmer the fettuccine. Place the fettuccine in the skillet and cover. Simmer until the noodles are cooked to your liking.
4. Thicken the sauce. Remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium. Add the heavy whipping cream and cook until the sauce thickens.
5. Finish and serve. Stir in the Parmesan and nutmeg. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if you like. Return the shrimp to the skillet and toss with the noodles and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.
What Cooks When in One Pan
Everything shares one skillet, but not at the same time. The order is what keeps the shrimp from overcooking while the pasta softens.
| What goes in | When it is done |
|---|---|
| First: shrimp in olive oil | 145°F on a thermometer, then out to a plate |
| Then: butter and garlic | 30 seconds |
| Next: broth, milk and dry fettuccine, lid on | Noodles tender to your liking |
| After that: heavy cream, lid off, medium heat | Sauce has thickened |
| Last: Parmesan, nutmeg, then the shrimp | Tossed and coated |
There is no set number of minutes for the pasta. Start tasting a strand once the noodles have softened and bend easily, and move on when they are as tender as you like them.
Color alone is not a doneness test for shrimp. USDA FSIS lists 145°F for fish and shellfish, so check one of the larger shrimp with a food thermometer before you take them out.
Tips for Success
Why is my sauce thin?
The cream has not cooked long enough. Leave the lid off, keep the heat at medium and let it bubble gently until the sauce coats the noodles.
Why did my noodles stick together?
They sat in a clump under the lid. Lift the lid now and then while the fettuccine simmers and stir to separate the strands.
Why is my garlic bitter?
It cooked too long before the liquid went in. Thirty seconds is enough, then pour in the broth and milk right away.
Variations
- Penne. A short pasta such as penne can be cooked the same one-pot way. Its cooking time is different, so go by tenderness, not by this recipe.
- Tails on or off. Leave the shrimp tails on for looks, or take them off so every bite is fork-ready.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat until a food thermometer reads 165°F; USDA FSIS says to bring sauces to a rolling boil when reheating them. Cream sauces may not freeze well, so this one is better eaten fresh.
What to Serve With It
If your family loves Alfredo, try the chicken broccoli Alfredo pasta bake next. For more shrimp dinners, there is garlic Parmesan roasted shrimp, 20-minute honey garlic shrimp and shrimp and teriyaki steak noodles. For a special occasion, make lobster, crab and shrimp macaroni and cheese, and when you want another one-pot pasta, one-pot taco spaghetti is just as easy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make Alfredo pasta from scratch?
With butter, garlic, heavy cream and Parmesan. Here the fettuccine simmers in chicken broth and milk first, then the cream and Parmesan turn that liquid into the sauce.
Do I boil the fettuccine separately?
No. The dry fettuccine goes straight into the skillet with the broth and milk and cooks under a lid. That is the whole point of the one-pan method: the noodles cook in the same liquid that becomes the sauce, and there is no pot of water to drain.
What kind of pan do I need?
A skillet with a lid, large enough to hold the fettuccine and the liquid. The lid matters, because the noodles simmer covered. The recipe makes 4 servings.
Final Notes
I grate the Parmesan and measure the cream before I start, because the last two steps go fast once the pasta is tender. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
One Pan Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
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Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined; tails on or off
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are done and reach 145°F on a food thermometer, then transfer them to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the butter and minced garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and whole milk, and whisk to combine.
- Place the fettuccine in the skillet and cover. Simmer until the noodles are cooked to your liking.
- Remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium. Add the heavy whipping cream and cook until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the Parmesan and nutmeg. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Return the shrimp to the skillet and toss with the noodles and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.
