You really can’t go wrong with pasta, but our Olive Garden shrimp scampi copycat recipe without wine is divine! You might be able to make this copycat Olive Garden recipe without the wine, but it sure does pair well with a nice glass of red wine.
This is a great recipe for a family of 2 or 4, but can be doubled for leftovers or if you have a larger family. However, doubling might be a need since it’s so good, even if it is just for you and your spouse. No judgment here! 😉
What is nice about the Olive Garden shrimp scampi ingredients is that most likely you will have everything you need at home, besides maybe some fresh jumbo shrimp. This Olive Garden shrimp recipe also has delicious fresh asparagus in it too!
This pasta dish with its creamy sauce is surprisingly customizable. You can add fresh parsley, green bell peppers, whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand, fresh lemon juice, chicken tenders, additional salt, fresh tomatoes, green onions, cherry tomatoes, old bay seasoning… the options are endless! You don’t have to eat it in a single night either. Store it in an airtight container and you’ll be enjoying it like it’s the first time for days! Even though you’re likely in the United States, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to Italy with this classic Italian dish. This is such a popular dish in our family that we had to add it to our regular rotation!
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our copycat recipe of Olive Garden’s shrimp scampi, you need the following ingredients:
- Thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
- Uncooked jumbo shrimp
- Butter
- Minced garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Chicken broth
- White vinegar
- Lemon
- Heavy cream
- Fresh asparagus
- Roma tomatoes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
- Stock Pot (10 qt)
- Strainer (Plastic)
- Skillet
- Spatula
- Serving Platter (Rectangular)
- Aluminum Foil
- Chef Knife
- Cutting Board
How to Make Our Copycat Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi
- To begin, start by bringing a large pot of salted water to boil over medium-high heat and place the pasta in once the water begins to boil and cook it for 6-8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
- Then in a medium sized skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
- On a plate, lightly season the jumbo shrimp with salt and pepper.
- When the butter is melted in the pan, place the shrimp in and cook them and stir them occasionally until they turn pink, which is generally about 2 minutes per side. NOTE: Be careful not to OVER cook the shrimp. You want it to have barely turned pink on all sides, but that will happen FAST!
- After the shrimp is done, remove it from the pan, place it on a plate and cover it with foil.
- When the pasta is done cooking, before you drain all the water, be sure to reserve ½ cup of the water and then drain the rest, setting the pasta off to the side.
- Meanwhile, use the skillet that you cooked the shrimp in to make the sauce.
- Start by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes to the pan and let the garlic cook for 1 minute.
- After a minute, add in the chicken broth and white vinegar, stirring it all together.
- Now, bring all of that to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 5-8 minutes until the chicken broth has reduced by half.
- Then add in the lemon juice and cut asparagus and let it simmer all together for another 1-2 minutes, and then season it with salt and pepper to taste.
- Next, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to the chicken broth sauce then stir it all together.
- Once the sauce fully combined, add the shrimp back to the skillet along with the diced tomatoes and the cooked pasta.
- Yoss everything together to make sure the shrimp and pasta get coated in the delicious sauce, and then add more salt and pepper to your taste.
- Now grab your largest plate 😉 and fill it up with this delicious shrimp scampi and top it off with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Pasta is one thing I think I will always love. And of course, it’s 10 times better from scratch. However, that amazing flavor does come with a little bit of commitment. Making your own pasta is definitely rewarding, but it does take longer than box pasta and you need more tools to do it. But, once you’re done, you will be glad you made it!
Sweet and Savory Meals has a great angel hair pasta from scratch recipe that you can follow for this recipe, and just replace your homemade pasta with the instructions for the box pasta. If you don’t have the extra time (or energy let’s be real) to make your own pasta, no worries, this dish will still be to die for! Just grab that box of pasta and get started.
Enjoy More Delicious Pasta Recipes
We’ve rounded up some of our best pasta recipes, including creamy tomato rigatoni, puttanesca, macaroni and cheese, and more. Check out our comprehensive collection of pasta recipes here.
- 20-Minute Skillet Lasagna
- Tuscan Pasta
- 30-Minute Lemon Pasta
- Broccoli and Cheese Orzo
- Cheeseburger Macaroni
- Chili Mac Skillet
- Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Classic Pasta Carbonara
Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin spaghetti, or angel hair pasta
- 1 pound uncooked jumbo shrimp, (peeled, deveined, tails removed and fully thawed)
- 8 Tablespoon butter, divided
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 Tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 cup fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup Roma tomatoes, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over medium-high heat.
- Then, in a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 4 Tablespoons of butter. Lightly season the shrimp with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until pink; about 2 minutes per side (be careful not to overcook the shrimp! You will want to cook until the shrimp have barely turned pink on all sides and it happens fast!). Remove the shrimp to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Add the pasta into the pot of boiling water and cook for 6-8 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Drain, saving 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and set the pasta aside.
- While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. In the same skillet used to cooked the shrimp, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute the garlic for about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and vinegar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat. Simmer for 5-8 minutes until the chicken broth has reduced by half. Add the lemon juice and asparagus and let simmer for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the sauce along with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, then stir to combine.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet, along with the diced tomatoes and cooked pasta. Using tongs, lightly toss the pasta, shrimp and veggies in the sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to make sure that everything is coated evenly with sauce. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
This tasted just like the Olive Garden version, and I appreciate that it is wine-free.
I cut the recipe in half because there is only two of us. It was delicious! I used cherry tomatoes and cut them in half because that is what I had and it out worked out perfectly!