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Basil Sauce with Sauteed Shrimp

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on September 14, 2011

Time

20 minutes

Yield

Enough for 1 pound of pasta

Basil Sauce with Sauteed Shrimp

Ingredients

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves 1 small clove garlic, peeled1 tablespoon pine nuts 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and ground black pepper 1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined

Before You Begin

This simple but delicious sauce is really nothing more than sautéed shrimp tossed with pesto minus the cheese. Serve it with linguine or other long, thin pasta. Reserve one-half cup of the pasta cooking liquid and drizzle it in as needed when tossing the pasta with the sauce.

Instructions

  1. Process basil, garlic, and pine nuts in workbowl of food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until minced. With motor running, slowly pour 4 tablespoons of the oil through feed tube, processing sauce until smooth. Scrape sauce into serving bowl large enough to hold cooked pasta. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
  2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet. Add shrimp; sauté over medium-high heat until pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer shrimp to bowl with pesto; toss well with cooked pasta and reserved cooking liquid (see note). Serve immediately.
Basil Sauce with Sauteed Shrimp

Basil Sauce with Sauteed Shrimp

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

20 minutes

Yield

Enough for 1 pound of pasta

Ingredients

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon pine nuts
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined

Ingredients

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon pine nuts
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined

Ingredients

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon pine nuts
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined

Why This Recipe Works

It took very little work to turn shrimp into a quick pasta sauce. For our basil and shrimp pasta sauce recipe, we simply sautéed shrimp and then tossed them with pesto (minus the cheese), before tossing with linguine or spaghetti.

Before You Begin

This simple but delicious sauce is really nothing more than sautéed shrimp tossed with pesto minus the cheese. Serve it with linguine or other long, thin pasta. Reserve one-half cup of the pasta cooking liquid and drizzle it in as needed when tossing the pasta with the sauce.

Instructions

  1. Process basil, garlic, and pine nuts in workbowl of food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until minced. With motor running, slowly pour 4 tablespoons of the oil through feed tube, processing sauce until smooth. Scrape sauce into serving bowl large enough to hold cooked pasta. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
  2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet. Add shrimp; sauté over medium-high heat until pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer shrimp to bowl with pesto; toss well with cooked pasta and reserved cooking liquid (see note). Serve immediately.

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