This 15 Minute Prawn Pasta is an incredibly quick and easy recipe that will make you feel like you’re eating a restaurant quality meal at home.
You can buy prawns with or without the shell and tail, but you’ll want to remove them before cooking. You can leave the tail on, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a pasta dish.
This 15 Minute Prawn Pasta recipe is written for raw, frozen or fresh prawns, but you also can use pre-cooked prawns if that’s what you have available. To use, simply add them at the end.
If you’re using frozen prawns and know you’ll be making this recipe a head of time, you can transfer your prawns from the freezer to the fridge to defrost overnight. If you didn’t plan ahead, don’t worry! Prawns defrost quickly under running water. Just place the prawns in a colander and run cool water over them for a few minutes until they are thawed. Once defrosted and peeled, pat the prawns dry with some paper towels.
I know for some people, prawns can be intimidating if you’ve never cooked them before, but I promise they’re super easy! The thing to remember is that prawns cook quickly and if you continue to cook them for too long, they will be tough and rubbery. So watch them closely and remove them from the pan once they turn pink and opaque.
If you've decided to use frozen prawns for this 15 Minute Prawn Pasta recipe then place them in a colander and run cool water over the top to thaw (this should only take a few minutes). Peel the prawns and remove the tails. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
Bring a large pan of water to a boil for the linguine. Once boiling, add the linguine and continue to boil until the it is tender (about five minutes). Reserve about 150ml of the starchy pasta water before draining the linguine in a colander.
While the linguine is cooking, prepare the rest of the recipe. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Once hot, add the prepared prawns and sauté just until they turn pink and opaque (about 3 minutes). Remove the cooked prawns and place them in a clean bowl.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the minced garlic and cherry tomatoes. Continue to sauté over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to burst and release their juices. (If the garlic starts to brown before the tomatoes have softened and burst, add a couple tablespoons of water to the pan to slow the process.)
Once the tomatoes have broken down in the pan, add the linguine, basil pesto, and about half of the reserved water.
Stir to coat everything in the pesto, adding more of the pasta water if needed to help spread the pesto over everything.
Finally, return the cooked prawns to the pan and stir to combine with the linguine. Top with grated Parmesan, then serve!
Ingredients
Directions
If you've decided to use frozen prawns for this 15 Minute Prawn Pasta recipe then place them in a colander and run cool water over the top to thaw (this should only take a few minutes). Peel the prawns and remove the tails. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
Bring a large pan of water to a boil for the linguine. Once boiling, add the linguine and continue to boil until the it is tender (about five minutes). Reserve about 150ml of the starchy pasta water before draining the linguine in a colander.
While the linguine is cooking, prepare the rest of the recipe. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Once hot, add the prepared prawns and sauté just until they turn pink and opaque (about 3 minutes). Remove the cooked prawns and place them in a clean bowl.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the minced garlic and cherry tomatoes. Continue to sauté over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to burst and release their juices. (If the garlic starts to brown before the tomatoes have softened and burst, add a couple tablespoons of water to the pan to slow the process.)
Once the tomatoes have broken down in the pan, add the linguine, basil pesto, and about half of the reserved water.
Stir to coat everything in the pesto, adding more of the pasta water if needed to help spread the pesto over everything.
Finally, return the cooked prawns to the pan and stir to combine with the linguine. Top with grated Parmesan, then serve!
Notes
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