Tomato Shrimp Spaghetti Pasta

Tomato Shrimp Spaghetti Pasta is easy and delicious meal for lunch or dinner. Suitable for busy people but want to make healthier food at home.

Hello! Lately, I think of easy and healthy foods. The first idea that comes to my mind is pasta. OMG! I’m craving a pasta and seafood menu. So why not I mix both of them. I ask my sister to make it together. They agree with me immediately.

All I think in my mind is pasta with shrimp. Yet, I will make it easy and quick with tomato sauce. I use spaghetti in this recipe. You can make it using other pasta like fettuccine, macaroni, fusilli, and others.

Pasta and tomato (Pomodoro) sauce are my all-time favorite, especially the bolognese sauce. For you who love seafood and pasta, shrimp and spaghetti with tomato sauce are a perfect combination for your dinner menu!

The reason why I use tomato paste for this recipe.

Actually, I want to make tomato sauce by myself, but the condition is not suit with my country. The ingredients to make ‘authentic homemade tomato sauce’ isn’t available.

We can’t find a fresh tomato that suits for pasta sauce. The tomatoes in our local supermarket have more seeds and more water content. Meanwhile, the ideal kind of fresh tomatoes for pasta sauce is Roma and San Marzano tomato. Those kinds of varieties have a meaty texture, fewer seeds, less water content, and sweeter flavor.

Also, we can’t find good canned tomatoes that go well with pasta or pizza here. If we can find an imported one from Italy, it will be quite expensive. So, I prefer to use tomato paste. It is still delicious even I use tomato paste. Yet, if you like it, you can use your processed tomatoes based on your preference. But if you use fresh tomato or canned tomato, you can follow some tips to make the pasta tomato sauce.

Fresh or Canned Tomatoes?

If you use fresh tomatoes, it is better during the tomato season. That’s because the taste of tomatoes in tomato season will be different.

After that, there are some additional steps you should take when making it with fresh tomatoes. Boil the tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes, then peel the skins off and continue with the recipe. This version of the recipe using fresh tomatoes is basically the famous Napoletana sauce.

The best fresh tomatoes to use are:

• Roma tomatoes are fleshy, easy to peel, and very few seeds.
• Cherry Tomatoes (ciliegino), are small, round, and very sweet.
• The Tomato Datterino is also very small and very sweet.

It’s not easy to find super tasty tomatoes these days, especially if you don’t live in Italy. So I mostly use delicious canned whole tomatoes.

If you choose canned tomatoes, the best for you to choose is the San Marzano variety. This variety grows in Italy, in the Campania region, and has been awarded the status of PDO (designation of protected origin).

San Marzano tomatoes have a long shape, bright red color, easy to peel, fleshy flesh, and very few seeds. It is neither too sweet nor too bitter in taste. Because of this reason, you can use both for cooking or using it raw. These are the best tomatoes used to make ketchup or classic marinara sauce for Neapolitan pizza.

What goes for tomato shrimp spaghetti pasta?

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Pasta – I use spaghetti but feel free to use any pasta shape you have on hand.
• Shrimp – You need to peel them and devein the water.
• Tomato paste – I use two tablespoons of tomato paste.
• Olive oil – The taste is neutral, so it is the best choice to cook the shrimps.
• Onion – One medium-sized onion chopped up. I want something that cooks down well, like white or yellow.
• Garlic – You can use fresh garlic. Yet, if you have garlic in a jar, you can use it also.
• Sauce – You need pasta water, oyster sauce, and chili sauce. Chili sauce is optional, but I recommend it.
• Spices – Dried oregano is what I need today.
• Seasoning – Salt and black pepper to taste are all I use today.
• Sugar – You need the little sweetness to cut through all of the acidity from our tomatoes.
• Lemon Zest – You need the zest from only 1 lemon.
• Parsley – Fresh and chopped up fine to be sprinkled liberally on top of our finished dish.

How to Make Tomato Shrimp Spaghetti Pasta

To make this recipe, sauté chopped onion in a pan with medium heat. Stirring until soft and translucent. Then add finely chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomato paste to the pan and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Then add shrimp and stir to combine for 1 minutes. Add cooked spaghetti pasta and pasta water then stir.

For the sauce, add oregano, chili sauce, oyster sauce, and lemon zest. Lemon zest gives freshness and lemony flavor to this dish. Adjust with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and tomato shrimp spaghetti pasta is ready to serve!

This recipe is not authentic and I create with ingredients I like. So I hope you can enjoy it as much as I do.

I hope this recipe inspire you to make it at home and have perfect dinner with the loved ones!

Let me know you enjoy this recipe with your feedback. You can comment below or find me on Pinterest and Instagram. Happy cooking~

Craving for more pasta? You can try this :

• Creamy and Spicy Beef Fusilli
• Beef Stroganoff with Conchiglie Pasta
• Smoked Beef Spaghetti Carbonara