Garlic-Butter Shrimp Pasta

By Leite's Culinaria

Ingredients

Table salt
12 ounces long pasta (such as linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces shrimp (shelled, deveined, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
4 tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter (cubed)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)

Prep Time15mins
Cook Time15mins
Servings4

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook, according to the package, until al dente.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.

While the pasta is cooking, warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook just until the garlic starts to turn golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes.

Add the butter and cook until it melts and begins to foam, about 1 minute.

Dump in the drained pasta along with the lemon juice and toss until the pasta is coated in sauce. Add some reserved pasta water, if needed to loosen the sauce.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and fold in the chopped basil. Serve immediately.