20 Minute Tomato Basil Shrimp

This tomato basil shrimp recipe is quick and easy to whip up (it only takes 20 minutes!) Delicious served with toast, pasta, rice, or on its own – a great, versatile recipe for busy weeknights.

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Seafood recipes usually cook up pretty quickly making them PERFECT for fast and easy meals for busy evenings! Like this Garlic White Wine Baked Fish or Easy Coconut Curry Shrimp, this Tomato Basil Shrimp is full of flavor and ready in less than 30 minutes! 

For this tomato basil shrimp, you will need a pound of plump and juicy shrimp, along with tomato sauce. I used homemade tomato sauce from our summer tomatoes in this recipe – I cook down fresh tomatoes until they’re soft and puree them until smooth. You could also use canned crushed, whole or sauced tomatoes!

You will also need parmesan cheese, garlic, fresh spinach, and fresh basil.  You can throw in a few fresh tomatoes if you have any lingering from the summer harvest. If you want to really level up this dish, slather some of that garlicky tomato sauce on a warm and cozy loaf of Crusty French Bread. 

Equipment wise, you will need a large pan or deep skillet. We love using a 10 inch cast iron skillet. 

Our Basic Order of Operations

1. Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium heat.
2. Add diced onion to and season with salt and black pepper. Give it a stir and cook a few minutes until the onion has softened.
3. Add the shrimp and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp have just started to turn pink.
4. Add tomato sauce and stir. Cook for a few minutes while stirring frequently, until the sauce is at a low simmer.
5. Add spinach and cook until it has wilted down and shrimp is cooked through. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
6. Remove skillet from heat and top with parmesan cheese and basil and serve immediately.

Riffs and Substitutions

This easy weeknight dinner is great on its own, but here are some tweaks you can use to make it your own. 

• Tomato basil shrimp pasta. Add a little extra tomato sauce or a splash of water while cooking, then toss the sauce with some al dente pasta. 
• Eat it stew-style. This recipe is also great served over rice. 
• Make it creamy. Add a drizzle of heavy cream at the end of cooking to make a creamy sauce. 
• A splash of dry white wine, like sauvignon blanc, or a little balsamic vinegar would be great with this sauce. 
• Serve it over toast. This sauce is just begging to be sopped up by a thick slice of Crusty French Bread. 
• Toss in a few cherry tomatoes, or trade the tomato sauce for 2-3 large diced tomatoes to use up your fresh produce. 
• Give it some spice by adding a pinch of red pepper flakes. 

A Few FAQs

More tasty shrimp recipes

• Creamy White Wine Shrimp
• Healthier Shrimp Alfredo
• White Wine Garlic Baked Shrimp
• Hoisin Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

📖 Recipe

20 Minute Tomato Basil Shrimp

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

• Author: Jessie
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4
• Category: Seafood
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This quick and easy shrimp recipe is great with toast, pasta, or on its own - a great, versatile recipe for busy weeknights!

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Ingredients

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• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ large yellow onion, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. Wild American Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups plain tomato sauce (with no extra seasonings - see recipe notes)
• 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

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Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet (I used a 10" cast iron) over medium heat.
2. Add diced onion to oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Give it a stir and cook 2-3 minutes until onion has softened.
3. Add shrimp and garlic to skillet and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for one minute until shrimp have just started to turn pink.
4. Add tomato sauce to skillet and stir to combine. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is at a low simmer.
5. Add spinach to skillet and stir to combine. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until spinach has wilted down and shrimp is cooked through. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
6. Remove skillet from heat. Top with parmesan cheese and basil and serve immediately.

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Notes

I used homemade tomato sauce from our summer tomatoes in this recipe - I cook down fresh tomatoes until they're soft and puree them until smooth. You could also use canned crushed, whole or sauced tomatoes!

If fresh tomatoes are in season by you, you can substitute 2-3 large diced tomatoes for the tomato sauce in this recipe.

This shrimp is tasty on its own, but I also like to serve it with toast or over pasta. If you use this as a pasta sauce, add a bit of extra tomato sauce or a splash of pasta water to help stretch it further.

Add a drizzle of heavy cream to the skillet at the end of cooking for an extra bit of creaminess.

A splash of white wine or a bit of balsamic vinegar would also be great in this sauce!

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 117
• Sugar: 10.2 g
• Sodium: 857 mg
• Fat: 5.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 14.1 g
• Protein: 4.1 g
• Cholesterol: 5.5 mg

Keywords: seafood, dinner, healthy