Prawn Fettuccine is a quick and easy recipe perfect for dinner any night of the week! With succulent, juicy prawns and a creamy parmesan sauce with al dente pasta this recipe ticks a lot of boxes. The prawn fettuccine alfredo will take around 15 minutes to whip up and makes dinner effortless with maximum flavour.
Recipes like the Salmon Fettuccine, Pesto Fettuccine and the Fettuccine Bolognese are all about this wide flat pasta.
The Linguine Alfredo, Meatballs Alfredo, Spaghetti Alfredo and the Grilled Chicken Alfredo are about pasta with a creamy cheese sauce with or without additional protein.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the fettuccine with prawns recipe in the points below:
- Everyday ingredients: everything you need to make this pasta recipe can be sort from your local grocery store. They are year round available ingredients which will be easy to get your hands on.
- Fast to cook: some nights when you are tired and low on energy but you still need to get dinner on the table need a recipe which doesn't take hours to prepare. This prawn fettuccine alfredo recipe will be done in around 15 minutes.
- Taste and texture: from the juicy prawns to the garlicky cream sauce and chewy pasta we experience an array of tastes and textures in the recipe. A lot of boxes will be ticked through the shear diversity in the flavor combination.
- Alternative protein: it can be easy to have a roast chicken for dinner, pork, beef, lamb, tofu other great options to keep things interesting. Prawns are a great way to add another protein into the weekly mix and diversify dinner time.
- Satisfying but not heavy: we all love a hearty bowl of spaghetti bolognese from time to time, yet sometimes especially when the weather is hot it can be too much and feel too filling. That is when we turn to a recipe like this that gives a protein and carb combo but keeps it light with no super heavy too full after eating feeling 😉👍.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the pasta with prawns recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Olive oil: we use a little olive oil to cook the prawns in. We then use paper towel to absorb the leftover oil so that it doesn't make the alfredo sauce too greasy.
- Butter: melting the butter in a hot pan is the 1st step to making the alfredo sauce. As we also use salt as a separate ingredient in the recipe, we want to use unsalted butter. I like to use a creamy French butter.
- Salt: after the butter is melted we add the salt and fry it off with the garlic.
- Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves and finely dice them. Or use chunky chopped or minced garlic. Jarred garlic can be easy and convenient to use and if you find one that works it is a game changer in terms of convenience, time and effort.
- Pepper: we use a little bit of black pepper to garnish the dish when serving.
- Parsley: curly parsley that we trim the leaves from the stems and then chop them (the leaves) get added and tossed through the pasta. These adds herby freshness to the recipe as well as pops of bright colour.
- Parmesan cheese: we want to use a micro plane zester and finely grate this from a block of parmesan cheese. Doing so gives the best, melty soft cheese 😁👌.
- Cream: we want to use heavy cream for the recipe. This is different to dollop or cream cheeses. This ingredient forms the basis of the creamy alfredo sauce.
- Fettuccine: this is a wide flat pasta that is similar to linguine, yet a little bit wider. We want to cook this till it is al dente (a little bit chewy).
- Prawns: also known as shrimp by my American friends. Raw prawns or shrimp that we peel and devein ourselves will give the best tasting results.
Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by preparing the prawns. You will need a chopping board for this initial step.
- Peel and devein the prawns (Photo 1)
- Add oil and prawns to pan and cook (Photo 2)
- Remove the excess oil from the pan (Photo 3)
- Start the sauce by melting the butter (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Prawn Fettuccine
To make the prawn fettuccine, we start by preparing the prawns. To do this, twist the heads off, then pull the tails off. Once done remove the shell and legs of each prawn. Then use a knife down the backbone of the prawn, slicing it open and removing the digestive tract.
Next we are going to cook the prawns. Start by placing a large sauté pan on the stove top and turning the heat to high. Add the olive oil and prawns and cook for 3-4 minutes using a wooden spoon to toss and flip them as you go.
Once they have changed colour to bright orange with no clear flesh use the spoon or a slotted turner to lift them up and out of the pan and place them onto a paper towel lined bowl.
Next use a folded piece of paper towel to absorb the excess oil from the pan as you see me doing in the photo above 😁👌.
Then without further rinsing or cleaning of the pan add the butter and let it melt. Once the butter has melted add the garlic and salt and fry them in butter for 1 minute.
- Add the garlic and salt and cook (Photo 5)
- Then add the cream (Photo 6)
- Add the parmesan cheese (Photo 7)
- Reserve the pasta water (Photo 8)
Next reduce the heat to low and add the cream followed by the parmesan cheese. Stir these with a wooden spoon as the cheese melts and the sauce comes together.
Next read and follow the package instructions to cook the fettuccine in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water.
Moments before it is ready (taste a bit, we want it to be a little bit chewy). Scoop out 1-2 cups of the pasta water.
Then use a colander over the sink to drain the pasta and discard the rest of the pasta water.
- Add the cooked Pasta (Photo 9)
- Add the reserved pasta water (Photo 10)
- Next add the parsley (Photo 11)
- Toss to combine (Photo 12)
Once done add the cooked drained fettuccine to the pan with the alfredo sauce and then measure and pour in ½ cup (125ml) of the pasta water. Then add the parsley and use kitchen scissors to toss to combine.
- Add the cooked prawns (Photo 13)
Next add the cooked prawns back to the pasta as shown in the photo above.
- Toss to combine (Photo 14)
Once you have gently tossed the prawns through the pasta, we want to get our garnish on. Using a combination of black pepper, parmesan cheese and additional chopped parsley, we sprinkle these over the top of the dish and then it is ready to go 😁👌!
🍽 Serving Suggestions
If you are a cheesy garlic bread and pasta person, you might like to pair the fettuccine with the Tortilla Garlic Bread, Garlic Ciabatta, Garlic Pizza Bread or the Turkish Garlic Bread.
If you prefer a side salad, the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, Tomato Bread Salad or Fresh Herb Salad are all good choices.
For a white wine pairing a chilled glass of pinot gris or rose will go down a treat or for a red opt for a smooth pinot noir.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store leftover fettuccine pasta in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge. The leftovers can be kept for 2-3 days and need to be reheated before being consumed.
How to Freeze
Allow the dish to fully cool before transferring into airtight containers. They can be frozen for up to 1 month.
How to Reheat
Allow frozen portions of the dish to fully thaw before transferring them to a bowl and covering with cling wrap. Then reheat in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- If you want to use a different pasta type you can. Spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle are all good choices.
- You can use pecorino romano cheese in place of the parmesan cheese if you wish too (equivalent amount).
- Italian flat leaf parsley can be used in place of the curly parsley if you prefer it.
- If you want to add a vegetable some spinach leaves are a great option. Simply stir through when tossing the pasta in the sauce.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- It is definitely worth your time and effort to peel and devein the prawns yourself. Fresh prawns offer less watery more soft and juicy flavor than frozen thawed prawns.
- The parmesan cheese is best grated from a block of it as the cheese is soft and fresh. Or if needed you can use store bought grated parmesan cheese.
- If you love prawns with pasta or noodles you might also like to try the Prawn Chorizo Risotto, Chorizo and Prawn Linguine, Prawn Chow Mein, Prawn Pesto Pasta, Garlic Prawn Spaghetti, or the Prawn Tagliatelle 😁👌.
- Or for prawns without pasta and noodles the Prawn Chorizo Skewers, Sweet Chilli Prawns, Satay Prawns, Mexican Prawns, Prawn Skewers, Prawn Pizza or the crispy Coconut Prawns.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
What do you eat with prawn pasta?
Garlic bread and or a side salad are excellent pairings to go with prawn pasta.
What cheese is best with seafood?
A light sprinkling of parmesan cheese is ideal for seafood pasta recipes. We don't however, want to use too much cheese as doing so overwhelms the flavor of the prawns.
Do prawns keep better peeled or unpeeled?
The prawns are best kept intact until you are ready to use them. When you are you can peel and devein them and add them straight to the recipe for maximum freshness.
😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes
I like to offer you a diverse range of recipes when it comes to dinner ideas. This helps to keep things from getting boring and not every night resort to 'Winner Winner Chicken Dinner'. (Not to turn my nose up at it, more so keep the last meal of the day each day from being 'same, same'). These ideas use a variety of proteins, cook times and a variety of cooking methods.
- Meatball Rigatoni
- Thai Minced Pork
- Chicken Pesto Linguine
- Baked Ziti With Meatballs
- Chorizo Pasta Bake
- Air Fryer Tortilla Pizza
- Mince Pasta Bake
- Saffron Pasta
- Penne Pesto
- Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta
It is time to get our prawn alfredo on my friend! You can also find all of my pasta recipes or seafood recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Prawn Fettuccine
Ingredients
Prawns
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 500 grams/16 oz prawns
Alfredo Sauce
- 40 grams/3 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 1 tablespoon garlic chunky, minced or chopped, 2-3 cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup/250 ml heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated using a micro plane zester
Pasta
- 500 grams/16 oz fettuccine
- ½ cup/125 ml reserved pasta water
To Garnish (optional):
- ½ cup parsley leaves trimmed from stems, finely chopped using kitchen scissors
- black pepper
- parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prawns: use a chopping board and clean hands to prepare the prawns. Start by twisting the heads off the prawns, then removing their tails. Then peel the shell and remove it and the legs. Then use a small knife and cut along the back of the prawns and remove the digestive tract. Repeat this process for all prawns. Once done, rinse them and use paper towel to pat them dry.
- Butter, garlic and salt: place a large sauté pan on the stove, turn the heat to high and add the butter. Allow this to melt and then add the garlic and salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring as the garlic softens and turns golden brown.
- Cream and cheese: next turn the heat to low and pour in the cream, use a wooden spoon to stir this then add the parmesan cheese and continue to stir until it has melted.
- Fettuccine: read and follow the package instructions to cook the pasta in a medium pot of boiling salted water. Moments before it is al dente (a little bit chewy if you taste a bit) use a heatproof jug to scoop out and remove 1- 2 cups of the pasta water. Then use a colander over the sink to drain the rest of the pasta and discard the water.
- Combine: give the alfredo sauce another stir to combine then add the hot drained pasta to the pan. Then measure and pour in ½ cup (125 ml) of pasta water. Next add ½ cup of finely chopped parsley and use a pair of tongs to toss and combine.
- Cooked prawns: then add the cooked prawns back to the pan and gently fold into the pasta and sauce. Allow these to heat through.
- Garnish: generously garnish the dish with a sprinkling of black pepper, parmesan cheese and additional chopped parsley. Provide plates and spoons for serving.
Notes
- Note 1 - Olive oil: we use a little olive oil to cook the prawns in. We then use paper towel to absorb the leftover oil so that it doesn't make the alfredo sauce too greasy.
- Note 2 - Prawns: also known as shrimp by my American friends. Raw prawns or shrimp that we peel and devein ourselves will give the best tasting results.
- Note 3 - Butter: melting the butter in a hot pan is the 1st step to making the alfredo sauce. As we also use salt as a separate ingredient in the recipe, we want to use unsalted butter. I like to use a creamy French butter.
- Note 4 - Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves and finely dice them. Or use chunky chopped or minced garlic. Jarred garlic can be easy and convenient to use and if you find one that works it is a game changer in terms of convenience, time and effort.
- Note 5 - Salt: after the butter is melted we add the salt and fry it off with the garlic.
- Note 6 - Cream: we want to use heavy cream for the recipe. This is different to dollop or cream cheeses. This ingredient forms the basis of the creamy alfredo sauce.
- Note 8 - Parmesan cheese: we want to use a micro plane zester and finely grate this from a block of parmesan cheese. Doing so gives the best, melty soft cheese.
- Note 9 - Fettuccine: this is a wide flat pasta that is similar to linguine, yet a little bit wider. We want to cook this till it is al dente (a little bit chewy).
- Note 10 - Reserved pasta water: we only need ½ cup (125ml) of this for the sauce. It is easier, however, when at the stove top to take out more than you need then measure this when you are not dealing with the bubbling, splashing water at the same time.
- Note 11 - Parsley: curly parsley that we trim the leaves from the stems and then chop them (the leaves) get added and tossed through the pasta. These adds herby freshness to the recipe as well as pops of bright colour.
- Note 12 - Pepper: we use a little bit of black pepper to garnish the dish when serving.
Carol P says
We were impressed by how much flavor there is in this pasta sauce! I know we will make it again soon.
Adrianne says
Thanks Carol for your feedback 😄.