Shrimp scampi without wine is a light and kid-friendly meal that can be whipped out in no time at at all in your trusty instant pot. Large shrimp are cooked in a divine garlic butter lemon sauce with linguine pasta to keep it company. The perfect recipe for hungry times!
Pair shrimp scampi with a hearty chicken salad for a slightly more elaborate meal.
Looking for a quick and easy dinner with protein? Try this shrimp scampi made in the instant pot. No wine, but it tastes so good with a buttery, citrusy sauce that the shrimp and pasta drinks up, literally. Freshly ground black pepper and parsley add a kick. The result? A filling meal bursting with taste and flavor. Kids will adore it and adults will love it too.
If you like easy pasta dinners, do try this creamy chickpea pasta with spinach and rosemary and this sour cream pasta with chives.
Ingredients
Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.
- Plain water (add 1 tsp cooking oil to the water; not included in the image above)
- Linguine, broken in half
- Butter
- Garlic, minced
- Large shrimp, peeled, tails on or off
- Lemon, juiced
- Sea salt
- Black Pepper, ground
- Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
1. Pour the water in the steel insert of the instant pot and add about 1 teaspoon of cooking oil to it. The oil will prevent the pasta strands from sticking to each other. Add a handful of broken pasta. Lift to separate and wet all the strands, then drop them back into the water. Add all the pasta to the pot in a similar manner, making sure the strands are completely submerged in the water.
2. Lock the lid and pressure cook the pasta on high for 0 minutes. Yes, that’s right, 0 minutes is a thing with the instant pot. Once the timer beeps, wait 5 minutes before releasing the rest of the steam. Open the pot and immediately drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold tap water to stop the cooking process. Keep aside.
3. Rinse the instant pot steel insert with water and return to the pot. Press sauté (normal) and tip in the butter. When the butter melts, add the garlic and let it cook for a few seconds.
4. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring until it becomes pink and opaque (3 minutes). Cancel sauté. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and parsley and stir to coat the shrimp.
5. Add the pasta to the pot as well and mix with the shrimp so that it gets coated with the sauce as well. Or take the pasta out in a bowl and top with the shrimp. Your choice! Serve immediately.
No Instant Pot? No Worries!
I like to cook the pasta in an instant pot because it is such a set and forget kind of thing to do, especially on busy weeknights. While the pasta is cooking in the pot, you can do other things.
Of course, if you don’t have or want to use an instant pot, by all means use your stovetop. Pour 6-8 cups water in a large pot or saucepan and add 1 teaspoon cooking oil. Bring to a boil. Add the linguine and stir to separate the strands. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Drain and rinse under cold tap water. Keep it aside and follow the rest of the recipe in a large frypan.
Top Tips
- It is a bother to peel shrimp, so I often like to buy peeled shrimp as it saves a lot of time. This recipe made use of raw, frozen, deveined, and peeled shrimp with tails off, but if you have fresh shrimp, no problem!
- If using frozen shrimp, thaw them first in a bowl of water and wipe off excess moisture before adding them to the pot.
- Don’t cook the shrimp for more than 3 minutes. As soon as the shrimp loses its translucence and turns pink, turn off the cooker. Overcooked shrimp turns rubbery very fast and loses its juiciness.
- Serve shrimp scampi while it is still fresh and warm from the pot. It does not taste good cold, trust me. The butter will congeal and the pasta will turn limp, so have it pronto:)
More Instant Pot Dinner Recipes
- Chicken stroganoff – a one-pot meal with bite-sized boneless chicken, mushrooms, and egg noodles in a creamy sauce.
- Chicken thighs and rice – A fantastic, flavorful meal of juicy browned chicken and fluffy rice that the whole family will adore.
Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi Without Wine
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot 6 Quart Duo
- 1 colander
Ingredients
- 3 cups water add 1 tsp cooking oil to the water
- 8 oz linguine uncooked, broken in half
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves large, minced
- 1 pound raw shrimp large, peeled
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ cup parsley fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Pour the water in the steel insert of the instant pot and add a teaspoon of cooking oil to it. Add a handful of broken pasta. Lift to separate and wet all the strands, then drop them back into the water. Add all the pasta to the pot in a similar manner, making sure the strands are completely submerged in the water.
- Lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to 'sealing'. Press the pressure cooking button (high) and set the timer to 0 minutes. Once the timer beeps, wait 5 minutes and release the remaining pressure by turning the pressure valve to 'venting'. Open the pot and immediately drain the pasta in a colander. Rinse it under cold tap water to stop the cooking process. Keep aside.
- Rinse the instant pot steel insert with water and return to the pot. Press sauté (normal) and tip in the butter. When the butter melts, add the garlic and let it cook for a few seconds.
- Add the shrimp and cook, stirring until it becomes pink and opaque (3 minutes). Cancel sauté. Add the lemon juice, sea salt, ground pepper and parsley and stir to coat the shrimp.
- Add the pasta to the pot as well and mix with the shrimp so that it gets coated with the sauce as well. Alternatively, take the pasta out in a bowl and top with the shrimp. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you want to save time, buy pre-peeled shrimp.
- If using frozen shrimp, thaw them first in a bowl of water and wipe off excess moisture before adding them to the pot.
- Don’t cook the shrimp for more than 3 minutes. As soon as the shrimp loses its translucence and turns pink, turn off the cooker. Overcooked shrimp turns tough and rubbery very fast.
- Serve shrimp scampi while it is still fresh and warm from the pot.
- Stovetop shrimp scampi – pour 6-8 cups water in a large pot or saucepan, add 1 tsp cooking oil, and bring to a boil. Add the linguine and stir to separate the strands. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Drain and rinse under cold tap water. Keep it aside and follow the rest of the recipe in a large frypan.