Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher

Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher is pasta and shrimp served with a basil cheese garlic butter sauce. It is easy to make and it tastes great!

homemade Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher in a bowl


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Shrimp Pasta Dish

Shrimp lovers rejoice. This dish is one of the most popular shrimp and pasta recipes on the Olive Garden menu with its creamy, cheesy butter sauce and tender shrimp.

If that’s not reason enough to give this pasta a try, then how about the fact that it is so quick to prepare? With just a pound of shrimp and a few other ingredients, you can transform your dining room into an Italian trattoria in a matter of minutes any day of the week.

Don’t Skimp on the Shrimp

This garlic butter pasta recipe is all about the shrimp, so it is worth spending a little extra money and time for the best-tasting dish.

When selecting the shrimp for this dish, skip the pre-packaged shrimp from the store’s freezer department and buy from the seafood counter if you can. Look for medium-sized shrimp labeled as 41-50. The numbers reflect how many shrimp typically make up one pound.

Once you get the shrimp home, fill a large metal bowl halfway with ice. Cut a few small holes in the bag the shrimp came in and put it on the ice. Cover the top of the bowl with a wet paper towel and place it in the coldest part of your fridge. Cook the shrimp within 24 hours.

Think of All the Pasta Possibilities

In Italy, the shape of pasta really matters. The thought of serving delicate angel hair pasta with a hearty Bolognese sauce would break a grandma’s heart. While we are a lot more lax in the US when combining different pasta shapes with sauces, you should still follow some rules for the best pasta experience.

Although thin and delicate angel hair pasta would get lost in a meaty Bolognese sauce, it pairs wonderfully well with a milder butter-based sauce like the one in this recipe.

If you plan to serve Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher as an appetizer where the pasta plays a secondary role to the shrimp, you may decide to use ultra-thin Vermicelli as a bed for showcasing the shrimp. On the other hand, this dish also works with heartier pasta shapes such as linguine and spaghetti if you are serving it as an entrée.

Tips for Making and Serving Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher

  • Peel and clean before cooking. You can cook the shrimp with or without the tail, but you need to remove the shell and vein before cooking. If you don’t know how to do it correctly, check out this video.
  • Don’t overcook the shrimp. Shrimp cooks very quickly, so you will have to watch them very carefully. The shrimp are cooked as soon as the shrimp turn pink on the outside and are no longer transparent.
  • Feel free to increase the amount of garlic. A mere teaspoon of garlic won’t satisfy a real garlic lover. Add one or more tablespoons of freshly minced garlic for a pungent punch.
  • Serve with lots of Italian bread. When a pasta and shrimp sauce is this good, you’ll not want to waste any of it. Using bread to wipe up any leftovers is more respectable than licking the plate clean.

Check out more of our easy shrimp and pasta recipes on YouTube.

Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Butter
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Grated Romano cheese
  • Linguine or angel hair pasta
  • Shrimp
Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher ingredients

How to Make Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher

  1. Remove any large stems from basil and wash leaves. Shake off excess water and dry leaves with a paper towel.
  2. Place basil leaves in a food processor fitted with a knife blade. Process until finely chopped.
  3. Place butter in a small mixing bowl.
  4. Using an electric mixer, whip butter until soft and pliable.
  5. Add garlic, salt, pepper, Parmesan, Romano cheese, and basil. Mix until well blended.
    basil cheese garlic butter in a bowl
  6. Peel and devein shrimp if not already peeled.
  7. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and keep warm.
  8. Melt basil butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  9. Add shrimp and sauté just until done, about 2 to 3 minutes.
    shrimp and basil garlic cheese butter sauce in a skillet
  10. Serve shrimp and basil butter sauce over the cooked pasta.
homemade Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher pasta in a bowl

More Olive Garden Copycat Recipes

Favorite Shrimp Recipes

Check out more of my easy seafood recipes and the best Olive Garden recipes here on CopyKat!

homemade Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher in a bowl

Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher

You can make Olive Garden Shrimp Christopher tonight for dinner.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Olive Garden Recipes, Shrimp Pasta
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 1064kcal

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 2 ounces fresh basil leaves (about 2 bunches)
  • 10 ounces butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese , plus additional for garnish
  • 1 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

Rest of the Dish

  • 1 pound fresh linguine or angel hair pasta
  • 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined

Instructions

  • Remove any large stems from basil and wash leaves. Shake off excess water and dry leaves with a paper towel.
  • Place basil leaves in a food processor. Using the blade attachment, process until finely chopped. Process in two batches if necessary to get uniformly chopped basil. Remove from processor and reserve. 
  • Place butter in a small mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to whip butter until pliable.
  • Add garlic, salt, pepper, Parmesan, Romano cheese, and basil. Mix until well incorporated.
  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and keep warm.
  • Melt basil butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add shrimp and saute until just done, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Serve shrimp and basil cheese garlic butter sauce over hot, cooked pasta.
  • Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top or serve it on the side.

Notes

Basil butter can be used immediately or stored covered in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 1064kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 37g | Cholesterol: 442mg | Sodium: 1611mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1805IU | Vitamin C: 4.9mg | Calcium: 260mg | Iron: 3.9mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Comments

  1. Angelina

    5 stars
    This sounds SO yummy, but is the Nutr. Info. which is shown for the entire recipe, OR for only one serving?

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