Arugula Pesto Pasta with Garlic Shrimp

Why I Love This Recipe

Perhaps my favorite meal in all of Italy, a few years back, was at this little beach club off the coast in Positano called Da Adolfo! It's literally just a tiny beach with a handful of lounge chairs and a small restaurant area right smack on the beach with a couple dozen tables and a LOT of food. I had to call weeks ahead of time to make sure we got a reservation, and then the countdown was on! We went for my birthday lunch and ordered almost everything on the entire menu. (pictures here) Peaches with wine, grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves, grilled Branzino, mussels with tomato sauce, and this Arugula Pesto Pasta! I love a pesto pasta and some grilled shrimp, and this recipe has both those components. And while I love a classic basil pesto, this is beyond simple but incredibly memorable, and I've been making it ever since. While the Arugula Pesto Pasta tastes just as good as our beachside meal in Positano, eating this on my kitchen table doesn't have quite the same vibe as sitting under an awning on the beach in Italy. Sigh... I'll just count down the hours until we can go back!

Ingredients

Substitutions & Swaps

🌿 Arugula (Pesto Base)

• Baby Spinach - Mild and buttery, spinach blends into a smooth pesto with almost no bitterness, great if you want the garlic and lemon to be the loudest flavors.
• Kale (stems removed) - Tuscan kale in particular gives the pesto a hearty, slightly earthy backbone that holds up well when tossed with warm pasta.
• Fresh Basil - The classic swap. Basil brings that sweet, anise-forward profile and turns this into a more traditional Genovese-style pesto if arugula is too peppery for your crowd.
• Watercress - Watercress mirrors arugula's peppery bite almost exactly and blends just as smoothly, making it the most seamless 1-for-1 substitute here.

🧀 Pecorino Romano

• Parmigiano-Reggiano - Less sharp and saltier than pecorino, Parmigiano gives the pesto a nuttier, more rounded finish. Use the same amount but taste before adding extra salt.
• Grana Padano - A budget-friendlier alternative to Parmigiano with a slightly milder, creamier flavor. It blends beautifully into pesto without overpowering the arugula.
• Aged Asiago - Aged Asiago has a tangy, crumbly texture similar to pecorino and grates well in a food processor. It adds a subtle sharpness that plays nicely with the lemon juice.
• Nutritional Yeast - For a dairy-free finish, nutritional yeast adds that savory, umami depth you'd miss without the cheese. Start with 3 tablespoons and add more to taste.

🌰 Pine Nuts

• Walnuts - Walnuts are the easiest swap and they bring a slightly more robust, earthy flavor that actually complements arugula's bitterness really well. Toast them first to mellow any tannins.
• Blanched Almonds - Almonds produce a creamier, denser pesto texture. They are neutral enough to let the arugula and lemon stay front and center.
• Cashews - Raw cashews blend into an incredibly silky pesto base. They are mild and buttery, which softens the peppery punch of the arugula nicely.
• Pistachios - Shelled unsalted pistachios add a gorgeous pale green color and a slightly sweet, rich flavor that feels very Sicilian alongside the lemon and olive oil.
• Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds) - A nut-free option that still gives the pesto body and a subtle nuttiness. Toast them dry in a skillet first to draw out their flavor before adding to the food processor.

🍤 Shrimp

• Sea Scallops - Sear them hard in a hot pan for 90 seconds per side and you get a caramelized crust with a sweet, buttery interior that pairs beautifully with the peppery pesto.
• Grilled Chicken Breast (sliced) - Thin-sliced grilled chicken works well here, especially if you season it with the same garlic powder, salt, and pepper as the shrimp. It keeps the dish hearty and familiar.
• Salmon (flaked) - Pan-seared salmon broken into large chunks on top of the pasta is a stunning presentation and the richness of the fish balances the bright acidity of the lemon pesto.
• White Beans (cannellini) - For a protein-forward meatless option, warmed cannellini beans folded into the pesto pasta add creaminess and substance without competing with any of the pesto flavors.

🍝 Linguini (Pasta Shape)

• Spaghetti - The most seamless swap. Same cook time, same texture, and the long strands coat evenly with the pesto so every bite is well dressed.
• Bucatini - Bucatini is thicker and hollow, which means it catches and holds the pesto inside each strand for a more intensely flavored bite.
• Rigatoni - The ridges and wide tubes trap the chunky pesto and any garlic bits from the shrimp pan, making every forkful more interesting texturally.
• Gluten-Free Pasta (rice or corn-based) - A brown rice or corn-based linguini works well here since the pesto is the bold flavor carrier. Cook it just to al dente so it does not get mushy when tossed.

How to Make Arugula Pesto Pasta

Step 1: In a food processor, combine the pine nuts and garlic and process until finely chopped.

Step 2: Add the 3 cups arugula and process until coarsely chopped. With the processor running, gradually add the olive oil in a steady stream and process until smooth.

Step 3: Turn off the machine and add the lemon juice and cheese, then pulse until incorporated.

Step 4: Transfer the pesto to a bowl and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Step 5: Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Step 6: Toss the shrimp with the oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Sauté for about 3 minutes on each side, until pink and cooked through.

Step 7: In a large bowl, toss the pesto with the pasta until well coated.

Step 8: Scatter arugula leaves on top and sprinkle with extra cheese. Serve immediately.

🍤🌿🍋 Tips & Tricks for the Best Arugula Pesto Pasta with Garlic Shrimp

This is the pasta that made me fall in love with Italy all over again, and I promise it will do the same for you.

• Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden before adding them to the food processor. Toasting activates the natural oils in pine nuts and deepens their buttery, nutty flavor. Untoasted pine nuts taste flat and slightly raw in a pesto.
• Use firmly packed arugula and make sure it is completely dry before processing. Excess water from wet arugula will dilute the pesto and prevent the olive oil from emulsifying properly, leaving you with a loose, watery sauce instead of a cohesive one.
• Stream the olive oil in slowly while the food processor is running. Adding the oil gradually creates proper emulsification, binding the fat with the greens and nuts for a smooth, creamy pesto rather than an oily, separated one.
• Add the lemon juice and cheese after the oil with the processor off, then pulse briefly. Over-processing cheese can make it gummy and cause the pesto to turn pasty. Pulsing at the end keeps the texture bright and the cheese evenly distributed without overworking it.
• Reserve at least half a cup of pasta cooking water before draining the linguine. The starchy pasta water acts as a binding agent when tossing the pesto with the noodles. A splash loosens the pesto and helps it cling to every strand of pasta evenly.
• Cook the linguine just to al dente, not beyond. Since you will be tossing the hot pasta with pesto off the heat, the residual warmth will continue softening the noodles slightly. Starting with perfectly al dente pasta prevents it from turning mushy by the time it hits the bowl.
• Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels before tossing them with oil and seasoning. Surface moisture on shrimp causes them to steam rather than sear in the pan, which gives you gray, rubbery shrimp instead of the slightly golden, snappy texture you want.
• Do not overcrowd the pan when cooking the shrimp. Crowding drops the pan temperature dramatically and traps steam, preventing proper browning. Cook in a single layer with space between each shrimp so they sear properly in about 3 minutes per side.
• Pull the shrimp off the heat the moment they curl into a loose C shape. A tight O shape means your shrimp are overcooked. The proteins tighten and squeeze out moisture quickly, so the window between perfectly cooked and rubbery is only about 30 seconds.
• Toss the pesto with warm pasta immediately off the heat rather than reheating pesto in a skillet. Heat destroys the vibrant green color and fresh, peppery flavor of arugula pesto fast. The warmth of freshly drained pasta is all you need to bring everything together.
• Store leftover pesto with a thin layer of olive oil poured directly on the surface before sealing the container. Arugula oxidizes quickly and turns brown when exposed to air. The olive oil acts as a barrier against oxygen and keeps the pesto bright green and fresh-tasting for longer.
• Scatter the extra fresh arugula on top right before serving, not before. Fresh arugula wilts fast once it hits warm pasta. Adding it as a garnish at the last second preserves its peppery bite and gives the dish a textural contrast that gets completely lost if it sits.

Arugula Pesto Pasta with Garlic Shrimp FAQs

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