Pappardelle Pasta with Seafood Sauce Recipe
Seafood Pappardelle Recipe – An easy, quick, and delicious pasta with seafood sauce that’s perfect for summer! This Pappardelle pasta recipe includes wide egg noodles in a creamy tomato sauce made with shrimp, scallops, and clams – or any fresh seafood you like.
Why We Love This Easy Seafood Pappardelle Recipe
Now you might first be wondering, What is pappardelle? These delicious wide egg noodles are not as common as other types of pasta… But they are likely to be your new favorite once you give them a try.
From the Italian word pappare, meaning “to gobble up,” thick pappardelle noodles are wider than fettuccine, but similar in texture. They are perfect for being coated in rich and luscious sauces, like our creamy Alfredo recipe and this Pappardelle Pasta with Seafood Sauce recipe.
This is not a typical seafood sauce for dipping, like cocktail sauce. Rather, here we’re talking about a light tomato, wine, and cream sauce kissed with delicate seafood flavors from shrimp, scallops, and clams.
Although this recipe only requires about 15 minutes to prepare from start to finish, it tastes so wonderfully vibrant and luxurious that you’d swear it’d be simmering all day at a specialty restaurant.
Ingredients You Need
Fresh, simple, and wholesome ingredients come to together to create this dish with lots of bright flavors. To make the most incredible seafood pasta recipe you need:
- Pappardelle noodles – the perfect pasta for enjoying with a creamy, comforting seafood tomato sauce
- Butter – unsalted butter lets you control the seasoning more
- Garlic – minced
- Seafood – fresh shrimp, scallops, and clams
- Tomato sauce – canned or jarred
- Dry white wine – we prefer Sauvignon Blanc
- Heavy cream – a must for the perfect creamy sauce
- Salt and pepper – to taste
I also like to include a bit of freshly chopped parsley for garnishing, but this is optional.
How to Make Our Easy and Delicious Pappardelle Pasta with Seafood Sauce Recipe
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Also set a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
- Sauté the garlic in butter for 2 minutes.
- Once the water is at a full boil, cook the pappardelle pasta for 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sauté the shrimp, scallops, and clams in the butter and garlic. Once the seafood is mostly cooked, stir in the tomato sauce, and wine. Bring to a simmer to thicken the sauce.
- After the pasta has finished cooking, use tongs (or a skimmer or pasta fork) to move the pappardelle pasta from the water into the seafood sauce.
Pro Tip: It’s ok if a little water drips into the sauce, but try not to water it down too much.
- Cook for another 2-4 minutes, until the pasta is perfectly al dente and covered in the sauce.
- Turn off the heat before stirring in the heavy cream. Give it a taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.
Get the Complete (Printable!) Seafood Pappardelle Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Gluten-free – Simply substitute pasta made with flour for your favorite GF-friendly wide noodle pasta.
- Without alcohol – Although the alcohol does cook out while the seafood sauce simmers, feel free to omit the wine and instead use chicken broth.
- Seafood – You can made a delicious seafood sauce with almost any fresh seafood you like! Swap any of the shrimp, scallops, or clams with lobster, white fish, mussels, razor clams, or other ingredients you prefer.
- Pasta – This vibrant seafood sauce recipe is terrific with nearly any type of pasta! Toss it with tagliatelle, fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti, or other noodles you like.
- Spicy – Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to finish the pasta and give this dish a kick of heat.
Serving Suggestions
Top with chopped parsley, if you like, and serve warm.
Enjoy Pappardelle Pasta with Seafood Sauce with a fresh garden salad and slices of thick, crusty bread (like Easy Garlic Bread) or Homemade Breadsticks.
Frequently Asked Questions
The sauce thickens a good bit while simmering the seafood, and will continue to thicken as it comes off of the heat and cools. But to make an even thicker sauce, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to remove any clumps. Slowly stir this into the simmering sauce and continue stirring frequently as it thickens.
Leftovers will keep well for up to 3 days in a sealed container stored in the fridge. However, I do suggest you enjoy this dish when freshly made or within a day or so for the best flavor. Leftovers need to be heated in the stovetop or microwave, which will change the taste of the dish a little bit.
I don’t recommend freezing the sauce. The seafood simply won’t taste nearly as good if frozen, thawed and reheated.
Looking for More Delicious Pasta Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta (One-Pot!)
- Shrimp Scampi Greek Pasta
- Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp Pasta
- Clam Pasta (Pasta Alle Vongole)
- Lobster Fra Diavolo
Get the Complete (Printable!) Seafood Pappardelle Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Pappardelle Pasta with Seafood Sauce Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pappardelle pasta
- ½ cup butter
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces raw shrimp cleaned and deveined
- 16 ounces small scallops
- 16 ounces littleneck clams
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup dry white wine I used a Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Then set a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the butter to the sauté pan. Once melted, add in the garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Once the water is boiling, drop the pappardelle pasta into the water and stir. Boil the pasta 3-4 minutes, until mostly cooked through, but still slightly firm.
- Meanwhile, add the shrimp, scallops, and clams to the butter and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes. Once the seafood is mostly cooked, pour in the tomato sauce, and wine. Bring to a simmer to thicken the sauce.
- After the pasta has cooked 3-4 minutes, use tongs (or a skimmer or pasta fork) to move the pappardelle pasta from the water into the seafood sauce. *It’s ok if a little water drips into the sauce, but try not to water it down too much.
- Continue to cook the pasta and sauce together, for another 2-4 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the heavy cream. Then taste, and salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.
This pasta has become the staple pasta dish in my household, everyone loves it!