Creamy Pesto King Prawn Pasta

Try this Pesto King Prawn Pasta for a quick, flavourful midweek meal that comes together in about 20 minutes.

This seafood pasta starts with raw king prawns cooked with garlic, chilli and cherry tomatoes, then tossed with pasta and a basil pesto—either homemade or store-bought.

Finish with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves for a bright, satisfying prawn pasta ready in 20 minutes.

How to make pesto prawn pasta?

The full ingredients and step-by-step method are below. UK and US measurements are provided in the ingredient list.

Step by Step Recipe

Pesto King Prawn Pasta

A quick, easy seafood pasta: raw king prawns sautéed with garlic, chilli and cherry tomatoes, tossed with pasta and basil pesto. Ready in about 20 minutes.

Prep & Cook Time

• Prep time: 5 mins
• Cook time: 15 mins
• Total time: 20 mins
• Serves: 4
• Calories (approx): 466 kcal per serving

Equipment

• Large saucepan for pasta
• Large frying pan or skillet
• Colander

Ingredients

• 250 g pasta (linguine, spaghetti or fusilli lunghi)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic puree or 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp chilli puree or 1 small fresh chilli, finely chopped (adjust to taste)
• 160 g raw king prawns
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 190 g basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Parmesan, grated, to serve
• 1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, optional

What pasta to use?

Boil the pasta in a large pan of salted water, following the packet instructions for al dente. In these photos we used Fusilli Lunghi, a long spiral pasta that holds sauce well, but linguine, spaghetti, bucatini, fettuccine or capellini all work beautifully.

Cook until just tender, then drain and reserve a little pasta water if you want to loosen the sauce later.

Raw prawns

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and gently sweat for a minute to release the flavours, then add the raw king prawns and stir to coat in the oil.

Garlic & chilli

Use fresh crushed garlic and chopped chilli if you prefer, or a convenient garlic and chilli puree for speed. Adjust the amount of chilli to suit your tolerance for heat.

Tomatoes and seasoning

Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the prawns, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium heat for 5–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the prawns are opaque and the tomatoes have softened.

Using cooked prawns

If you are using pre-cooked prawns, fry the garlic, chilli and tomatoes first, then add the prawns at the end just to warm through for a couple of minutes so they don’t become rubbery.

Pesto

Turn the heat low, add the drained pasta to the pan, then stir through the basil pesto until everything is warmed and well coated. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.

A nut-free Parmesan & Basil pesto works well if you prefer to avoid nuts.

Prawn pasta serving suggestions

Serve immediately with grated Parmesan or torn mozzarella, a crack of black pepper, and a scattering of fresh basil leaves. This dish pairs nicely with a simple green salad, garlic bread or focaccia.

Prawn pesto pasta also works well served chilled for a summer lunch—toss with a little extra olive oil and keep refrigerated until needed.

Instructions

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside, reserving a little cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp garlic puree (or 2 cloves crushed garlic) and 1 tsp chilli puree (or chopped fresh chilli) and cook for about 1 minute.
3. Add 160 g raw king prawns and stir until they begin to turn opaque.
4. Add 10 halved cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until prawns are cooked and tomatoes have softened.
5. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the prawns and tomatoes.
6. Stir in 190 g basil pesto and cook on low for 2–3 minutes until everything is warmed through. If needed, add a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
7. Serve with grated Parmesan, extra salt and pepper to taste, and fresh basil leaves. Enjoy.

Notes

Can I use cooked prawns?

Yes. Fry the garlic, chilli and tomatoes first, then add pre-cooked prawns at the end and warm them through for 2–3 minutes so they stay tender.

Nutrition (approx per serving)

• Calories: 466 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 53 g
• Protein: 16 g
• Fat: 21 g
• Saturated fat: 3 g
• Cholesterol: 54 mg
• Sodium: 679 mg
• Fiber: 3 g

More recipes to try

When you make this easy prawn pesto pasta, leave a comment and let us know how it turned out.

This post was originally published on 12/02/2020 and updated on 14/03/2025 to improve recipe presentation.