Bring the iconic taste of Olive Garden’s baked Parmesan shrimp to the comfort of your own home with this spot-on copycat recipe.

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Close up side view of baked Parmesan shrimp in a white dish.

About Baked Parmesan Shrimp

This recipe is inspired by the Olive Garden dish of the same name, and it’s always fun trying to recreate the restaurant experience at home.

And with this dish, that’s exactly what you’ll get: a delicious helping of classic baked Parmesan shrimp, complete with tender penne pasta, garlic butter shrimp, creamy Parmesan sauce, and topped with cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs.

Plus, a good copycat recipe like this means you can be in your favorite food heaven while in your pajamas and watching Netflix.

What size shrimp should you use?

I recommend using medium or large shrimp with this recipe, but small or jumbo shrimp should work as well.

If using a different size of shrimp, be sure to keep an eye on them while they bake, as smaller shrimp may need less time (10-12 minutes) and larger shrimp may need more time (15-17 minutes).

Close up top down view of baked Parmesan shrimp, focusing on a shrimp covered on parsley, sauce, and Parmesan cheese.

Can you use frozen shrimp?

Yes, you can, but the shrimp should be thawed and thoroughly rinsed and dried before using in the recipe.

Can you use precooked shrimp?

I have not personally tried this, but it’s possible. If using precooked shrimp, you would skip the step for baking the shrimp, butter, and parsley in the oven by themselves and would add these three ingredients to the baking dish after the pasta and sauce (Step 7 in the recipe card below).

Top down view of baked Parmesan shrimp with a serving spoon holding up a portion to the camera.

Should you grate your own cheese?

Using pre-grated cheese is extremely convenient, but it often contains some preservatives (such as potato starch) that help keep the grated cheese separated in the bag. And while this is great for grabbing a quick pinch of grated cheese, it will also cause the melted cheese to appear lumpy or harden faster than it normally should.

So if you’re a cheese lover like me and want the creamiest experience possible for your shrimp pasta, I highly recommend grating a block of Parmesan. It’s a bit more work, but the improved consistency is worth the effort.

How long is baked Parmesan shrimp good for?

Once prepared and cooled, baked Parmesan shrimp can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Top down view of baked Parmesan shrimp served on a plate.

Can you freeze baked Parmesan shrimp?

Yes, you totally can!

Once prepared and cooled, this dish can be stored in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to three months.

Notes & tips for baked Parmesan shrimp

  • Cooking shrimp can be very tricky. If you’re looking for some helpful pointers on cooking crustaceans, be sure to check out this guide on How to Cook Shrimp and Mistakes to Avoid.
  • I used penne in this recipe (to mimic what I remember from the Olive Garden version) but you could use any type of pasta that you’d like for this recipe.
Close up of baked Parmesan shrimp on a plate, with a fork spearing a shrimp.

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How to make baked Parmesan shrimp

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – Kick things off by preparing the pasta per the package instructions but reducing the total cook time by 1 minute. Once done, drain the pasta and set aside.

Step 2 – Add the shrimp, melted butter, and parsley to an 8×8 baking dish, then toss to coat. Arrange the shrimp in an even layer along the bottom of the dish.

Step 3 – Bake!

Step 4 – While the shrimp bakes, prepare the sauce. Add the heavy whipping cream to a large saucepan, bring to a boil, then cook, whisking constantly, for about five minutes. Add Parmesan cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds more, then remove the saucepan from heat.

Step 5 – Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, then toss well to coat.

Step 6 – Once the shrimp is done baking, temporarily transfer the shrimp and butter to a small bowl. In the now-empty baking dish, add the sauce-covered pasta, then pour the shrimp and butter sauce on top. Finish it off by topping everything with chopped cherry tomatoes, more Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs.

Step 7 – Bake again!

Step 8 – Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Details

Close up side view of baked Parmesan shrimp in a white dish.
4.36 from 62 votes

Baked Parmesan Shrimp

20 minutes prep + 30 minutes cook
931 kcal
Yields: 6 servings
Bring the iconic taste of Olive Garden’s baked Parmesan shrimp to the comfort of your own home with this spot-on copycat recipe.

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound penne
  • 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail off
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
  • 3 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, cut in fourths and seedy pulp disgarded

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  • While oven preheats, prepare penne to package instructions, reducing cook time by 1 minute. Drain pasta, cover, and set aside.
    1 pound penne
  • In a 8×8 baking dish, add shrimp, melted butter, and parsley, then toss to coat. Arrange shrimp in an even layer along the bottom of the dish.
    1/3 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 pound large shrimp, 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
  • Cook shrimp in the oven for 15 minutes.
  • While shrimp cooks, pour heavy whipping cream into a large saucepan. Over medium heat, bring cream to a boil. Cook cream for 5 minutes, whisking constantly to avoid boiling over. Add 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to boil again, continuing to whisk, and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove saucepan from heat.
    3 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
  • Add cooked pasta to cream sauce, then toss to coat. If shrimp is still cooking, cover saucepan and set aside until shrimp is done.
  • Once shrimp is done, remove baking dish from oven. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees F (TIP: prop oven door open for a few minutes to help it cool faster). Temporarily transfer shrimp + butter to a small bowl. Pour sauced pasta to the 8×8 baking dish, then add the shrimp + butter on top of the pasta. Finish off by sprinkling chopped cherry tomatoes, 2-4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs on top.
    1 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, 6 cherry tomatoes, 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
  • Bake pasta for 10-12 minutes or until cheese looks slightly melted and tomatoes are tender. 
  • Let Parmesan baked shrimp cool for 5 minutes.
  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 931kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 231mg | Sodium: 825mg | Potassium: 427mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2517IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 352mg | Iron: 2mg

I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.

Author: Chrisy

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Recipe Rating




39 comments

    • Jett S
    • 4 stars

    I agree with the comments below. Needs less pasta, more sauce. 16 oz of penne is 8 servings. 1/2 lb of shrimp is 4 servings. Eight oz of penne would be just right for the amount of sauce. I also added garlic salt for more flavor. Next time I’ll add Minced garlic to the melted butter and shrinp.

    • fooddoz.com

    It is a great recipe. Thanks alot!

    • Michele
    • 5 stars

    This was soooo yummy. I only did about 1/3 of a box of pasta, half of the sauce, but full shrimp and it was perfect. My hubby who is not much of a pasta fan actually had seconds and told me that this was a keeper recipe.

    • Michele flanigan
    • 5 stars

    This was soooo yummy. I only did about 1/3 of a box of pasta, half of the sauce, but full shrimp and it was perfect. My hubby who is not much of a pasta fan actually had seconds and told me that this was a keeper recipe.

    • Barbara

    Very delicious.

    • Mary
    • 4 stars

    You need to double the sauce a little dry but not bad

    • Joanne
    • 5 stars

    Made multiple times and delicious!! Also had to use pre-cooked shrimp once—just put them in oven for five min after tossing on the butter and parsley. So yummy!

    • Ronda
    • 4 stars

    Oh my way too much penne pasta for amount of sauce. Calls for 1 pound or 16 oz. I used about 3/4 of that still to much and to dry thn. My next try will be 8oz. pasta and i will use the very small shrimp so each bite will have shrimp in it. I used jumbo first time didnt effect the flavor but you had to cut shrimp up as you ate to have shrimp in each bite. Great re ipe other than that mentioned. Will definitely make again with revisions