If you love seafood pasta and specifically, Italian seafood, this easy baked ziti with shrimp casserole is the dish for you! This dish combines classic baked ziti with something even more special, shrimp! This comforting pasta bake combines tender ziti, juicy shrimp, and sauce along with layers of delicious cheese that will surely warm your heart.
This is a recipe you’ll want to save for weeknight dinners or when you want something satisfying but not extremely heavy. It also works well if you’re entertaining or heading to a potluck dinner. It looks impressive coming out of the oven when topped with delicious cheeses! The shrimp in this dish also cooks quickly while remaining juicy and tender, as the pasta absorbs the savory flavors from both the sauce and cheese as it bakes.
This recipe is extremely versatile and perfect for new or experienced home cooks. You don’t have to be a professional chef to make this dish! We promise, it’s not only delicious and will keep you coming back for more, but it’s a recipe you’ll want to save and remake in your kitchen during the week. If you have kids, don’t fret. This recipe is extremely family-friendly and can be made your own with a few tweaks.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Kid-friendly: This pasta is a favorite in my home. My kids and husband rave about it and ask for it occasionally! I love making this dish, but there is a warning—there are rarely any leftovers!
Comforting: For comforting Italian seafood that’s difficult to compare, you’ve got to try this creamy shrimp pasta bake. It’s perfect for weeknights and weekends, any time of the year.
Budget-friendly: Most of the ingredients called for in this recipe are affordable and easy to obtain.
Staple ingredients: If you’re looking for a cheesy pasta that isn’t overly complicated, this is the recipe for you. Most ingredients called for in this creamy shrimp pasta are likely already in your refrigerator or pantry.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Ziti noodles: You can swap the Ziti pasta with another type of noodle if you prefer in this shrimp casserole. Ziti noodles are called for as they’re traditional. However, you can also use another noodle perfect for cheesy pasta, such as elbow macaroni!
Baby scallops: This recipe calls for baby scallops, but you can omit them if you’re searching for a more budget-friendly version. You can add more shrimp or use another seafood you’d like instead.
Shrimp: We recommend using raw shrimp when cooking this recipe. If you purchase cooked shrimp, keep in mind, the texture of the shrimp will be a bit tougher. Cooking shrimp from raw is simple, easy, and only requires a few minutes. The raw shrimp will cook as the bake cooks in your oven.
Shredded Mozzarella: While we recommend using shredded Mozzarella, you can also use an Italian blend of cheese for even more flavor with this bake.
Tips for Success
Choose a noodle that’s designed to absorb pasta sauce, such as Ziti or elbows. You could also try this recipe with shell noodles, big or small.
Use white cheeses to top this dish for a traditional Italian seafood taste.
Storage & Reheating
Storing and reheating this creamy seafood pasta is easy and straightforward. You can store individual servings in airtight containers in your fridge for up to 3 days. If you’re storing your bake in your casserole dish, choose a dish with a lid or use multiple layers of aluminum foil to keep it from spoiling. You can also store this dish in the freezer for 3 months in airtight containers.
To reheat, remove the pasta from the fridge or freezer and allow it to come close to room temperature. Then, you can reheat in an oven-safe or microwave-safe dish. To reheat in the oven, do so at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through. If microwaving, cook for 1 to 2 minutes per serving, checking intermittently.
Serving Suggestions
We highly recommend serving our green Chile cheese bread or our Mexican cornbread recipe! We also think serving this dish with a fresh and crisp green salad is a wonderful idea! Pairing this dish with some veggies on the side (such as steamed broccoli) is another way to add even more nutrients to this seafood pasta dinner.
Notes
This is a classic dish I grew up with when I was a child! One recommendation I have is to find raw shrimp that has already been deveined and shelled.
Cheesy Shrimp Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Ziti noodles or penne
- ½ cup Hot water
- 8 oz. Cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 12 oz. Jar of roasted red peppers thoroughly drained and chopped
- 1 tbsp. Olive oil
- 8 oz. Shrimp peeled, deveined, and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 8 oz. Bay scallops
- ⅛ tsp. Salt
- 4 tsp. Minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. Chopped fresh parsley
- ¾ cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and grease a 9×9-inch baking dish well with butter or olive oil.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook your ziti noodles until they are just under al dente (about 2 minutes less than the box instructions). Drain and set aside.
- The Hydrophilic Blend: In a blender or food processor, combine the softened cream cheese, drained roasted red peppers, and ½ cup of hot water. Blend on high speed for 45 to 60 seconds until a completely smooth, vibrant orange sauce forms. Pro Tip: Cream cheese can easily curdle or break when exposed to direct skillet heat. Pre-blending it with hot water and the natural sugars of the roasted peppers breaks down the fat globules into a stable, silky emulsion that will coat the pasta uniformly without separation.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the shrimp pieces, bay scallops, minced garlic, and salt to the skillet. Sauté for just 2 to 3 minutes, tossing continuously. The seafood should be just turning opaque on the outside but still translucent in the center. Immediately pull the skillet from the heat and tilt the pan to drain away any excess rendered liquid.
- The Overcook Prevention Buffer: Pour your blended roasted red pepper sauce straight into the warm skillet with the seafood. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer gently for exactly 3 minutes to let the garlic infuse the sauce. Crucial: Delicate seafood like shrimp and bay scallops can turn rubbery and chewy in a flash. Par-cooking them just until pale pink before letting them finish cooking gently inside the liquid sauce insulates the proteins, protecting them from the dry heat of the oven later.
- Toss the cooked ziti noodles and fresh chopped parsley directly into the seafood sauce skillet. Stir well until the hollow ziti tubes are completely flooded with the pepper sauce.
- Pour the entire mixture into your prepared 9×9-inch baking dish. Blanket the top surface evenly with the ¾ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered at 400°F for 20 minutes until the cheese is completely melted, bubbling violently at the edges, and developing small golden brown spots. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving so the cream cheese matrix thickens slightly.
