Are you on the hunt for the ultimate one-pan meal? A complete, healthy, and incredibly flavorful dinner that comes together on a single sheet pan with the easiest cleanup imaginable? This amazing, restaurant-quality Sheet Pan Shrimp and Asparagus is that perfect recipe! We’re talking plump, juicy, and perfectly roasted shrimp and crisp-tender asparagus, all tossed in the most luscious, zesty, and savory garlic-herb butter sauce you’ve ever had.
This isn’t just another sheet pan recipe; it’s a guide to your new weeknight superstar. We’ll show you the simple but brilliant “staged roasting” technique that ensures every component of this beautiful meal is cooked to absolute perfection. This is a sophisticated, satisfying, and deeply comforting dish that is perfect for any night of the week.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate 20-Minute Sheet Pan Dinner
What makes this Sheet Pan Shrimp and Asparagus so spectacularly delicious is its incredible, fresh flavor and its brilliantly simple and fast cooking method. This recipe is a masterpiece of modern efficiency. The heart and soul of the dish is a luscious, from-scratch garlic butter sauce, infused with fresh parsley and brightened with fresh lemon juice and zest. This beautiful sauce is tossed with perfectly roasted, plump and juicy shrimp and vibrant, crisp-tender asparagus. The secret to the perfect texture is a simple, “staged roasting” technique: the asparagus gets a head start in the oven before the quick-cooking shrimp are added to the same pan to finish roasting together.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 25 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4 |
The Simple Luxuries: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic dish uses a handful of fresh, high-impact ingredients to create its signature vibrant and savory flavor.
- The Shrimp: For the best, most succulent result, it is highly recommended to use large or jumbo raw shrimp. Using shrimp that has already been peeled and deveined is a fantastic and convenient shortcut that makes this a true 20-minute meal.
- The Asparagus: Look for fresh, bright green asparagus stalks that are firm and smooth. The secret to perfectly tender asparagus is to trim off the tough, woody ends before cooking. Simply bend one of the stalks, and it will naturally snap at the point where the tough end meets the tender spear.
- The Garlic Butter Sauce: A simple but powerful combination of classic flavors.
- Fresh Aromatics: It is absolutely essential to use freshly minced garlic, fresh parsley, and fresh lemon juice and zest. The vibrant, authentic flavor you get from fresh ingredients is a world away from their dried or bottled counterparts and is the key to a truly restaurant-quality sauce.
- Unsalted Butter: A high-quality, unsalted butter allows you to control the final saltiness of the dish and provides a rich, creamy flavor base for the sauce.
The Sheet Pan Masterclass: The Secret to Perfect Roasting
The number one, non-negotiable secret to a perfect sheet pan meal where everything is cooked correctly is to “stage” your ingredients. Different ingredients require different cooking times.
- Start with the Heartiest Ingredient: Denser vegetables like asparagus need more time in the oven to become tender. By giving the asparagus a 7-minute head start, you are ensuring it will be perfectly cooked.
- Add the Quick-Cooking Ingredient Last: Delicate proteins like shrimp cook in just a few minutes. Adding them to the hot pan for just the last 7 minutes of cooking is the secret to ensuring they are perfectly plump, juicy, and tender, not tough, dry, and rubbery.
Step-by-Step to the Best Sheet Pan Shrimp
This elegant, one-pan meal is incredibly simple to prepare.
Step 1: Make the Garlic Butter Sauce and Prepare the Asparagus
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to a hot 400°F (200°C).
Step 2: In a small saucepan over a low heat, add the 4 tablespoons of butter and the 1 minced clove of garlic. Cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, which will take 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to let the butter brown. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, the 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest, and the 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Set this sauce aside.
Step 3: On a large, rimmed baking sheet, lay out your 1 bunch of trimmed asparagus. Drizzle the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.
Step 4: Roast the asparagus for 7 minutes.
Part 2: Roast the Shrimp and Finish the Dish
Step 1: While the asparagus is roasting, in a medium bowl, toss your 1 pound of shrimp with the 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Step 2 (The Sheet Pan Magic!): After the asparagus has roasted for 7 minutes, carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven. Move the asparagus to one side of the pan and add your seasoned shrimp to the second half in a single, even layer.
Step 3: Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 7 minutes. You will know the dish is perfectly done when the shrimp have turned a light pink color and are firm, and the asparagus is browned on the edges and perfectly fork-tender.
Step 4: Carefully remove the asparagus from the hot sheet pan and chop it into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Place the chopped asparagus back onto the sheet pan with the shrimp.
Step 5: Pour about half of your prepared garlic butter sauce over the hot shrimp and asparagus on the sheet pan and toss everything together to coat it lightly.
To serve, place the shrimp and asparagus over a bed of thin spaghetti and drizzle with the remaining garlic butter sauce and an extra sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Butter Sheet Pan Shrimp and Asparagus (20-Minute Meal!)
A quick and easy one-pan meal featuring roasted shrimp and asparagus with a simple, homemade garlic butter sauce. In this healthy weeknight dinner, fresh asparagus is first par-roasted on a sheet pan. Seasoned large shrimp are then added to the same pan and roasted alongside the asparagus until everything is cooked through. The dish is tossed with a flavorful garlic butter sauce infused with fresh parsley and lemon, and is suggested to be served over a bed of thin spaghetti.
Ingredients
- For the Garlic Butter Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- For the Sheet Pan:
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- For Serving:
- Thin spaghetti, cooked
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Make the Garlic Butter Sauce: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the minced garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to let the butter brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Roast the Vegetables and Shrimp: On a large baking sheet, toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Roast for 7 minutes.
- While the asparagus is roasting, toss the shrimp in a bowl with the chili powder, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
- After 7 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven. Move the asparagus to one side and add the shrimp to the other half of the pan in a single layer.
- Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 7 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and firm and the asparagus is tender.
- Assemble and Serve: Remove the asparagus from the sheet pan, chop it into 3-4 pieces, and then return it to the pan with the shrimp. Drizzle half of the garlic butter sauce over everything and toss to coat.
- Serve the shrimp and asparagus mixture over cooked thin spaghetti, drizzling with the remaining garlic butter sauce and garnishing with fresh parsley.
Notes
- This is a complete meal made on a single sheet pan (for the main components), which makes for very easy cleanup.
- Par-roasting the asparagus before adding the shrimp is a key technique that ensures both ingredients are perfectly cooked at the same time.
- The simple garlic butter sauce is made separately and used to coat the finished dish, adding a rich flavor.
What to Serve With Your Shrimp and Asparagus
This beautiful and saucy dish is a fantastic, light, and healthy meal. It pairs wonderfully with classic, simple side dishes.
- Pasta: As the recipe suggests, a bed of simple, delicate thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta is the perfect, classic partner for this dish, ideal for sopping up every last drop of that incredible, savory-sweet garlic butter sauce.
- Rice or Grains: A bed of fluffy jasmine rice or a nutty quinoa is another fantastic and healthy choice.
- Crusty Bread: A side of warm, crusty bread or garlic bread is an absolute must-have for dipping into the incredible sauce.
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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Make-Ahead: For a super-fast and impressive weeknight meal, you can get a head start by preparing all your components in advance. The garlic butter sauce can be made, the asparagus can be trimmed, and the shrimp can be peeled and deveined up to a day in advance. Store everything in separate, airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Store any leftover shrimp, asparagus, and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute, number one secret to juicy, not tough or rubbery, roasted shrimp?
The secret is to not overcook them! Shrimp cook incredibly quickly, in just a few minutes. As soon as they have turned from a translucent grey to an opaque pink color and have curled into a gentle “C” shape, they are perfectly cooked. If they curl into a tight “O” shape, they are overcooked.
Q2: What is the best and easiest way to trim the woody ends off of asparagus?
The easiest and most foolproof method is to simply take one of your asparagus stalks and hold it with both hands. Gently bend the stalk, and it will naturally snap at the exact point where the tough, woody bottom ends and the tender, delicious spear begins. You can then line up all your other asparagus stalks and use a sharp knife to trim them all to that same length.
Q3: Can I make this dish ahead of time for meal prep?
Yes, this is a fantastic meal-prep recipe! You can prepare the entire dish and portion it with your pasta or rice into airtight containers. It will keep beautifully in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, making for a delicious and satisfying lunch.
Q4: Can I make this recipe in an air fryer?
Yes, an air fryer would be a fantastic way to cook both the asparagus and the shrimp! For the asparagus, air fry it at 400°F for about 5-7 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. For the shrimp, air fry them at 400°F for about 4-6 minutes, until they are pink and cooked through.
Q5: Can I use a different kind of vegetable?
Of course! This recipe is wonderfully versatile. You could substitute the asparagus with an equal amount of other quick-cooking vegetables, like some broccoli florets, sliced zucchini, or some halved cherry tomatoes. Just be sure to adjust your roasting times accordingly.