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Garlic Butter and White Wine Seafood Pasta

I love a bright white wine sauce for pasta—garlicky, buttery, and lighter than many cream-based alternatives. This version is straightforward, flavorful, and comes together quickly. I first learned it from a friend with culinary training who lived in Italy; she served it with angel hair pasta, shrimp, mussels, and clams. It’s simple, reliably delicious, and now a staple when I crave seafood pasta.

Garlic Butter White Wine Pasta

Ingredients

These are pantry-friendly ingredients I usually keep on hand. Quantities are listed in the recipe card below for an exact guide.

  • Base: Olive oil and white wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc). Any inexpensive dry white wine works for cooking. If you avoid alcohol, substitute a mix of chicken broth and a splash of white wine vinegar.
  • Aromatics: Shallot, onion, and plenty of garlic for flavor.
  • Seasonings: Old Bay (or similar seafood seasoning), garlic powder, black pepper, crushed red pepper, parsley, and salt to taste.
  • Proteins: Shrimp and mussels—frozen work fine and are convenient; use fresh if available. You can swap in chicken or sausage for a different variation.
  • Other: Butter, cherry tomatoes, angel hair (or thin spaghetti), grated Parmesan, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end.

Taste and adjust salt as you cook. Seasoning in layers lets the flavors develop and keeps you in control of the final balance.

Cooking white wine sauce

Other ways to prepare & enjoy

This recipe is a basic, flexible white wine sauce that welcomes variations. Stir in fresh greens such as arugula or basil at the end, or serve with toasted garlic bread sprinkled with Parmesan. For a heartier version, add cooked chicken and andouille sausage and finish with a pinch of Creole seasoning.

If using chicken, sear it first in the pan, set it aside, and continue the recipe in the same pan, scraping up the browned bits to enrich the sauce. Alternatively, skip the pasta entirely and serve the seafood and sauce as a dip for crusty bread—great as a side to steak or as a shared appetizer.

Seafood pasta plated

More pasta recipe ideas

If you enjoy this garlic butter white wine pasta, try pairing similar flavors with other noodle dishes—creamy pesto chicken pasta, spicy seafood udon, traditional sopa de fideo, or Korean-inspired black bean noodles are all delicious ways to explore different cuisines while using the same basic cooking techniques.

Garlic Butter & White Wine Seafood Pasta

Servings: 2 • Prep: 10 mins • Cook: 15 mins • Total: 25 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp shallot, minced
  • 2 tbsp onion, minced
  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced (use less if preferred)
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (or seafood seasoning)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • Salt to taste (about 1 tsp total for reference)
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc)
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 10 mussels
  • 7 oz tiger shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
  • 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) butter
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 4–5 oz angel hair pasta (or thin spaghetti)
  • 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil over low heat. Sauté the minced shallot and onion until fragrant, seasoning lightly with salt as they cook.
    2. Sauté shallots and onions
  2. Add the garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add more oil if the pan looks dry.
    3. Add garlic
  3. Stir in Old Bay, garlic powder, and black pepper to toast briefly and build flavor.
    4. Seasonings added
  4. Add the cherry tomatoes, season with salt to taste, and sauté for about one minute until they begin to soften.
    5. Tomatoes added
  5. Increase heat slightly and pour in the white wine. Let it simmer for 2–3 minutes so the alcohol cooks off and the flavors concentrate. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
    6. Add white wine
  6. Lightly season the shrimp with a pinch of Old Bay, garlic powder, and black pepper. Add the shrimp, mussels, chopped parsley, and dollops of butter to the pan. Cover and cook 3–4 minutes, or until the mussel shells open and the shrimp are opaque.
    7. Seafood cooking
  7. Remove the cooked shrimp and mussels and set them aside. Reduce the heat to low to keep the sauce warm.
    8. Remove seafood
  8. Add al dente pasta to the pan along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water (be sure to salt your pasta water when boiling). Toss the pasta in the sauce until evenly coated and a silky emulsion forms.
    9. Toss pasta in sauce
  9. Stir in the grated Parmesan until melted and incorporated. Turn off the heat once most of the sauce has been absorbed and the pasta is glossy.
    10. Add parmesan
  10. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the pasta, toss once more, and return the seafood to the pan to warm briefly if needed.
    11. Add lemon
  11. Plate the pasta topped with shrimp, mussels, extra parsley, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a pinch of crushed red pepper for heat. Serve immediately with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
    12. Finished dish

Notes & tips

  • Reserve pasta water before draining—its starch helps the sauce cling to the noodles.
  • If substituting chicken, sear and remove it first; use the fond in the pan to flavor the sauce.
  • Use inexpensive dry white wine for cooking; the wine adds acidity and depth but doesn’t need to be premium.
  • Adjust the crushed red pepper to control heat, and always taste before finishing with salt and lemon.