Baked Ziti with Shrimp

We drove up to Galilee, Rhode Island a few summers ago. Tiny fishing village in Narragansett. Boats are always coming in at dusk. Bringing whatever they pulled from the bay that day. The woman who owned our Airbnb suggested we eat at this little Italian diner that was wedged between a bait shop and a convenience store. She suggested that we try the baked ziti with shrimp.

I’m used to ziti with sausage and red marinara sauce. A huge mound of mozzarella on top. The plate that the young lady sat down in front of me that day was none of that. Big bowl of ziti tossed with shrimp and bay scallops in a pinkish-orange sauce that did not look like any pasta I’d ever seen. The guy running the kitchen told us his grandfather was a shrimp boat captain back in the forties. He’d come home with whatever the boat pulled, his wife had pasta on the stove and a jar of roasted peppers she was pureeing for something else. So she dumped the catch into the cream and the peppers and called it dinner. The town named it Fisherman’s Ziti.

The first thing you smell is the garlic and the bay scallops finishing in the pan. The sauce…smoky and a little sweet from the roasted peppers. Sooooo silky from the cream cheese all melting in. Snappy plump pink shrimp. The mozzarella cheese turning golden on top with brown bubbly spots around the edges. The pasta soaks up every drop of sauce. Oh man.

Scroll to bottom for printable recipe card.

Why You’ll Love This Baked Ziti with Shrimp

A whole baked pasta dinner that goes from blender to oven in about 45 minutes. The sauce takes one quick spin in the food processor. Instead of the usual slow-cooked tomato gravy, you’ve got cream cheese and a jar of roasted red peppers. No need to chop tomatoes for this dish. 

And of course it’s the seafood that makes this meal seem like it’s meant for special occasions. Tender shrimp and tiny sweet bay scallops baked into a creamy pasta is the kind of dinner you’d expect at a coastal Italian restaurant. Not on a regular weeknight at home. It tastes like you were standing over the stove for two hours. And the prep is mostly cleaning the food processor afterward.

Ingredients

• Ziti noodles
• Hot water
• Cream cheese
• Roasted red peppers
• Olive oil
• Shrimp
• Bay scallops
• Salt
• Minced garlic
• Fresh parsley
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Ingredient Deep Dive

Roasted Red Peppers

You don’t want to try to roast raw bell peppers yourself to get this. Just buy the jar. The jarred kind are already charred and peeled and sitting in their own brine. The brine is part of what makes this work. It gives the sauce a smoky tang that you’re not going to be able to get with fresh peppers.

Look for the kind packed in just olive oil and salt. Skip anything with sugar or extra vinegar added because that throws the sauce off balance. A standard 12 ounce jar is plenty for one pan of pasta. Drain them quick before they go in the blender.

Cream Cheese

Pull the cream cheese out of the fridge about an hour before you do anything else. Cold cream cheese fights you in the blender. You’ll end up with a chunky mess no matter how long you run the motor. Room temperature is what blends silky. The full-fat block kind is what I always use.

The whipped tubs have extra air in them that throws off the texture. Same goes for the low-fat versions. They break under heat and turn weirdly grainy when they bake. Plain Philadelphia in the silver foil block is exactly what you want.

Shrimp

I go with medium shrimp here. Around a 41 to 50 count per pound. Smaller than that and they disappear into the pasta. Bigger than that and you’re cutting them in half before they go in. Get them peeled and deveined unless you genuinely enjoy the meditation of doing it at the sink. Frozen shrimp work perfectly.

Just thaw them under cold running water for about ten minutes and pat them dry on a paper towel. Wet shrimp steam in the pan instead of searing. And that means rubbery shrimp instead of tender ones.

Bay Scallops

Bay scallops are tiny. Like the size of a marble. They cook in about two minutes and they go from sweet and tender to chewy little erasers if you wander off. Don’t confuse them with sea scallops. Those are the big ones you get seared on a surf-and-turf plate.

Sea scallops are wrong for this dish. They’re too meaty and they don’t cook in the same time as the shrimp. If your store doesn’t carry bay scallops, just double up on the shrimp and skip them entirely.

How Do You Make Baked Ziti with Shrimp:

Step 1: Preheat the oven and boil the pasta.

Set your oven to 400 degrees and put a big pot of salted water on the back burner. Once the water hits a rolling boil, drop in the ziti and cook it to just shy of the package directions. Pull it about a minute early because the pasta is going to bake again in the oven. You don’t want it turning soft and mushy. Drain it and leave it sitting in the colander while you handle the rest. Skip the cold water rinse.

Step 2: Blend the roasted red pepper sauce.

Toss the room temperature cream cheese into a blender or food processor and give it a few pulses on its own first. This breaks up the block so the rest blends smooth.

Add the drained roasted red peppers.

And the hot water and run the motor for about a minute.

You want a sauce that looks like a thick smoothie. Pinkish-orange and no chunks. If you see specks of cream cheese hiding in there, scrape down the sides and blend it again.

Step 3: Sear the shrimp and scallops.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the shrimp and bay scallops in a single layer and let them sit for about 30 seconds before you stir. You want a quick sear and not a steam bath. Stir in the minced garlic and salt and keep everything moving for another minute or two.

The shrimp curl into a soft C shape and the scallops turn opaque white. Tip the pan and pour off any liquid that’s collected at the bottom.

Step 4: Stir the sauce into the pan and add the pasta.

Drop the heat to medium-low and pour the roasted red pepper sauce right over the seafood. Stir it together so the shrimp and scallops are coated. Let it bubble gently for about five minutes so the sauce thickens slightly and picks up some of the seafood flavor. Add the cooked ziti and the fresh parsley and toss everything until every noodle is wearing a coat of pink sauce. Taste a noodle. Adjust the salt if it needs it.

Step 5: Top with mozzarella and bake.

Pour the pasta mixture into a greased 9 by 9 inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top so it covers the pasta edge to edge. Slide it onto the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. You’re done when the cheese is golden and bubbly with a few brown spots around the rim. Let it rest about five minutes before you scoop into it so the sauce can settle.

Pro-Tips & Technique

Pull the ziti about a minute shy of box directions. The pasta keeps cooking in the oven. Take it too far in the pot and you’ll get mushy noodles. Don’t rinse it under cold water either. The starchy coating helps the sauce grip every bite.

Watch the shrimp turn from gray and translucent to opaque pink. The soft C shape is the doneness cue. A tight O means they’re overcooked. Pull them off the heat the second they hit C.

Drain the liquid the seafood gives off before adding the pepper sauce. Skip that and the bake comes out watery.

The mozzarella is done when it’s golden and bubbly at the edges with a few brown spots. If the top still looks pale white after 20 minutes, give it another two or three minutes under the broiler.

Serving & Pairing

This kind of creamy seafood pasta wants something with a little bite next to it. A side of Italian green beans works beautifully. The garlic and olive oil keep it in the same lane as the pasta. A piece of warm garlic bread is non-negotiable at our house because the sauce on the plate needs something to scoop it up. A green salad with a lemon vinaigrette balances the cream.

For wine, pour a chilled glass of Italian Pinot Grigio. It’s crisp and acidic enough to play off the roasted peppers without competing with the seafood. If you’d rather skip the wine, a tall glass of sparkling water with a wedge of lemon does the same brightening job. For dessert, end the meal Italian with a small dish of spumoni. That cherry and pistachio finish keeps things light after a baked pasta.

FAQs & Troubleshooting

Can I use frozen shrimp?

Absolutely. Thaw them by running cold water over them in a strainer for about ten minutes. Pat them dry with paper towels. Wet shrimp will steam in the pan instead of searing.

What if I can’t find bay scallops?

Use an extra half pound of shrimp and skip the scallops. Don’t substitute sea scallops. They’re too big and they cook on a totally different timer than the shrimp. Tiny calamari rings also work.

Can I make this ahead?

Assemble the whole dish up to the point of baking. Cover it tight with foil and stick it in the fridge for up to a day. Bake straight from the fridge and add about ten extra minutes to the cook time.

More Shrimp recipes:

Red Lobster Scampi – This Copycat Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi recipe is an easy-to-make restaurant-style seafood meal that is sure to be a hit.

Sausage and Shrimp Kebabs – Quick and easy 5 ingredient Sausage and Shrimp Kebabs are out of this world!! 

Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs – If you’re looking for a show-stopping appetizer, look no further than this cajun shrimp deviled eggs recipe.