Copycat Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi

Members of The Cheesecake Factory fan club—this is the creamy pasta recipe you’ve been waiting for. In my opinion, shrimp scampi is synonymous with easy weeknight dinners, but this copycat version shakes it up with a few worthwhile changes. Although shrimp scampi is usually made with an olive oil-based sauce, this recipe is cream-based with tomato, garlic, and shallots, and it’s absolutely worth every creamy twirl of the fork. The shrimp are also breaded in flour and Parmesan for the perfect crunchy coating—that’s layers of crispy, salty love right there. You still get the essence of shrimp scampi through the creamy, buttery white wine and garlic sauce, which is what makes this dish so well-loved. Here’s everything you need to know:

The must-have ingredients:
According to The Cheesecake Factory, the shrimp scampi has a combination of whole garlic cloves, white wine, fresh basil, and tomato. Heavy cream carries the savory white wine, garlic (we decided to chop), and sweet shallot throughout the sauce, which gets tossed with dainty angel hair pasta. While researching I found that either large or jumbo shrimp could work, but I opted for jumbo (21-25). The flour and Parmesan breading might sound simple, but it creates an incredibly flavorful crust.

Serve it like the restaurant:
I prefer to coat the pasta right in the sauce so each strand gets treated equally the same all the way through. But, if you want to plate this in the iconic The Cheesecake Factory way, then get yourself a large fork. Twirl a portion of angel hair around the fork and place the nest in the center of your bowl. Then, you’ll pour the cream sauce around and arrange the shrimp tails up.

Storage:
Store the spaghetti, sauce, and shrimp separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure that you remove the shrimp tail shells before consuming the shrimp.

Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below!