This lemon garlic shrimp zucchini ‘pasta’ is a fabulous and easy dish to make for a healthy lunch or dinner. Shrimp (or prawns if you will) are pan-fried in the aromatic lemon and garlic olive oil, then tossed through raw zucchini noodles with a generous topping of Parmesan cheese for extra flavour. This recipe is gluten-free, low-carb and keto-friendly and can be made without cheese for Paleo and Whole30 versions.

This zucchini noodle dish is my take on a healthy shrimp scampi, which is usually made with spaghetti and garlic, lemon and butter sauce. While I love butter, I wanted to make this recipe with olive oil. It gets flavoured with lots of garlic and lemon zest, my favourite with shrimp or prawns. Swapping spaghetti with zucchini noodles lowers carbohydrates and boosts nutrients.

As I mentioned in the introduction, you can omit the Parmesan cheese to make this dish Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

What You Need To Make This Shrimp Zucchini ‘Pasta’

Zucchini: I recommend medium to large raw zucchini to make pasta or noodles. You will need a vegetable spiralizer to make noodles, but if you don’t have one, you can use a carrot peeler to make lovely ribbons or even slice the zucchini into thin circles. I usually do two small or one medium/large zucchini per serving, but you can do more for a hungrier tummy. 

Shrimp: I use shrimp and prawns interchangeably as my readers are from so many different countries. In this recipe, you can buy raw, unpeeled prawns or shrimp or frozen.

Good olive oil is always essential as it will provide a lot of flavour and nutrients, of course. Then it’s just garlic, lemon and Parmesan, plus salt and pepper for seasoning. Easy peasy!

Using Frozen Shrimp

To speed things up and keep it affordable, I often buy peeled, frozen shrimp. I have a bag in the freezer most of the time as I like it in a lunch salad or a quick prawn and cauliflower rice or a stir-fry. To defrost, I place frozen shrimp in a bowl of hot water and it’s usually ready to use in about 10 minutes. You can also defrost overnight in the fridge (if you’re organised enough…I am not!).

How To Make Lemon Garlic Shrimp Zucchini Pasta

Step 1.  Spiralize or peel the zucchini into noodles or ribbons to create our low-carb, gluten-free pasta alternative. Peel the prawns if needed. Zest 1/2 of the lemon and slice the garlic. Shave/grate Parmesan cheese. The dish comes together quickly, so have everything ready to go.

Step 2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, garlic and lemon zest and turn the heat down to low. Sauté for about a minute until garlic starts to get fragrant. At this stage, add the prawns and turn the heat back to medium. Cook for a minute and a half, then stir through and cook for another minute. 

Try This Next Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes with Parmesan Orzo Recipe

Step 3. Zucchini noodles don’t need much cooking. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan, drizzle with the juice of 1/2 lemon and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon salt or so). Stir and heat through the garlic, lemon and shrimp olive oil until hot. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan and stir through in the pan. 

Transfer to a plate or a bowl and top with the remaining cheese. You can drizzle a little more olive oil on top.

More Healthy Zucchini Noodle Recipes

Print

Description

Learn how to make super easy lemon garlic shrimp zucchini pasta with just a handful of ingredients. This healthy shrimp scampi recipe uses zucchini noodles in place of spaghetti pasta and olive oil to make a delicious and healthy lunch or dinner that is low-carb and gluten-free. This recipe is for one generous serving and is easy to multiply as needed.

• Prep. Spiralize or peel the zucchini into noodles or ribbons to create our low-carb, gluten-free pasta alternative. Peel the prawns if needed. Zest 1/2 of the lemon and slice the garlic. Shave/grate Parmesan cheese. The dish comes together quickly, so have everything ready to go.
• Saute. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, garlic and lemon zest and turn the heat down to low. Saute for about a minute until garlic starts to get fragrant. 
• Add the shrimp. At this stage, add the prawns and turn the heat back to medium. Cook for a minute and a half, then stir through and cook for another minute. 
• Finish with zucchini. Zucchini noodles don’t need much cooking. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan, drizzle with the juice of 1/2 lemon and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon salt or so). Stir and heat through the garlic, lemon and shrimp olive oil until hot. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan and stir through in the pan. 
• Transfer to a plate or a bowl and top with the remaining cheese. You can drizzle a little more olive oil on top.

Notes

• You can use raw or frozen shrimp/prawns. To defrost, I place frozen shrimp in a bowl of hot water and it’s usually ready to use in about 10 minutes. You can also defrost overnight in the fridge.
• I recommend 2 small or 1 large/medium zucchini per serving.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: A generous bowl
• Calories: 597
• Sugar: 6.8 g
• Sodium: 1154.9 mg
• Fat: 50.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 10.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 11.9 g
• Fiber: 2.6 g
• Protein: 30.5 g
• Cholesterol: 156 mg

Keywords: Shrimp, Prawns, Zucchini, Courgette, Zucchini Pasta, Zucchini Noodles, Shrimp Scampi, Low-carb, Keto, Gluten-Free

Get Inspired With More Healthy ‘Noodle’ Recipes

Source link

Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes with Parmesan Orzo Recipe

Shrimp laced with buttery garlic and thyme and a burst tomato sauce served on a creamy Parmesan orzo.

Juicy, succulent shrimp laced with garlic, butter, and thyme, tucked into a silky burst tomato sauce, and piled high on creamy, luscious Parmesan orzo. WHAT A DREAMBOAT DINNER. I love this recipe!

---

In This Post:

---

How To Make This Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes (with Pictures)

Step 1: Blister and Smash the Tomatoes

Get the tomatoes hot and blistery; then give ’em a gentle smash with the back of a spoon or a small plate. It’s… very fun.

Step 2: Cook the Shrimp

Make a little clearing right in the center of the tomatoes where you can add your shrimp to cook for a couple of minutes. Salt it up!

Step 3: Get the Garlic and Butter Going In There

Throw in a bunch of freshly sliced garlic and a knob of butter. Stir it up a few times until it’s dreamy.

Step 4: Make a Creamy Orzo

Put a lid on the shrimp and make a quick creamy orzo – butter, Parmesan, cream, lemon, and salt.

Step 5: Put It All Together

Piping hot orzo goes on the plate first, and then we pull our shrimp and tomatoes back out to pile on top.

---

Lindsay’s Notes

This recipe is in heavy rotation at the moment – and it never fails to make me feel like I’m eating at a fancy restaurant and/or generally have my life together. Is my laundry all over my table? Yes. Have I been using dry shampoo for the last 4 days? Yes. But am I also eating a kind of fancy and beautiful dinner? YES! Three cheers for doable “fancy” recipes. 10/10 recommend.

Creamy orzo with the twang of Parmesan, sweet burst tomatoes gently bubbled into a sauce, and a pile of jumbo, delicate, buttery, garlic-laced shrimp. Pass me a glass of wine and I am living my best life.

As far as family approval goes, Bjork and I love the whole big, beautiful thing – no thyme for him (a true crime and I don’t want to spend any more time talking about it), and lots of thyme, salt, and pepp for me. The girls are hit and miss with the shrimp and tomatoes, but you better believe they love the creamy Parmesan orzo which is, of course, just mac and cheese in disguise. They’ll usually eat a few of the fresh little tomatoes on the side, too. Winning for everybody!

---

Print

Description

Shrimp laced with buttery garlic and thyme and a burst tomato sauce served on a creamy Parmesan orzo.

---

Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes:

Creamy Orzo:

Popular Recipe Thai Chicken Drumsticks (Baked)

---

1. Cook the Orzo: Cook according to package directions. Drain, toss with a bit of oil, and set aside.
2. Soften the Tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and olive oil to a pan over medium high heat so they can soften and get a bit blistered on the outside. I usually cover the pan to avoid extra splatters.
3. Smash the Tomatoes: Once they’re soft (5 minutes or so), give them a gentle smash with the back of a spoon or applying even pressure with a plate or similar flat object. You want the tomatoes to be partially burst / smashed so they release some juices.
4. Cook the Shrimp: Make a little clearing in the center of the tomatoes and add your shrimp right in; season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
5. Give it Some Flava-Flave: Add the garlic, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan and stir to mix it all together. Let it get saucy and bubbly; then remove from heat and cover with a lid.
6. Make the orzo: Mix the orzo with butter, half and half, Parmesan, and lemon. Stir to combine; warm it up over the heat if necessary.
7. Pile it up: Serve immediately so the orzo doesn’t get too starchy and sticky! Pile it on a plate with a big scoop of steamy shrimp and tomatoes. Top with thyme. So good!

Notes

This amount usually makes enough for just Bjork and I to finish the shrimp, with plenty of orzo for us and the girls. If you wanted to serve 4 adults, I would use 2 pounds of shrimp!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Saute
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: shrimp and orzo, orzo recipe, shrimp and tomatoes

Recipe Card powered by

Frequently Asked Questions For Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes

What can I use instead of shrimp?

Chicken would be delicious! I would probably pan-fry the chicken first, then take it out and set aside while you build your tomato sauce, then add the chicken back in at the end.

How long do the leftovers last?

You can definitely eat this meal as leftovers for 1, maybe 2 days after you make it, but it’s one of those meals that really shines when it’s made fresh.

Can you make this vegetarian / meatless?

Use zucchini in place of the shrimp! Or, similarly, this recipe is great.

How do you make this gluten-free and/or dairy-free?

Use gluten free orzo, dairy-free butter (or olive oil), and something else creamy in place of the half and half and Parmesan – a knob of dairy-free cream cheese would be good!

Another option would be to skip the creamy orzo and serve this with quinoa or another gluten-free, dairy-free option.

My Favorite Shrimp Recipes

Source link