Pin RecipeLike most parents, the first thing I always ask is what happened in school that day. Inevitably his response is “nothing”… and without skipping beat, they ask what we are having for dinner. When I told him we were having “Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles”, he was excited!
Most kids would probably ask what the zucchini noodles were, but since I make zucchini pasta recipes rather frequently, there was no hesitation! Anyway, this dish is one of our favorite shrimp recipes. The kids love it so much they have already asked me to make it again this week!
And for the record, if you do have someone in the house who is allergic to shrimp, you can easily substitute scallops. You’ll end up with a delicious scallop scampi.
A Very Garlicky Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
Classic shrimp scampi recipes typically call for a lot of butter and a pretty hefty amount of garlic too. However, I was able to make the dish comply with our anti-inflammatory clean eating guidelines by eliminating the butter and using just extra virgin olive oil instead. As for the garlic, I used WAY more than what is called for in a conventional scampi recipe. And by way more I mean about eight times the normal amount.
Why So Much Garlic?
I use lots of garlic for two reasons; 1) garlic has tremendous health benefits (new research shows garlic can help lower inflammation and fight obesity) and 2) I really think the extra garlic is what makes the dish. You just have to be super careful not to let it burn! You want to cook the garlic over medium heat (not high heat!) and stir constantly. Because trust me, nothing will ruin shrimp scampi faster than burned garlic.
As for the zucchini noodles, you could of course always swap those for whole grain pasta. You could also do half and half (half zucchini noodles/ half whole grain pasta.)
By the way, if you love shrimp recipes, be sure to check out this Clean Shrimp and Grits Recipe or this delicious Chicken Pesto with Zucchini Noodles by Ali over at Inspiralized.
Print
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Cuisine:
PrintDescription
On the table in less than 30 minutes, this recipe for Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles is butter free and made with LOTS of garlic.
Ingredients
- 3 cups spiralized zuchhini “noodles” using a
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (or vegetable broth)
- 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 3/4 pound large or extra large shrimp (peeled and de-veined)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the zucchini noodles and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Add the wine (or broth), salt, red pepper and black pepper; bring to a simmer. Let wine reduce by half.
- Add shrimp and saute until they just turn pink, about 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon; cook until parsley just barely wilts.
- Add the cooked zucchini noodles to the skillet and heat through until just warm, about 1 minute. Serve warm.
It says a LOT of garlic
But only references 1/4 minced garlic –
1/4 Cup, tbsp, tsp???
Can you help?
Oh my gosh!! Thank you so much for catching that mistake Joe. I am so sorry it took me a few days to get back to you too, we just had some major issues with the server so the blog has been down a lot and not working properly the last few days. Anyway, as for the recipe, it should be 1/4 cup minced garlic. I know that’s A LOT! of garlic, but I promise it tastes amazing =)
Ah!
Ok – I thought that was it as 1/4 cup is a lot and does make sense!
Thanks! Will let you know how it goes!
JOE
Ok! Yes, do let me know how you like it Joe =)