Recipe: Light and Zesty Shrimp Scampi

Make shrimp scampi more exciting with curly zucchini and lemon juice. Zucchini is a healthy choice, but you can also use butternut squash, summer squash, or regular pasta. 

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: approximately 20 minutes
Serves: 6
Serving size: 1¼ cup 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 fresh garlic cloves
• ½ cup dry white table wine (substitute chicken or veggie broth)
• ⅓ cup fresh parsley
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1½ pounds extra-large shrimp (20–25 count), raw, peeled, deveined
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of ½ a lemon)
• 30 ounces zucchini noodles (5–6 spiralized zucchini)

Instructions

Mince garlic and chop parsley. Add olive oil, butter, and garlic to an extra-large skillet over medium heat. Sauté until garlic is translucent. Add wine or broth, parsley, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté for 2–3 minutes until liquid reduces. Pat shrimp dry, add them to the skillet, and turn heat to medium low. Cook until shrimp are opaque and cooked through, approximately 3–5 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook another minute. Turn off heat. Add zucchini and gently toss. Cover and let sit for 2–3 minutes, until the zucchini is warmed through. 

Top with freshly ground black pepper, if desired. Serve.

MOBE kitchen tips: 

• A spiralizer is an inexpensive kitchen tool that can be used to cut vegetables into pasta-like noodles. If you don’t have a spiralizer and can’t find spiralized zucchini in your produce section, use a vegetable peeler to make thin strands of zucchini instead.
• If you opt for frozen shrimp, look for some without any added preservatives. The ingredient list should contain only shrimp or shrimp, water, and salt. 

Recipe notes:

• Save time by using store-bought zucchini noodles, which you can find in the produce section of major grocery stores. 
• Adjust the number of garlic cloves to your preference. 
• Spaghetti, spaghetti squash, or butternut squash noodles can be substituted for zucchini noodles. 
• Leave the shrimp tail on or peel it off before cooking. 
• Top the shrimp scampi with shaved parmesan or toasted lemon garlic breadcrumbs for added texture and flavor.

Nutrition facts per serving

Calories: 280 / Total Fat: 8g (10% DV) / Saturated Fat: 2g (10% DV) / Trans Fat: 0g / Cholesterol:  175mg (58% DV) / Sodium: 700mg (30% DV) / Total Carbohydrate: 19g (7% DV) / Dietary Fiber: 3g (11% DV) / Total Sugars: 11g / Added Sugar: 7g (14% DV) / Protein: 21g / Vitamin D: 0mcg (0% DV) / Calcium: 96mg (8% DV) / Iron: 2mg (10% DV) / Potassium: 150mg (4% DV)

Allergen statement: Contains shellfish (shrimp) and milk.

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