My zucchini zoodles with shrimp scampi shows up on the dinner table alot around here. Especially when we are watching that waist line. Always a great way to get in an extra veggie and remove a few carbs. Don’t get me wrong, I love my pasta and will never give it up but, to add some balance, I’ll substitute zucchini noodles. They are super easy to make. You’ll need a spiralizer for this recipe but they are very affordable (under $20) and are great for all kinds of veggie and fruit spiralizing. If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, you can use the spiralizer attachment.
To get started with this light and delicious dish, start by spiralizing your zucchini. Follow your machine’s or attachment’s instructions and spiralize two zucchini. This will yield about 6 cups. Note, the zoodles can be very, very long. Simple cut them into manageable spaghetti length pieces.
Next, pull your ingredients together for the sauce. Chop your garlic, chop your parsley and zest your lemon. If you haven’t purchased your shrimp already peeled and deveined, do that now. I also remove the tails so my guests don’t have to deal with them while eating this dish.
Add the butter and one tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and cook for about two minutes. Be sure to stir so the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the wine and lemon zest and cook until the sauce has reduced some and the alcohol smell has burned off. The sauce will become a golden color. This will take about 4-5 minutes.
Add the shrimp, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp start to turn pink on the outside but are still translucent on the inside. About three minutes.
Next, add the zucchini and toss with tongs until they are coated in the sauce and have barely wilted. This goes fast and you don’t want soggy zucchini – about 2-3 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste and plate.
I serve this in pasta bowls topped with parsley and fresh Parmesan. Don’t yell if you are anti-cheese on shellfish. Just don’t use it. Since you skipped the pasta, this would be great with garlic bread or my Monkey Bread Cheese and Garlic Muffins on the side.
Like this dish? Try some of my other lighter seafood dinner options:
Lime, Ginger and Blackberry Salmon Rice Bowl
Zucchini Zoodles With Shrimp Scampi
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. Land O’ Lakes Light butter
- 1 Tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 Tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Cup Dry white wine
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 Lbs. Medium peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 6 Cups Zucchini noodles, from 2 medium zucchinis (about 1 pound)
- 1/4 Cup Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the butter and 1 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter melts, add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, until fragrant and the garlic is just golden, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and lemon zest and cook, reducing the sauce until the alcohol smell is gone and the sauce is a nice golden color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, 1/2 Tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp start to turn pink on the outside but are still translucent inside, about 3 minutes.
- Add the zucchini noodles and toss with tongs until they are well coated with the sauce and have wilted slightly, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and top with parsley and grated Parmesan. (The cheese is optional but I really love it on this dish!)
