Zucchini Shrimp Scampi
Traditional shrimp scampi made into a low-carb dish with zucchini noodles. It’s unbelievably easy, quick & healthy! 214.3 calories.
I know I’m late to the party but I finally invested in a spiralizer. And I have to say – it’s really the best $15 I’ve ever spent.
Now if you don’t know what a spiralizer is, it’s basically a vegetable slicer, cutting super-thin strips resembling spaghetti strands, creating a healthier, grain-free alternative to standard pasta.
The texture is amazingly tender with a little bit of bite, and I just love how you can twirl it up like pasta. And it goes beautifully in this buttery, garlicky shrimp scampi with all that vibrant lemon goodness.
Best of all, I don’t have to feel guilty about eating this at all!
Zucchini Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ pounds 4 medium-sized zucchini, spiralized
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in chicken stock and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer; stir in zucchini noodles until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan and parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Can you freeze this dish?
I just made this and I appreciate the recipe calls for ingredients I usually have on hand & the fact that it’s pretty easy to make and doesn’t take a bunch of time AND it is damn delicious! I did take the suggestion of some comments and add fresh from the garden cherry tomatoes after plating
Thanks for sharing
Made this tonite. Came out great. Tasted great. I only made a half batch as it was just for me. I could have put a few more shrimp but not necessary. Thx for the recipe
I made this dish for company and they all were looking for more, including myself.
Since then I’ve made it 2 more times and that was a couple of weeks ago.
It’s a wonderful dish and so much more healthier than using pasta.
Always love this.
I sometimes play around with ingredients.
My garden is full of zucchini, yellow squash, jalapeños & tomatoe. Tonight I used them all and choped up marinated mozzarella
I made this twice so far. First I made it with shrimp but made the zucchini Julian style since I dont have a spiral machine. Other than that change I followed the recipe and everyone just loved it.
I wanted to make it again the following week however, I didn’t have shrimp so I used sea scallops, Julian zucchini and this time I added cherry tomatoes cut in half for more color and a little different taste. This was just as good as the shrimp.
I found that you can do so much with the basic recipe.
This was easy and delicious. I did add sundried tomatoes. We’ll be making this again.
I want to make this tonight for dinner but I don’t have any fresh zucchini. I do have frozen zucchini noodles though. Do you think it will turn ok using those?
So yummy! Quick and easy healthy dinner. I added Halved cherry tomatoes when I added the shrimp.
I never made this kind of dish before. Im used to cooking regular pasta but I decided to Star the cooking healthier meals. I made this for my dad and I and it was absolutely delicious! Perfect amount of spice! I wish the portions were bigger, but I guess I know how much to make now based on that trial run! Will definitely be making this again!!
This recipe was quick and easy. I already had the ingredients in my refrigerator so that was a plus! I added fresh spinach just because I love spinach:) Thank you for this great recipe!
Super yummy! Will probably fill the red pepper flakes back a bit, but absolutely loved it!
I have been making this regularly for a couple of years and it continues to be a family favorite.
This recipe has become one of our staples! Having it again tonight. It truly is “Damn Delicious”!
We love it, Karol! Thank you for sharing.
Made this last night and was a huge hit. Added 1/4 cup of white wine with butter, shrimp and let it reduce before adding the zucchini. Will make again and again.
I made this according to directions. It was a very nice blend of flavours leaning toward the lemony side. Very much liked it. I can see me making this again.
Thank you for posting your recipe 🙂
Super good and perfect for my new low carb diet. I added a very small amount of cooked Banza noodles to the zoodles at the end to give it a teeny bit more substance and it was super yummy! I love how the lemon really shines and the bit of parsley makes everything taste so fresh! I just barely cooked the zoodles, as I prefer them a little more crunchy rather that super soft.
Super easy to make and DELICIOUS! I bought my “noodles” already spiraled so I may have cheated a little 😉 It’s pretty spicy for me so next time I’ll only use 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes. I recommend this recipe!
It taste so good. Wow it’s done in minute!
Thank you for sharing!
I just bought my spiralizer and this was my first recipe!!! It absolutely did not disappoint and I’m eager to try more!! The flavor was incredible and we had a filling healthy mail on the table in 10 minutes!!! Even my hubby loved it!!
Thank you for this wonderful recipes.I love my zucchini shrimp scampi.I am making this dinner for tonight.This recipes sounds delicious so easy.I hope you will be sharing more using your spiralizer.
We have made this twice and its great! We just like it a little less spicy but the flavor is yummy!!
This was YUMMY!
Quick, too!
Made this for dinner tonight and it is delicious! It was even a hit with the kids. Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! Glad to hear it’s kid-friendly! 🙂
This meal was fast, easy, filling and great for my diet. This was the first meal I made with my spiral. I did tweek a little by adding cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach and garlic herb kerrygold butter. This is a keeper.
That sounds so yummy Debbie!
This was delicious. Everyone who had it (4 people) raved about it and asked me to make it again the next weekend.
Sweet, Dani!
If i made this as meal prep would the sauce make the noodles soggy? i’d make it for 4 days.
It may get a little bit soggy!
I loved this recipe! I found it at 6:00 am while browsing Pinterest. It looked SO good, I couldn’t wait for lunch! Guess what we had for breakfast? It was absolutely delicious and enjoyed by all of us!! Thank you so much for a great recipe.
Absolutely amazing!! I’ve tried spaghetti squash and hated it; so I tried this recipe with a hesitation. I only had one yellow summer squash but I was only cooking for myself. It was soooo simple and delicious!! I kind of wish I had more to make more! However, one small serving filled me up. I loved this recipe and will be making this more often!
This is a great dish. So quick, easy, and delicious!. I bought the shrimp already peeled and deveined. It costs a little more but well worth it to me for the time savings. I also spent a couple of minutes pulling the tails off so that no one has to do it while eating.
Approximately how much is a serving size?
About 1-1 1/2 cups.
This is a delicious, simply recipe and a great way to use some of the zucchini from our garden! We prefer to cook the zucchini first for a couple of minutes and add the shrimp last, cooking until it is just pink, then serving. We enjoyed this last night with company and it was a big hit! If you’re not totally averse to carbs, use a slice of good crusty bread to dab up the remaining sauce.
thanks for sharing, just made this and it was delicious! I had to use beef stock and mexican squash , it’s just what I had on hand but followed the rest perfectly. I think this dish would even convince my vegetable hating hubby to love it.
I’m a very picky eater, and this dish was DELICIOUS! It was so simple to prep and didn’t take much time to cook. This will definitely be a keeper in my recipe book.
How much is a serving size?
About 2 cups.
I am going to make this. It looks amazing. Lemons bother my stomach. I didn’t know if I could leave the lemon out or not?
Yes, you can omit.
I had leftover cooked shrimp and a zucchini that had to be used today. Searching online led me to your recipe and I’m delighted it did. Preparation was quick and, with the short cooking time, it was ready in under 15 minutes. It was delicious!
This was not only absolutely delicious but easy and so quick to prepare! I’m in love!
This dish was amazing. simple, filling, and down right yummy. Thank you for this staple recipe.
Really simple and such a great meal.
I did sauté onions and red-yellow-peppers before adding the shrimp, and add1/2 the broth called for and the other 1/2 white wine…delicious!
My husband and I are trying to eat less rice or pasta, here is the solution, and our still feel full and satisfied!
Does this meal re-heat well and how long to safely keep shrimp refrigerated (for meal prepping)?
As I am not an expert on food safety, I cannot really say with certainty – sorry, Jess! Methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with.
I personally have not been a fan of reheated Shrimp. Over cooks them and makes them rubbery. I did re-heat zoodles once, I will never do that again. It made them mushy. The sauce however can be stored. I made this the other night and had some sauce left over. I had left over chicken the fridge that I cut up and sauteed to heat up, added garlic and some onion, threw in zoodles. Then poured the sauce on to reheat. It was delish.
No, but I served the leftover shrimp cold on a salad the next day and it was delicious!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING!!! Thank you for all your great recipes! We enjoyed this almost as much as your Chicken Lettuce Wraps!
I made this recipe with a couple of changes:
Added cherry tomatoes
Made the shrimp from your “Spicy Roasted Shrimp Sandwich with Chipotle Avocado Mayonnaise” recipe just because I love it so much and it was beyond yummy!
I earned brownie points with the husband on this one and after prepping , it only took 15mins. I love your recipes and I am loving your new cookbook. In fact I just made the Greek meatballs and you have converted me to a meatball baked in the oven gal. No more stove top for me. Thanks again!
Love, love, love this recipe! Just started a keto-diet and this has really made the transition easier. Thank you!!
This is absolutely delicious!!!!! I can’t say enough about it! I’ve just recently tried zucchini noodles and love them! This recipe is soooo simple to make and the outcome is fantastic! Great recipe!
Does anyone know if this will keep and reheat okay? I prepare my meals before work to eat later …. just curious, no one here speaks of leftovers… lol
I made this today using spaghetti squash. I had zucchini but no way to spiralized it,so I opted to use spaghetti squash. I put garlic powder,parsley,pepper,and oregano on the squash and baked it at 350 for 45-60 minutes. I used bottled lemon and cooking sherry along with the chicken broth. I had no fresh parsley so I used fresh basil. I think the dish came out pretty good. I would definitely use more fresh garlic…. maybe five cloves.
Awesome…delicious, easy, colorful, quick….A must!!
I have made this twice in 3 days… It’s incredibly tasty and simple to make. My FIRST time spiralizing anything and I’m amazed at how I did not miss the pasta at all!! The hardest part of this recipe for me is finding a zucchini from my garden that fits in my spiralizer! Otherwise an amazing, yummy recipe!! As a preference I use wine instead of broth and a bit more red chili flakes- so good. I’m addicted!!!
This recipe was amazing, but all of your recipes are…I will surely be buying
your cookbook. thank you.
I peeled and deveined the shrimp. Then I Handcut the zuccini. Now I’m ready to buy one of those gadgets. This was absolutely delicious. Thank you! Will this work on Chinese eggplant?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
This is MORE than a winner. This cured my keto diet cravings, made me feel like I was spoiling myself, and left me with left overs for tomorrow, if I can keep my non-dieting family out of it! The second best part? Already logged into my fitness pro. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
I assume you do not cook/boil the zoodles first?
Scrolled through and found the answer… Can’t wait to try!
can this be stored in a mason jar? if so, how many days would you say it would stay fresh?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
just made this dish. although i think in theory it is great – the shrimp need to be cooked separately first, then put aside and add it to the pot/pan AFTER the zucchini has cooked sufficiently. if i would have followed this recipe the way it was written, the shrimp would have been rubbery. i recommend doing this, as the zucchini gives off sooooo much water *as zucchini does obviously*. i added one whole lemon’s zest to it also. thank you for the inspiration! 😀
I thought it was way too lemony so I put in more red pepper flakes to cancel it. That doesn’t work, it just makes the lemon flavor stronger and gives you a confusing burning on your lips (I put way too much in but it still wasn’t spicy, just hot on the lips).
I think next time I’ll try adding some cream or Parmesan with the chx broth and lemon to soften the flavor and make it richer.
Also, my fiancé accidentally got cucumber instead of zucchini (he swears they were mislabeled). It made … Interesting “coodles”. It was a cool dish that way I guess. Don’t worry, he now knows how to tell them apart.
Also, we didn’t think to cut the noodles every once in a while so they were super long! But that’s what you get when you use your new toy right away.
In all, he decided this dish didn’t need to be added to the rotation. I think I might try again after correcting my mistakes
Question for the zoodle pros: can you sauté your zoodles so they have more flavor before adding to your dish? My go to veggie side is always zucchini and mushrooms sauted in evoo and I’d like to keep that flavor.
“Coodles” – I’ll definitely have to try that! And yes, you can definitely give it a quick sauté and adjust the amount of lemon as needed to suit your preferences a little bit better.
I love your easy recipe. But also try Shrimp Scampi Zucchini Noodles So delicious! Need to try this recipe
I got a spiralizer just so we could try this recipe, and WOW! It was worth it! Delicious!
We make this a lot, among other dishes with zoodles. One thing that we do differently in all of our zoodle dishes is leave the zoodles raw. I make sure to get them room temperature before spiralizing, then whatever sauce you’re topping them with will warm them nicely. This prevents mushy, soggy zoodles!
I made this tonight and it was amazing!! I cut the recipe in half, added cherry tomatoes (because I needed to get rid of them) and I cooked a little longer so it was soft enough for my 10 month old to eat. She loved them too! 5☆
Quick, easy, healthy, delicious, man-approved! Need I say more?
This is delicious, easy and fast. I wish I was still eating bread so I could sop the juices. Thank you for his recipe! Highly recommend.
Oh boy this looks so good! I can’t wait to make this later in the week! also included the recipe link in my Sunday Meal Plan post this week- http://wp.me/p4721V-FN
I’m sorry but this recipe tasted super bland and terrible. I think it had too much liquid. Not a fan.
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. However, I understand that we all have different taste preferences, and I really appreciate your honest feedback.
I cooked mine a little longer to let the zoodles soak in the liquid and it was delicious and there was little juice left.
I am so excited to try this recipe tonight! I was going to just use regular pasta, but the boyfriend wants to start eating a bit better again. I was just going to do some olive oil with zoodles and shrimp and call it a day, but this looks fantastic. Can’t wait to make it tonight!
I made this last night for a girls’ dinner night. My friends loved it. One was scheming how to purchase a spiralizer first thing in the morning. So easy and fast. I will be making it again and again.
This was so awesome. I’ve made it twice in two weeks. This last time I added a can of rotel. Kicked it up bit and only added 25 calories to total dish! It’s a keeper!
This looks delicious! The zucchini noodles are beautiful! Pinning to make soon.
In the very past Italians didn’t know to use spiralizer to make veggie spagetti. They cut everything with a chefs knive
in small pieces mix with whatever they have found to eat and voila the italian cuisine. Do whatever you want your
cuisine will be the best. Salutations.
I made this today and it was amazing. I love pasta it’s my weakness but this is a great alternative to eating healthier. Love it!
How many net carbs are in this recipe and is it a good recipe for those who are on the keto diet
Unfortunately, Jessica, the registered dietician who calculates the nutritional information for Damn Delicious, is not familiar with the keto diet. As always, please use your best judgment.
I bought my spiralizer 2 days ago and it’s the first recipe I’ve tried with it. And I have to say it is such a delicious one!!! Really it is simple, easy to make and has loads of flavour! Thank you Chungah for sharing this! Keep sharing those zoodle recipes pretty please 🙂
Kind regards from Paris!
This was delicious! My 3 year old even ate this and he NEVER eats zucchini! Thank you for sharing!
Where do the sugars come from in this recipe? TIA
1 medium zucchini = 4.8g sugar.
I just now made this for dinner and to my surprise is very very delicious and low in calories!! I am so glad I gave this recipe a try. I will definitely save it and use it again! I didn’t have a spiralizer so I used a cheese grader. It also turned out a little watery probably because I didn’t let the shrimp defrost all the way?! Besides those two things it had a great taste and will definitely make again.
I made this tonight for my hubby and me. We are on a low carb diet and I thought this not only sounded delishious but fit all our dietary needs. Wow! Just wow! This was the bomb. We are going to have it again tomorrow night.
Thank you sooo much for this! I found it by chance, whipped it up ten minutes ago (so easy and quick!) and was left licking the plate. I’m now sure I’ll be up all night cruising the rest of your site. A big, fat high five from Cape Town x
Do you have to peel the zucchini first? in the picture it looks like there is dark green in there but in the directions it says they should be peeled…
The “peeled” refers to the shrimp, not the zucchini. But you can choose to peel the zucchini or not – it’s really up to you.
This looks beautiful and I’m late to the zoodle party too! I’ve got a spiralizer but I’ve not yet tried it. I think this will be the recipe that brings me to the party.
Hubby and I made this while camping. We made it as directed. This was our firat time using the spiralizer. This is a very tasty recipe and we would make it again.
Love this!!! I don’t have a spiralizer… so I grated my zucchini long ways… worked great! (I will be buying a spiralizer though)
Tasted DIVINE!!!!
Thanks!
Is it possible to add pesto sauce to this recipe and still have it turn out?? Sounds like a good punch of flavor..
That sounds like a great addition! But without further recipe testing, I cannot say with certainty how the end result will be. Please use your best judgment.
how did the pesto work
I had such high hopes for this, but mine didn’t turn out. I’m wondering if the zucchini cooked too long – I got distracted by my kids! My family agreed that the cooked zucchini plus the lemon juice gave it a “pickled” taste. Did anyone else notice this? Or just us? 🙂
It certainly shouldn’t have a “pickled” taste – perhaps the lemon you used had spoiled?
Did you use pre-made noodles or really old zucchini? I once used beet noodles bought from a store in an airtight package that ended up being older than I thought when I got around to using them in a recipe and the beets had pickled themselves. (It made the dish I was making quite inedible – pickled veggies don’t substitute nicely for fresh.) Maybe the same thing can happen with zucchini noodles?
This looks amazing!!! As a zucchini noodle virgin, do I have to cook the zucchini before hand, or just follow the recipe as is and put the raw zucchini in the pan?
Nope – there’s no need to cook the zucchini beforehand.
This was amazing, we just made this tonight! Thanks for all your great recipes for healthy meals, I really appreciate the nutrition information and simplicity of the meals!
This was sooo amazingly good. I cut the recipe in half because I only needed the one serving for myself. Boy that was a mistake will be making this again very soon.
I actually have a Vegetti. I tried this and it was so good. I made a zucchini with a
Thai peanut sauce last month.
I made this last night and it was FANTASTIC. I even convinced my toddler to eat this dish – no small feat! Thanks for gifting the world this delicious recipe and for inspiring me to actually use my spiralizer.
I’ve just started cooked seafood again, and this looks amazing! And luckily, I got a spiralizer as a gift: BEST GIFT EVER!
I just invested in a spiralizer too. I can’t wait to make this one!
We bought a spiralizer because of your suggestion. Works great! This receive was so quick and easy and FABULOUS. I am going to use the zoodles for turkey meatballs and marinara sauce next. Finally, a healthy alternative to carby noodles!
Thank you!! Another great low calorie recipe!
Great way to start 2015!
This was awesome!! I may or may not have eaten the entire thing by myself in one sitting…..and considering it’s almost all veggies and fish, that doesn’t even bother me, haha. Great flavors! We got a vegetti for Christmas and this was my first time to use it. I loved the zucchini noodles, but a word of wisdom to first-time users: be sure to break up your zucchini strings every couple of twists unless you want your end dish to be 10 extremely long noodles! I wish I had broken mine up a little more – most of mine were so long it was hard to mix them into the sauce. Other than that, this was a wonderful recipe I’ll definitely be making again (and maybe next time I’ll share some…we’ll see).
You can also just make a cut down the vegetable before you spiralize it.
Wow! This is a keeper. It’s just me, one zucchini, so I just quickly cut it into thin sticks. The protein could certainly be anything. Or the zucchini could be served by itself. What a deceptively great and simple recipe. Thanks for posting!
We have a winner here. I did make of couple of modifications, lots more garlic, 1/2 of a vinegar pepper diced, and white wine in place of the stock. Finished with about 3TBS of butter, and wow…kids were literally eating it up…went through half a loaf of sour dough sopping up the sauce.
Next time I’m thinking of making Zucchini ribbons (and carrots) with a vegetable peeler, just to give them more body.
Could I substitute coconut oil for the butter?
Thank you!
You can certainly try substituting coconut oil but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
We made this tonight and it was fantastic!
I don’t have a spiralizer, but I used the julienne setting on a mandolin slicer and it worked great.
I used my mandolin on the zucchini and it worked beautifully. Thanks for the idea.
Looks so good!! I love the zucchini!
I have been very skeptical about trying zucchini noodles. I need to take a risk and give it a try. It certainly looks tasty!
even my boyfriend likes the zoodles. there are also yellow zucchini, interesting!
Woo hoo a delicious looking recipe I can enjoy whilst i’m dieting. I could have this for lunch AND dinner on a 5:2 day 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! Not only was it a delicious gluten free dinner for me, but also came together in about 10 minutes! The longest part of making this dish was looking for my spiralizer in the train wreck of a cabinet that I have.
I’ve had a spiralizer on my list for like the past 6 months lol, that never ending list of kitchen items I want to add to the collection! I’m glad to see you like yours, this seriously looks amazing!
You would love it, Jaclyn!
I also have the Paderno spiralizer, I love it and use it all of the time. I got the one with four blades – homemade, healthy, crispy potatoes! I love pasta and I use it all the time with different varieties of squash and carrots. I am looking forward to using fall and winter vegetables – squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, etc. I bought a cook book after checking one out from our public library, but you can find plenty of recipes online. The book I bought is “Inspiralized” by Ali Maffucci – which also promotes another brand of sprializer. The cookbook works with any. I just couldn’t use the hand-held type for physical reasons. Maffucci also has a blog and recipes online. Enjoy!
Love your blog. I’m making this for dinner tonight. I have a cheapie “vegetti” spiralizer and it works well but sometimes the zoodles are too wet. Got any suggestions how to “dry” them out a bit. I have heard of salting them and letting the water release, but thats too timely.
Chris, that was actually going to be my suggestion!
How about pressing the zucchini between layers of towels – paper or cloth?
Put them in a kitchen towel and go out on the back porch and twirl it around… the water flies right out and you get a little workout and some fresh air as well. It works lol
How fun Joe lol… “Hey kids, let’s go twirl our noodles!”
If you have a salad spinner you can use it. I finally bought one and it is another food prep fixture, in addition to my spiralizer. I clean and spin the lettuce, cover with a paper towel, and the lettuce will stay crisp and green for days in my refrigerator.
Looking forward to trying this – thanks for including a picture with the recipe!
I love using my spiralizer and I love scampi so this recipe is perfect for my low-carb lifestyle!
This looks amazing! I love the contrast of the green from the zucchini with the bright shrimp. Gorgeous!
this looks so good! do you think everything would taste okay if i substituted chicken for the shrimp?
Yes, substituting chicken should be just fine but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed.
Oh my, this does look amazing. Can’t wait to try it. I do so enjoy your blog and frequently suggest it to others. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.
I love my Spiralizer. I have a Paderno and, after some trial and error, I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. It’s now a staple in my kitchen, and it’s amazing how many dishes I’ve adapted to using “zoodles”. This recipe sounds delicious and so easy! I hope you’ll be sharing more using your spiralizer.
Mmmm this looks so good! I don’t have a spiraliser myself, but it’s easy enough to swap for just noodles for that lovely shrimp and scampi dish 😀 x
Yum! Zoodles are one of my favourite easy meals!
Zucchini noodles are the best! They’re much less intimidating than spaghetti squash and still really delicious. This looks like a perfect dinner idea!
I love this, perfect low-carb alternative! Shrimp scampi is the best!