Shrimp Scampi Spaghetti Squash
Everyone’s favorite shrimp scampi with a low-carb, healthier alternative to pasta using spaghetti squash! It’s still amazingly buttery and garlicky with half the calories!
Butters was feeling under the weather today so he skipped daycare and stayed at home with me.
Which was probably not the best idea.
He threw up on the clean linens. While I was sleeping actually.
That was fun to wake up to.
So I went and ran a quick errand to grab a classic glazed yeast-raised donut from down the street.
You know, to get through the throw-up-linen-stress.
Shortly after, I made shrimp scampi for dinner.
But swapped out the pasta for spaghetti squash.
You know, to balance out that donut from earlier.
Because guys.
We have half the calories here, yet the shrimp is still perfectly buttery and garlicky.
And we’re not giving up the freshly grated Parm either.
Shrimp Scampi Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
For the spaghetti squash
- 1 2-3 pounds spaghetti squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise from stem to tail and scrape out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place squash, cut-side down, onto the prepared baking dish. Place into oven and roast until tender, about 35-45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let rest until cool enough to handle.
- Using a fork, scrape the flesh to create long strands.
- Season shrimp with paprika, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp, garlic and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside and keep warm.
- Add squash and spinach to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is heated through and the spinach has wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in basil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, topped with shrimp and garnished with Parmesan, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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This is so delicious. The flavors are so good. I will make the many more times!!!
Thank you!!!
Made this last night.
It was wonderful.
With spaghetti squash I spray it with olive oil so I never use the amount called for when cooking it.
(Less calories)
Also added 1/2 tsp more lemon juice.
Do you have a calorie and nutrition content for this?
(My diet is calorie based with a certain amount of protein, carbs & fats per day.) Having a breakdown is important to me.
This was delicious! I didn’t have spinach and served roasted asparagus on the side. I followed the recipe exactly. This is a winner!
This is absolutely delicious!!! Loved it!
This was absolutely amazing! This was the first time I’ve had Shrimp Scampi with Spaghetti Squash and WOW . I’m really coming around to spaghetti squash here recently and this was the best recipe of the others we’ve tried . Everyone of your recipes I’ve made have been great . I didn’t have fresh Basil so I added just a bit of chicken broth to rehydrate our dried basil from our garden & a pinch of crushed red pepper. Incredible! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
Very tasty! I’ve always microwaved my spaghetti squash, so not sure if the extra EVOO is necessary. The baked and micro squash are nearly the same in taste. Enjoyed it very much!
Made this tonight; only 3 months eating low carb. Thought it was edible, but do miss pasta :-). Thank you for this alternative. The house smells delish. Did add garlic salt after plated.
My husband and I started a low carb diet due to his health 3 weeks ago. I happened to have a spaghetti squash laying around. I looked at recipes and came across this one. Made it tonight, IT WAS BEYOND AMAZING!!! I altered the recipe a tad by adding scallops plus shrimp. I didn’t have the smoked paprika so I used Chipotle seasoning… the dish came out with a great flavor and some bite but was AMAZING!!! MY HUSBAND LOVED IT!!!
This was delicious with little change to the recipe. I only seasoned the squash a bit with a garlic seasoning mix and olive oil to sauté!
Wow – this was delicious! I love spaghetti squash and this recipe is easy, flavorful and healthy!
This is so delicious. I made it for dinner the first time and my wife flipped over this as she loves shrimp. Since then we have saved this dish to guests and they all raved over it and ask for the recipe.
Incredibly delicious. Followed the recipe exactly except that I substituted a lesser amount of dried basil for fresh. Daydreaming about the leftovers tomorrow.
Love this recipe. I’ve made similar recipes before but with red chili pepper flakes. The smoked paprika in this recipe is much better!
Amazing!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and both times it turned out delicious! I should also note that this recipe was super easy to double and make a larger batch for a dinner party. Thanks for a healthy, easy, and delicious recipe!
Most delicious! I squeezed a touch more lemon juice on mine. Made it pop! I’m always on the lookout for spaghetti squash recipes. This one did not fail. I didn’t have fresh basil so added a touch of dried. Fresh would have been better.
Damn Delicious, indeed. Quick, easy and so tasty. I added extra paprika, seasoned salt and chile flakes throughout the way for a bit of a kick. Wow, that lemon adds so much flavour. Finally, we skipped the parmesan, but cannot wait to try it next time!
YUM! Satisfying and delicious without feeling stuffed. Evens hubby liked it and he’s a “meat ‘n potatoes” guy. Made exactly as written!
It’s a Yum from this household! I used extra lemon but other that I followed the recipe.
I’ve always prepared spaghetti squash with a red sauce, but decided to try this recipe because I had the ingredients on hand. Let’s just say I will be making this recipe again and again. So easy, so delicious, so satisfying. Thank you for opening my eyes to the best way to prepare spaghetti squash.
We loved it! My fella had never had spaghetti squash (and is a real pasta fan) and he had 2 helpings! While the squash was baking, I put together all the other ingredients together. We had very large shrimp so I cut them in thirds. I mixed the shrimp in with the spaghetti squash and spinach rather than putting it on top. e will make it again for sure!
This recipe is a keeper! It’s easy to prepare and we love it. We love a one dish meal and this one is delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
This was so good!! Thank you!
OMG! Low carb and low Cal, high protein AND FULL OF FLAVOR! Definitely a winner in every way! I had to substitute imitation crab for the shrimp (its what I had) and was pleasantly surprised at how good the dish was! I pressure cooked the spaghetti squash halves for 10 minutes instead of roasting it, to make this a quick, easy meal! Definitely making this one again and again!!
This was so easy to make and packed with flavor! A new favorite for sure!!
This was delicious! There were no leftovers from our family of 4. Will definitely make again!
Most delicious! I squeezed a touch more lemon juice on mine. Made it pop! I’m always on the lookout for spaghetti squash recipes. This one did not fail.
I’ve made this several times; it’s delicious. Have you ever used frozen spinach? I have everything else in the house but the fresh spinach
I’m wondering how this would freeze? I live alone and would like to have at a later date.
It was delicious
Do you heat the 1T olive oil with he butter? no mention of it in the cooking instructions. It looks tasty, and I will review after making tonight. Thank you.
Hi Mary! The olive oil is used in step 2:
Cut the squash in half lengthwise from stem to tail and scrape out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Hope that helps!
I didn’t add the oil in the cooking up the shrimp and it was just fine without it. I don’t think I used a full 2 T of butter either. It was delicious and my husband concurred. I’ll make this again.
Absolutely delicious! The lemon and basil make a huge difference. Healthy yet filling!
Damn delicious indeed!
As usual awesome recipe! Did add a little cayenne pepper to the shrimp as. My son loves spicy. He’s also a type 1 diabetic and carbs are so low . Thank you
I made this tonight for dinner. It’s delicious! Thanks for a great recipe. I didn’t have fresh basil, so I used dried. It did fine.
Great recipe will be adding it into my mix of favorites ! I swapped Parsley for basil and added some cherry tomatoes and crushed pepper flakes. So good thanks again 🙂
Amazing combo. Thank you. We scarfed it up 😀 Sprinkled a little feta on top just for the heck of it – quite yummy
WOW! I truly didn’t think this would be that good, but I really enjoyed it!
Totally delish! Added a little bit of white wine and cherry tomatoes in the last step. Will make again! Thank you!
SO delicious !!!!
This dish was AMAZING! Made it for my son as he’s trying to low carb and mostly plant based food. He loved it as well as myself. This will be a keeper. Thank you for the great recipes.
I was looking for a recipe to spice up my spaghetti squash game – this one hit the spot! We rarely eat shrimp so it was fun to mix things up and try something new. 10/10 would recommend to a friend. DAMN GOOD!
Delicious!!
This is a perfect low carb scampi recipe still with all the delicious flavor! I just added a little white wine that gave a nice tang. My husband asked where I got the recipe and I showed him, he said it lives up to the name because that was DAMN delicious! Shout out from your insta fam!!
This was so easy to make and full of flavor. There were no leftovers!
The spaghetti squash required double the roast time, but my teenager and i love this recipe.
It was super great! I made the shrimp Cajun, but kept everything else exactly the same. I loved the flavors of the spinach, squash and shrimp. A triple S threat. Definitely adding to my rotation. Thanks for this!
Excellent. I did add red pepper flakes but other than that could not ask for a better recipe Definitely will make again and service to guests
We loved how the natural sweetness from the squash complemented the sauce. I didn’t have shallots but it didn’t effect the yumminess.
I was looking for a simple recipe for shrimp scampi and spaghetti squash and this was perfect. I added some zucchini noodles to the squash to beef up and I love the way it turned out. I will be making this again it’s definitely a keeper.
That’s awesome!
Wow. This meal was SO good! I made a double batch of this for our larger family and everyone loved it! I am definitely going to be making this again.
Awesome!
I just made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! The only change is I would probably add a bit more basil, because I feel like I couldn’t really taste it. I also let the shrimp soak up the smoked paprika and s&p for a good 15 mins. Keep on making amazing recipes.
this was damn delicious! love so many of your recipes – quick, easy, and yummy!
thank you!
eating this now..yum! added mushrooms, onions and peppers.. and some leftover chicken to use up! thanks for the great recipe!
We tried this with zucchini noodles, love the recipe! Thanks!
This was really yummy. First time using spaghetti squash but not my last. Very good recipe. I added peppers, onions and little white wine.
Thanks for sharing with us. Very good recipe I’ll try it at home
Wow, this was good! My husband’s first spaghetti squash encounter and he gave it a thumb’s up.
This recipe is so good, I couldn’t stop eating it. I can’t wait to have leftovers today. I used frozen defrosted shrimp.
This looks great. Any thoughts on frozen shrimp?
I recommend thawing prior to using.
My family refuses to eat shrimp (moment of silence for this tragedy) would you make any changes if you used chicken?
Yes, cooking time will vary if chicken is substituted. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Love using spaghetti squash! Natures best noodles. Your dishes always look great Chunga and as a fellow food blogger I bow down to your photography!
nice twist using spaghetti squash instead of zucchini, seems like it would blend better with shrimp, I never really miss the pasta from the traditional shrimp scampi dish anyway, thank you for this, sorry about Butters!
Can you use spaghetti squash spirals instead?
Absolutely!
This looks incredible! I need this in my life!
x
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Is it possible to get the nutrition facts for this recipe? Thank you.
Added as of now 🙂
I use your recipes weekly, always wonderful and easy to prepare. Thank you for helping make cooking dinner so enjoyable and something to look forward to at the end of the work day. Have a great weekend.