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Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp

by Lisa Bryan

198 Comments

Updated Feb 10, 2023

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Zucchini pasta with lemon garlic shrimp is a delicious, gluten-free (and of course low-carb) version of shrimp scampi and linguini. Traditional pasta is replaced with zucchini noodles (also called zucchini pasta) for a lighter, healthier, more veggie-packed and nutritious meal.

It’s similar to my Garlic Butter Shrimp or Grilled Shrimp recipe, but prepped with zucchini noodles for a complete meal.

I’m very fortunate to have relatives that live in Alaska. That means fresh, wild-caught seafood sometimes makes it’s way from Alaska all the way down to me in Southern California. And when that happens, oh, it’s glorious and lovely.

Case in point: when my mom was in Alaska a couple of years ago, she brought an entire cooler of fresh seafood home and I was the smarty pants who volunteered to pick her up at the airport. Yep, I’m no dummy. And I was thanked with the beautiful fresh halibut used in my Baked Halibut with Herbed Mayonnaise Crust recipe.

But it was her dozens of bags of fresh shrimp that was the impetus for this recipe several years ago. Because it prompted me to update an old favorite pasta recipe – shrimp scampi and linguini – to make it gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and all around healthy.

Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp Recipe Video

The recipe is easy to make, but it always helps to watch a quick tutorial. You can also subscribe to my YouTube Channel for weekly cooking videos.

Making Zucchini Pasta with Shrimp

You guys know I’m a zucchini noodle lover. As in, I make them weekly. So if you haven’t yet watched my video on making zucchini noodles, you should definitely do that. I give tips for cooking zucchini (very important), because no one wants soggy zucchini pasta.

But if you’re new to the world of zucchini as pasta replacement, this Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp is a fab place to start. It’s so darn easy.

All you have to do is spiralize a few zucchini which substitute for the linguine. Then, sauté the shrimp with a little olive oil, garlic, lemon, white wine and parsley.

Whole30 Tip: If you’re doing a Whole30 or if you’re alcohol-free, you could also use chicken broth in place of the white wine.

Once the shrimp have turned pink, add the zucchini pasta back into the pan, gently tossing and cooking ever so slightly (just for a minute or two) until the zucchini pasta is warmed up. And that’s it. A delicious, easy, lemony garlic zucchini and shrimp dish that you’re sure to make again and again.

More Zucchini Noodle Recipes

• Zucchini Noodles with Chicken Spinach and Parmesan
• Zucchini and Carrot Pasta with Avocado Cucumber Sauce
• Mexican Chicken Zucchini Noodles
• Zucchini Noodle Caprese
• Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti Bolognese

And if you’re on a zucchini kick, you can’t go wrong with my Baked Zucchini Fries or Paleo Zucchini Bread. Enjoy!

Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp

4.94 from 79 votes

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 5 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Lisa Bryan

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Description

Healthy zucchini noodles "zucchini pasta" are tossed with lemon garlic shrimp for an easy, family favorite dinner recipe. It's naturally gluten-free, low carb, and can easily be made Whole30 by replacing the white wine with chicken broth. Watch the recipe video above!

Video

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 medium zucchini
• ▢ 1.5 lb approx 30 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ▢ 2 tbsp butter or ghee
• ▢ 1 lemon, juice and zest
• ▢ 1/4 cup white wine, or chicken broth
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• ▢ pinch of red pepper flakes
• ▢ salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions 

• Wash and cut the ends of the zucchini. Using a spiralizer, make the zucchini pasta. Then, set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in one flat layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for one minute without stirring, so the bottom side gets a little crispy.
• Add the chopped garlic, then stir the shrimp for another minute or two to cook the other side. Use a large spoon or tongs to remove the shrimp to a plate.
• Add the butter, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes and white wine to the pan. Bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
• Stir in the parsley, then add the zucchini pasta and toss for 30 seconds to warm it up. Add the shrimp back to the pan and stir for another minute. Serve immediately.

Lisa's Tips

• If you've read my post on How to Make and Cook Zucchini Noodles you know I'm not a fan of cooking zucchini noodles. They become limp and soggy very quickly. So all you want to do is heat up the zucchini pasta without thoroughly cooking. That keeps it crisp and al dente.
• The spiralizer I use in this recipe and all my veggie noodle recipes is my 3-Blade Paderno Spiralizer. But there's now a 6-Blade Paderno Spiralizer as well!
• I always get asked if zucchini pasta recipes can be frozen and reheated. Unfortunately, due to the fact that zucchini is 95% water, these are not the best recipes to freeze/reheat once made.

Nutrition

Calories: 306.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.3g | Protein: 27.4g | Fat: 14.5g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 289mg | Sodium: 230.7mg | Fiber: 3.4g | Sugar: 8.4g

Course: Main Meal

Cuisine: American

Keyword: zucchini noodles, Zucchini Noodles Shrimp, Zucchini Pasta, Zucchini Pasta Shrimp

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This recipe was originally published October 2014, but updated to include new photos and video.