Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Broccoli and Zucchini Noodles (Paleo, Low Carb)
Recipe Key
This is a wildly delicious, nutrient rich, one pan meal. The shrimp and broccoli are cooked in a flavorful lemon-garlic sauce then tossed with zucchini noodles. It comes together quickly and is gluten free, paleo, keto, AIP and Whole30 compliant.
There’s a lot of confusing information about shrimp out there, some say it’s healthy and others say it’s not.
On the good side…
A 3 ounce serving has 18 grams of protein and provides more than 20 different vitamins and minerals, including 50% of your daily needs for selenium, a mineral that may help reduce inflammation and promote heart health (1) It also has significant amount of zinc, a mineral we need right now to keep up our immunity.
The down side…
Lots of the shrimp you find in stores are farmed in overcrowded waters with lots of antibiotics, yuk! You definitely want to avoid farmed shrimp due to health and environmental impacts. The best shrimp are wild from the United States.
Shrimp is high in cholesterol, but it also contains antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to promote heart health. Research has shown that people who consume shrimp regularly do not have a higher risk of heart disease compared to those who do not eat it.
Dr. Mark Hyman from the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine says “Go eat your shrimp, don’t worry about it.“
I buy my shrimp from US Wellness Meats. The shrimp are wild caught, sustainably harvested and chemical free. They are harvested from the Pacific Ocean and processed in the United States. They are super fresh since they’re hand sorted and flash frozen rapidly after harvest.
The best part is they arrive ALREADY CLEANED. All you have to do is defrost the amount you’re going to use in your favorite dish. It’s so easy.
From US Wellness Meats, I use 4 shrimp for me and 5 shrimp for Roger. That works out to about 6 ounces. The number of shrimp will depend on your appetite and the size of the shrimp you buy. The vegetables are the largest part of this meal.
Traditionally this dish is made with white wine and butter, called scampi. I use stock to make it healthier. Also I don’t usually have a bottle of wine sitting around, but I always have stock. You can certainly use any dry white wine and enjoy sipping it while you cook and eat.
The only other ingredients are broccoli, lemon, garlic, parsley, olive oil and butter or ghee. I love ghee because it feeds the good bacteria in your digestive system.
Cut your broccoli florets into a size that will cook in the same amount of time as the shrimp.
Cooking only takes a few minutes.
Basically you saute the shrimp and broccoli in the garlic infused stock for 3-4 minutes. Then add the zucchini noodles, lemon and parsley.
If your zucchini are medium to large I recommend “sweating” the spiralized zucchini before adding them to the pan.
To “sweat” the zucchini noodles, place them in a colander, then place the colander in the sink or over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss. Allow them to sit for about 20 minutes – the longer it sits, the more water is drawn out. After the 20 minutes or longer, squeeze all the water out with a kitchen towel.
Toss the noodles with the shrimp so they are coated with the garlic lemon sauce and heat until just warmed through, about 1 minute. Don’t overcook the zucchini noodles or they’ll get watery. That won’t happen if you “sweat” the zucchini noodles.
I like to serve it topped with vegan parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano .
The nutrients in this dish will make you feel healthier and happier..
It’s simple, flavorful, easy to make, wildly delicious, protein rich (25 grams) and high in vitamin C, selenium and zinc which boosts your immune system.
“Happiness is the highest form of health” Dalai Lama
If you like this recipe, try these other delicious diary free, gluten free noodle dishes:
- Vegan Pesto with Asparagus Noodles and Peas
- Thai Red Curry Noodles with Vegetables
- Garlic Cream Zucchini ‘Noodles’ with Asparagus (Diary Free, Nut Free, AIP)
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Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Broccoli and Zucchini Noodles {paleo, keto}
This is a wildly delicious, nutrient rich, one pan meal. The shrimp and broccoli are cooked in a flavorful lemon-garlic sauce then tossed with zucchini noodles.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Main Dish,
- Cuisine: Italian inspried, paleo, keto, gluten free, Whole30
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ghee or grass fed unsalted butter*
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth or white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (leave out for AIP)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6–8 ounces wild large or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on (fresh or frozen and thawed), I used 9 shrimp.
- 2 cups broccoli florets (size the broccoli so it will cook in the same amount of time as shrimp)*
- 4 cups spiralized zucchini noodles (optional “sweat” with 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt)*
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- Vegan parmesan or parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt ghee or butter with olive oil. Add garlic and sauté on medium low until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add broth, salt, red pepper flakes and a large pinch of black pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer the stock for about 1 minute to develop flavors.
- Add shrimp and broccoli. Sauté on medium turning the shrimp once, until they just turn pink and the broccoli is bright green, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size.
- Add the zucchini noodles, parsley and lemon.
- Toss the noodles with the shrimp so they are coated with the garlic-lemon sauce. Heat just until warmed through, 1 minute. (Do not overcook or the zucchini noodles will become mushy.)
- Sprinkle with parsley and vegan or regular parmesan.
Notes
For AIP use all olive oil.
Recipe can be made without broccoli, just the shrimp and zucchini noodles.
If your zucchini are medium to large I recommend “sweating” the spiralized zucchini before adding them to the pan. To “sweat” the zucchini noodles, place them in a colander, then place the colander in the sink or over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss. Allow them to sit for about 20 minutes – the longer it sits, the more water is drawn out. After the 20 minutes or longer, squeeze all the water out with a kitchen towel.