Lemon Garlic Shrimp Zucchini Pasta

This lemon garlic shrimp zucchini ‘pasta’ is a fabulous and easy dish to make for a healthy lunch or dinner. Shrimp (or prawns if you will) are pan-fried in the aromatic lemon and garlic olive oil, then tossed through raw zucchini noodles with a generous topping of Parmesan cheese for extra flavour. This recipe is gluten-free, low-carb and keto-friendly and can be made without cheese for Paleo and Whole30 versions.


Lemon garlic shrimp zucchini pasta

This zucchini noodle dish is my take on a healthy shrimp scampi, which is usually made with spaghetti and garlic, lemon and butter sauce. While I love butter, I wanted to make this recipe with olive oil. It gets flavoured with lots of garlic and lemon zest, my favourite with shrimp or prawns. Swapping spaghetti with zucchini noodles lowers carbohydrates and boosts nutrients.

As I mentioned in the introduction, you can omit the Parmesan cheese to make this dish Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

 

What You Need To Make This Shrimp Zucchini ‘Pasta’

Lemon garlic shrimp zucchini pasta ingredients

Zucchini: I recommend medium to large raw zucchini to make pasta or noodles. You will need a vegetable spiralizer to make noodles, but if you don’t have one, you can use a carrot peeler to make lovely ribbons or even slice the zucchini into thin circles. I usually do two small or one medium/large zucchini per serving, but you can do more for a hungrier tummy. 

Shrimp: I use shrimp and prawns interchangeably as my readers are from so many different countries. In this recipe, you can buy raw, unpeeled prawns or shrimp or frozen.

Good olive oil is always essential as it will provide a lot of flavour and nutrients, of course. Then it’s just garlic, lemon and Parmesan, plus salt and pepper for seasoning. Easy peasy!

Using Frozen Shrimp

To speed things up and keep it affordable, I often buy peeled, frozen shrimp. I have a bag in the freezer most of the time as I like it in a lunch salad or a quick prawn and cauliflower rice or a stir-fry. To defrost, I place frozen shrimp in a bowl of hot water and it’s usually ready to use in about 10 minutes. You can also defrost overnight in the fridge (if you’re organised enough…I am not!).

 

How To Make Lemon Garlic Shrimp Zucchini Pasta

Step 1.  Spiralize or peel the zucchini into noodles or ribbons to create our low-carb, gluten-free pasta alternative. Peel the prawns if needed. Zest 1/2 of the lemon and slice the garlic. Shave/grate Parmesan cheese. The dish comes together quickly, so have everything ready to go.

spiralized zucchini noodles

Step 2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, garlic and lemon zest and turn the heat down to low. Sauté for about a minute until garlic starts to get fragrant. At this stage, add the prawns and turn the heat back to medium. Cook for a minute and a half, then stir through and cook for another minute. 

Lemon garlic shrimp in a frying pan with olive oil

Step 3. Zucchini noodles don’t need much cooking. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan, drizzle with the juice of 1/2 lemon and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon salt or so). Stir and heat through the garlic, lemon and shrimp olive oil until hot. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan and stir through in the pan. 

How to make shrimp zucchini pasta step 3

Transfer to a plate or a bowl and top with the remaining cheese. You can drizzle a little more olive oil on top.

Healthy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
 

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Lemon Garlic Shrimp Zucchini Pasta

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Zucchini Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Author: Irena Macri
Servings: 1
Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian Inspired
Print Pin Save
5 from 4 votes
Calories: 649kcal
Learn how to make super easy lemon garlic shrimp zucchini pasta with just a handful of ingredients. This healthy shrimp scampi recipe uses zucchini noodles in place of spaghetti pasta and olive oil to make a delicious and healthy lunch or dinner that is low-carb and gluten-free. This recipe is for one generous serving and is easy to multiply as needed.

Ingredients 

  • 2 small zucchini or 1 medium-large, spiralized or peeled into ribbons
  • 2 large cloves of garlic sliced thinly
  • 3 oz. shrimp prawns, peeled (100 g)
  • 1/2 lemon zest and juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Prep.
    Spiralize or peel the zucchini into noodles or ribbons to create our low-carb, gluten-free pasta alternative. Peel the prawns if needed. Zest 1/2 of the lemon and slice the garlic. Shave/grate Parmesan cheese. The dish comes together quickly, so have everything ready to go.
  • Saute.
    Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, garlic and lemon zest and turn the heat down to low. Saute for about a minute until garlic starts to get fragrant. 
  • Add the shrimp.
    At this stage, add the prawns and turn the heat back to medium. Cook for a minute and a half, then stir through and cook for another minute. 
  • Finish with zucchini.
    Zucchini noodles don't need much cooking. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan, drizzle with the juice of 1/2 lemon and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon salt or so). Stir and heat through the garlic, lemon and shrimp olive oil until hot. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan and stir through in the pan. 
  • Transfer to a plate or a bowl and top with the remaining cheese. You can drizzle a little more olive oil on top.

Notes

  • You can use raw or frozen shrimp/prawns. To defrost, I place frozen shrimp in a bowl of hot water and it's usually ready to use in about 10 minutes. You can also defrost overnight in the fridge.
  • I recommend 2 small or 1 large/medium zucchini per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 649kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 706mg | Potassium: 1001mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 773IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 412mg | Iron: 2mg
Keywords: Zucchini, Courgette, Zucchini Pasta, Zucchini Noodles, Shrimp Scampi, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Keto, Shrimp, Prawns
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Irena Macri
By Irena Macri

About the author: Hi, I’m Irena Macri. I share delicious recipes that I have cooked and loved. I am a published cookbook author, have been food blogging for over 10 years and have a Diploma in Nutrition. You will find many healthy recipes as well as my favourite comfort food. More about me here | Subscribe to my newsletter and freebies

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Comments

9 Comments
  1. I love this recipe and the zoodles instead of pasta for a gluten free dish. Garlic and shrimp are just made for eachother!

  2. 5 stars
    This low carb recipe is a keeper. It tastes delicious and the lemon makes it so fresh and satisfying.

  3. 5 stars
    Thanks for the idea to make zucchini ‘pasta’ instead of regular pasta with shrimp. OMG! Your recipe is a treasure!! I made it for our lunch today: it was yummy and delicious!!

  4. 5 stars
    You had me at “lemon” and “shrimp.” I always buy the big costco bags of lemons and I love finding new recipes to use lemon in. YUM! Thank you!

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