Time is one of the most valuable commodities on a busy weeknight, but a healthy dinner is important too. To avoid running home from work to the delivery app of your choice or having to grab another bag of greasy fast food, you need to have some quick cooking recipes in your back pocket. If you have some shrimp in the freezer and these quick shrimp recipes on hand, you’re only 15 minutes away from a healthy meal.
Shrimp, the most popular seafood in the US, can be kept in the freezer and thawed in the fridge the night before, or thawed under cold running water in minutes for a quick meal for the whole family. Add a few spices, some veggies or pasta and you’ll have dinner on the table in minutes. These quick shrimp recipes prove that a healthy, restaurant quality dinner at home is never far away. Also, don’t miss 22 Meals to Melt Belly Fat in 2022.
This dish pays homage to gambas al ajillo, a simple but ingenious combination of slow-cooked prawns in olive oil that’s been infused with lots of garlic, smoked paprika and a hint of chilli spiciness. Add a side of roasted vegetables and some crusty bread and dinner is served.
Get our Spanish Garlic Prawns recipe.
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If you lower the calories and carbs by using cauliflower, you can add flavor to these “grits” again in the form of touches of real butter and Parmesan cheese. Cajun-spiced shrimp add the perfect spicy touch when served over the creamy mock grits.
Get the recipe from Eating Bird Food.
Panko and coconut combine to create an irresistible topping for shrimp. Serve these crispy oven-roasted shrimp with cumin-spiced black beans and asparagus for a complete meal. You can also use the coating on chicken pieces if you have family or friends who aren’t shrimp fans.
Get our recipe for Crispy Coconut Shrimp.
Skip the takeout and put together this garlicky sweet and savory stir fry in just minutes. Add any veggies and serve over fluffy rice for a complete dish.
Get the recipe from The Seasoned Mom.
A store-bought coleslaw mix is the key to cutting prep work out of these easy, flavorful shrimp tacos. You can create your own spice mix or cheat and use your favorite spice pack.
Get the recipe from Show Me the Yummy.
Soy sauce, sambal oelek, rice vinegar, tomato paste, and sugar — although you can use honey — are the keys to releasing intense flavor in minutes. Don’t skip the sambal oelek, an Indonesian chili paste; Once you add it to a stir fry, you’ll never go back.
Get the recipe from i am a food blog.
Three simple pantry ingredients — chopped tomatoes, white wine, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes — form the base of this Little Italy favorite.
Get our Low Calorie Shrimp Fra Diavolo recipe.
It only takes 6 ingredients and a handful of minutes to make this delicious shrimp pasta dish. The secret is to add 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water when you add the soy sauce to the sautéed ingredients to make a delicious sauce.
Get the recipe from i am a food blog.
A true Southerner might accuse you of using quick-cooking grits, but you don’t have to say so. The remaining ingredients—turkey kielbasa, shrimp, mushrooms, and scallions—come together in minutes on the stovetop.
Get our Southern-style shrimp and grits recipe.
Grab-and-go shrimp and broccoli doesn’t take long, but if you have an Instant Pot, it’s ready in no time. Plus, the flavors of soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar will better permeate the shrimp and veggies.
Get our Instant Pot Shrimp and Broccoli recipe.
You can quickly cook shrimp and pop them in an ice bath, or buy pre-cooked cold shrimp and then toss them with celery, onions, chives, mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt. Pile it all up on a toasted hot dog bun and enjoy with your favorite diet.
Get our recipe for the best shrimp roll ever.
The trick to getting the best coating ever on these air fried shrimp is to toast the coconut before coating the shrimp. Serve this with veggies and rice for a full meal.
Get our Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp recipe.
These healthy rice paper wrapped buns are filled with shrimp, super thin rice noodles, crunchy veggies and mango. Serve for a light lunch or dinner with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Get our recipe for Summer Rolls with Shrimp and Mango.
The best part about making your own Lo Mein is that you can pack it with as many veggies as you like. This reduces calories and increases fiber content. Plus, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, and soy sauce ensure you don’t sacrifice flavor.
Get our Low Calorie Shrimp Lo Mein recipe.
Once you find the perfect shrimp scampi recipe, you’ll never pay restaurant prices for such a quick and easy meal again. This dish goes lightly on butter and olive oil, maximizing the garlic and lemon flavor that this classic dish is known for. Throw in some broccoli, which goes great with the lemon-butter flavor, for a little extra fiber
Get our Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Pasta recipe.
If you love a good restaurant spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, then this is the recipe for you. We reduced the calories by maximizing flavor in the dressing without overdoing it with the oil or bacon fat. But you still get the crispy bacon and chopped hard-boiled eggs the salad is known for, and shrimp add filling protein.
Get our recipe for Healthy Shrimp Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon.