And here’s the next contestant in zucchini week! So are you all sick of zucchini yet, or are you just getting started like me. 🙂 I’ll admit, I can definitely hit my zucchini threshold after a few weeks, but as long as I keep changing it up, I can enjoy it far into the fall. That’s one of the reasons that I don’t plant my own zucchini plants. I know that I would get sick of them if I felt like I had to eat it every day and I don’t want to get sick of them. So like I said before, I just enjoy the ones that other friends and family offer me. 🙂 This one came from my mom’s garden and it was just the right size to turn into a bowl of noodles. Has everyone tried zoodles by now?? It seems like they are everywhere, but hadn’t actually tried them until a couple months ago. Being a pasta lover I wasn’t ready to completely give up my whole wheat noodles, but I DO love my veggies, so I am perfectly happy to sub out my high carb friends once in a while for a lighter and still tasty option.
The first time I made scampi I think the recipe had like 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or something like that. As delicious as it was, I couldn’t bring myself to ingest that much fat and calories in one sitting, so I started to develop a lighter version and after a few years ended up with this. It’s still a warm, garlicky, butter flavor, but so much lighter. In fact the whole dish with the cheese only has about 260 calories! You can’t beat that for dinner. 🙂
Now some of you might be saying but what about my family? My kids won’t eat that. Well, don’t worry, mine won’t either, so I still boil a pot of noodles for them and just toss one portion of the scampi with the zoodles, and toss the rest with the pasta noodles. See? Win, Win. Now to get on with cooking this yummy dish….
I start by chopping all the veggies and herbs to have it all ready. This dish goes pretty quick and you don’t want to over cook anything.
Yes, yes, I know I need a new cutting board since mine has a huge gap on the side, but for now, it works. 🙂 Also, use either a mandolin, or zoodle maker to get your zoodles ready and set aside (raw). Boil your pasta noodles if you are making them according to package directions. While they are cooking, heat a large skillet on medium and add your 1 T olive oil.
Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender. About 5 minutes.
Once they get to this point, add in the garlic and herbs and butter. Cook for about 1 minute just until you can smell the garlic and the butter is melted. Then add in the chicken broth, salt and pepper and give everything a good stir.
Next add in your peeled raw shrimp.
The shrimp only need 4-5 minutes to cook so just toss it around with the sauce for a few minutes and you are good to go for the sauce.
Now at this point I spoon out a quarter of the scampi (for myself) into another small warm frying pan and dump the zucchini noodles in with it and toss them together for just 2-3 more minutes for my serving. You don’t want the zucchini noodles to get cooked until they are too soft and they cook super fast. If you are doing zoodles for everyone, then take all your zoodles and just dump them in with the scampi and toss together for 1-2 minutes and turn the heat off.
If you are doing pasta for the rest of your family, drain your pasta noodles and toss those with the rest of the scampi in the sauce pan.
Now you are ready to plate up your dish and top with Parmesan cheese. It’s also good with lots of black or red pepper!
Move over Olive Garden! 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 lb small raw shrimp (I buy the shelled and de-veined)
- 3 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1/2 C chopped onions
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 T butter
- 1 t salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 C chicken stock
- 4-5 t minced garlic
- 2 T chopped fresh parsley
- 2 T chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 medium zucchini (1 per serving 200 g each) or 8 oz dry whole wheat spaghetti noodles
Instructions
- I start by chopping all the veggies and herbs to have it all ready. This dish goes pretty quick and you don't want to over cook anything.
- Use either a mandolin, or zoodle maker to get your zoodles ready and set aside (raw).
- Boil your pasta noodles, if you are making them, according to package directions.
- While they are cooking, heat a large skillet on medium and add your 1 T olive oil.
- Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender. About 5 minutes.
- Once they get to this point, add in the garlic and herbs and butter. Cook for about 1 minute just until you can smell the garlic and the butter is melted. Then add in the chicken broth, salt and pepper and give everything a good stir.
- Next add in your peeled raw shrimp.
- The shrimp only need 4-5 minutes to cook so just toss it around with the sauce for a few minutes until they are all pink and you are good to go for the sauce.
- Now at this point I spoon out a quarter of the scampi into another small warm frying pan and dump the zucchini noodles in with it and toss them together for just 2-3 more minutes for my serving. You don't want the zucchini noodles to get cooked until they are too soft and they cook super fast. If you are doing zoodles for everyone, then take all your zoodles and just dump them in with the scampi and toss together for 1-2 minutes and turn the heat off.
- If you are doing pasta for the rest of your family, drain your pasta noodles and toss those with the rest of the scampi in the sauce pan.
- Now you are ready to plate up your dish and top with Parmesan cheese. It's also good with lots of black or red pepper!
Notes
Macros: Calories 262; Fat 12; Carbs 11; Protein 29 Incudes 1 T of Parmesan Cheese for each serving and 1 medium zucchini made into noodles.
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