This shrimp pasta primavera is light, packed full of veggies and lean protein, and perfect for romantic dinners on warm summer nights. Shrimp always looks fancy- but is so quick to prepare and cook!
I made this pasta the night before we left for Thailand. I wanted to have a nice dinner with Alex and celebrate my last day of work until August — but I didn’t want to end up with a ton of dishes or spending hours in the kitchen. It turned out perfectly- so it will be something we eat regularly.
I used this Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta. It’s the best gluten free pasta I’ve ever found. It’s chewy, and doesn’t get soft or soggy like many alternative pastas. No, I can’t buy this in Malaysia! I always bring a few things like this back with me from the states, but the box I used for this pasta was a birthday gift from a very thoughtful friend. When she gave it to me, she told me her husband thought it was a terrible gift. Only people with food allergies/sensitivities can really appreciate how amazingly thoughtful it was of her!
I’ve been eating more and more carb-less meals in the evening, so I made two versions of this “pasta.” I cut the vegetables into long strips, and for Alex, mixed them in to his pasta. For myself, I used the long cut vegetables as my pasta, and topped them with shrimp and parmesan. Both of versions were really good- and it was easy to prepare us both the meal we wanted/needed that night.
Simple, beautiful, healthy. Great with a glass of white wine. The shrimp and veggies cook so quickly, it won’t heat up your kitchen too much on warm summer nights. I see a lot more blackened shrimp in my future!
Contents
Shrimp Pasta Primavera {Gluten Free + Low-Carb & Paleo Option!}
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 12 large shrimp
- 1 teaspoon blackening seasoning from Blackened Salmon Salad recipe
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Pasta
- 4 ounces spaghetti of choice (for gluten free, try  Ancient Grains Quinoa pasta)
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 large carrot
- 1 bell pepper (I used half green, half yellow)
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil (thinly sliced)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- shaved parmesan cheese (garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta per the package directions. Reserve 2 tablespoons pasta water when draining.
- Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a frying pan. After shrimp are cleaned and deveined, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon blackening seasoning. Saute shrimp for 6-8 minutes, or until they are cooked through. Set aside.
- Prepare vegetables. I had thin asparagus, and cut it lengthwise into thinner strips. I used a julienne peeler to make the carrots long strips. Slice the peppers into long thin strips, and slice the mushrooms thinly.
- Add vegetables to the pan the shrimp cooked in. Saute until the vegetables are hot, but still crisp. Season with salt and pepper.
- If using pasta, mix the vegetables into the cooked pasta. Add lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the reserved pasta water, and mix well, then pour over the pasta and vegetables.
- If not using pasta, cut the lemon juice back to 3 teaspoons, and the olive oil to 2 teaspoons. Pour both over the vegetables.
- Mix in sliced basil leaves.
- Add vegetables or pasta and vegetables to plates, and top with shrimp and parmesan.
Nutrition
LOVE this as i’m a huge fan of shrimp! gonna be trying this out for dinner one evening (;
It’s super easy and fast. I hope you enjoy it!
Ohhh this looks delcious and I love that it’s gluten free! Gorgeous photography as well. Nice lunch or dinner option.
Thanks Kamila! Yes, I might even eat this for breakfast.
What a delicious looking and sounding recipe. With all that good stuff, along with the shrimp and flavors, I don’t think I’d even miss the pasta!
The pasta is really unnecessary in this dish 🙂 All about the blackened shrimp!