Shrimp Scampi traditionally uses a lot of butter and is eaten over pasta, so some might wonder if it is even possible to make a light version of this dish. Those people should definitely try this recipe…because it uses whole wheat pasta and only two tablespoons of butter, and you won’t miss the traditional version one little bit!
There is soo much flavor in this dish. And it only takes thirty minutes to make!
I think you should make it….tonight. Right now. Go buy some shrimp. You start making this de-licious meal by filling a pot with salted water (it should taste like the ocean) and bringing it to a boil over high heat to cook your whole wheat spaghetti. I used half a box of thin spaghetti in this recipe, but whole wheat angel hair will work just as well. Make sure you only use half a box! If you use more, there won’t be enough sauce to coat all the noodles.
Continue with the recipe, and when you see your water boiling, add in your spaghetti and cook until it is al dente (if you don’t want to worry about watching it, just look at the cooking time on the back of the box and set a timer.)
Next you need to peel and devein a pound of shrimp. I’m not going to lie to you…this part isn’t very fun. If you can buy pre-peeled and deveined shrimp at your grocery store–DO IT. My grocery store does not give me this option. If yours does, this will be a fifteen minute dish. Which is an unbelievably short time to develop amazing flavors like you have here.
But if your grocery stores are like mine and do not offer you peeled and deveined shrimp, turn on some music and get started. It took me about fifteen minutes.
Which really isn’t bad. I don’t know why I’m complaining about it.
Anyway, prep your pound of yummy, fresh shrimp and put them in a bowl.
Place a large saute pan over medium heat and melt two tablespoons of butter with two tablespoons of olive oil. The olive oil makes it so that the butter doesn’t brown and burn. Browned butter is one of the most delicious things a person can make, but in this particular recipe, we don’t really want that nutty flavor.
As your butter is melting, finely chop up three to four cloves of garlic. The number of cloves you use will depend on the size of them. I happened to have some pretty sizable cloves, so I used three. If you have smaller cloves, go ahead and use four. The garlic flavor is pretty important in this dish.
Add your garlic to your butter and olive oil mixture, add two pinches of red pepper flakes, and the juice of one lemon. Let this simmer for a few minutes over medium heat.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few pinches of pepper to your shrimp and mix them around in the bowl with your hands until they are all evenly coated with the seasoning.
Add the shrimp to your pan with the butter/lemon juice mixture. Spread them out into an even layer and let them simmer.
Flip the shrimp over and let them cook until they are pink and the center is opaque. Shrimp cook pretty fast.
Tell me that doesn’t look amazing.
Throw your cooked pasta into the pan with the shrimp, toss until all the noodles are coated in the sauce, and top it all off with some chopped parsley.
I may or may not have had a plate this morning instead of breakfast…
Don’t judge me. I’m not a breakfast person.
Here is the recipe:
- 1 pound of shrimp
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 2 pinches of red pepper flakes
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ box of whole wheat thin spaghetti (or whole wheat angel hair)
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat to cook the pasta
- Meanwhile, peel and devein your shrimp and add them to a bowl
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium heat
- Salt your boiling water (it should taste like the ocean) and add the pasta
- Finely chop your garlic and add it to the pan with the butter and olive oil
- Add 2 pinches of red pepper flakes and the juice from 1 lemon
- Let this mixture simmer for about 5 minutes or so
- While your shrimp are still in the bowl, season them with ½ teaspoon salt and a few pinches of pepper and mix them together with your hands until they are evenly coated
- Add your shrimp to the saute pan with your butter and lemon juice mixture and spread them out in one even layer
- Cook them for a few minutes on that side and then flip them over
- Cook until the shrimp are opaque in the center
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the shrimp and toss everything together until the noodles are evenly coated
- Sprinkle chopped parsley over the top
