Savor the flavors of Easy One Pot Garlic Shrimp Scampi over Quinoa! Juicy shrimp are cooked in a garlicky sauce and served over fluffy quinoa for a quick, delicious meal. Perfect for busy weeknights!
This takes quinoa to the next level by topping it with spicy shrimp, and cooking it in garlic and lemon. It’s an impressive dish that you can make in no time. This recipe takes a healthy twist on the traditional shrimp scampi by replacing the pasta with quinoa, and the butter with olive oil. It’s gluten free and dairy free without skimping on the flavor. If you’re craving a fancy but healthy Italian dinner without spending the money or consuming all of the calories this is it.
Why Quinoa?
Quinoa is a gluten free whole grain carbohydrate that’s high in protein, fiber, and B vitamins. It is a superfood with so many health benefits especially when compared to pasta. Quinoa is perfect for this dish because it absorbs the flavor of the sauce so nicely. Typically when you use pasta in a scampi you’ll cook the pasta separately and then toss it in the sauce. We are changing it up by cooking the quinoa in the wine, chicken broth, lemon juice and zest. The garlic is evident each bite is full of flavor.
Wine or No Wine?
Traditional scampi does not typically use wine as an ingredient. If you don’t have this on hand or don’t want to use wine you can simply use chicken broth in its place. The wine is wonderful in this recipe because it deglazes the pan, cooks off all of the alcohol and leaves behind a sweet flavor.
If you opt for using wine you must use white because it pairs so well with seafood. I once heard someone say you should not use a wine that you wouldn’t drink, once I started taking that advice the flavor went to a whole new level. As for the type of white wine I use, I recommend going with a dry white wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
Prepping Ahead of Time
If you make this for dinner, keep in mind left overs are delicious. I have also meal prepped this recipe for work lunches. It reheats well and can keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. To reheat I recommend placing a damp paper towel over top and microwaving until warmed through. This keeps the quinoa and shrimp from drying out.
Don’t Skimp On These Ingredients
There are two ingredients that really make this dish come together and that’s the lemon and garlic. Now here’s the thing, you shouldn’t take any shortcuts when it comes to these two. Grocery stores typically sell minced garlic in a container filled with water or oil. It’s already prepped and easy to use. However, fresh garlic is better. Yes, it comes with extra work but you won’t regret the flavor you will get especially if you want that restaurant style flavor. Taking some time to peel the garlic and mince it will be worth it.
Back when I was learning how to cook years ago, I would use the lemon juice that came from a container, it was pre-squeezed and so convenient. I don’t know how popular that is today but I highly recommend you skip this too and use the real lemon. Especially since you’re going to need the zest which will infuse the quinoa with that lemon flavor.
I’m convinced you’re going to love this recipe. It’s easy to make, super healthy, and full of flavor. Let’s get on to the recipe.
Easy One Pot Garlic Shrimp Scampi Over Quinoa
Ingredients
For The Shrimp
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb shrimp deveined and taken out of the shell
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and Black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ lemon squeezed
For The Quinoa
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ onion chopped finely
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups quinoa
- 1 cup good white wine
- 3 cups chicken broth
- Zest from one lemon
- ½ lemon squeezed
- Parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat
- In a bowl, combine the shrimp, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and paprika. Stir until the shrimp is coated with all of the seasoning. Once the oil is warm place the shrimp in the skillet and cook over medium to medium high heat and stir so all sides of the shrimp cook evenly. Do this for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp are pink.
- Once the shrimp is cooked and the seasonings are starting to cook down in the pan squeeze ½ of the lemon juice into the pan to deglaze and stir the shrimp so the seasonings that were sticking to the pan coat the shrimp. Stir for about a minute and remove from the heat. Set shrimp aside for later.
- Without rinsing the pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Then add the quinoa and stir for about a minute to let the quinoa toast.
- Add the white wine to deglaze the pan and then add the chicken broth, lemon zest and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked. Once done squeeze ½ lemon juice over the quinoa and toss, top with shrimp and parsley and serve warm.
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