Time is one of the most precious commodities on a busy weeknight, but eating a healthy dinner is important too. To avoid running to your delivery app of choice or picking up another bag of greasy fast food on the way home from work, 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 U.S., can be stashed in the freezer and thawed in the fridge the night before or in minutes under cold water to create a quick weeknight meal that the whole family will love. Add a few spices, some veggies, or pasta and you can have dinner on the table in minutes. These quick shrimp recipes prove that a healthy, restaurant-quality dinner at home is never far away. Plus, don't miss 25 Cozy Instant Pot Recipes Perfect for Weight Loss.
Low-Calorie Shrimp Jambalaya
This classic jambalaya recipe is full of flavor and perfect for those trying to eat fewer carbs. The recipe calls for cooking your rice on the stove, but if you're looking to save time and cook this one in under 15 minutes, go ahead and throw your rice in an Instant pot instead.
Get our recipe for Shrimp Jambalaya.
Chipotle Shrimp Quesadilla
Shrimp and cheese go perfectly together, and this simple quesadilla recipe is the perfect way to enjoy this combination. It takes a few extra minutes to marinate your shrimp ahead of time, but once your ingredients are ready, your cooking time will be right around 15 minutes.
Get our recipe for Shrimp Quesadilla.
Easy Shrimp Pad Thai
Pad Thai is delicious, but many at-home recipes are time-consuming and use tons of ingredients. This recipe from Feasting At Home is much simpler and will only take you around 15 minutes or so to cook.
Get the recipe from Feasting At Home.
Garlic Shrimp in Lemon Butter Sauce
If you're a fan of shrimp then you know how tasty it can be to eat with just a light, buttery sauce. This garlic lemon butter shrimp recipe is perfect for garlic and shellfish lovers.
Get the recipe from Little Spice Jar.
Spanish Garlic Shrimp
This dish is an homage to gambas al ajillo, a simple but genius combination of shrimp slow-cooked in olive oil that's been infused with lots of garlic, smoked paprika, and a touch of heat. Add a side of roasted vegetables and some crusty bread and dinner is served.
Get our recipe for Spanish Garlic Shrimp.
Cauliflower Grits with Blackened Shrimp
When you lower the calories and carbs by using cauliflower, you can add back flavor in the form of a touch of real butter and parmesan cheese to these "grits." Cajun-seasoned shrimp adds the perfect touch of spicy when served over the creamy mock grits.
Get the recipe from Eating Bird Food.
Crispy Coconut Shrimp
Panko and coconut combine into an irresistible coating for shrimp. Serve these crunchy, oven-fried shrimp with cumin-spiced black beans and asparagus for a complete meal. You can use the coating on chunks of chicken too if you have family or friends that aren't shrimp fans.
Get our recipe for Crispy Coconut Shrimp.
Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
Skip takeout and put together this garlicky, sweet, and savory stir fry in just minutes. Add any veggie you want and serve over fluffy rice for a complete dish.
Get the recipe from The Seasoned Mom.
RELATED:20 Easy Sheet Pan Fish Recipes That Are Perfect for Weight Loss
Shrimp Tacos
Store-bought coleslaw mix is the key to cutting the prep work out of these easy, spicy shrimp tacos. You can create your own spice mix or cheat and use your favorite seasoning packet.
Get the recipe from Show Me the Yummy.
15- Minute Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry
Soy sauce, sambal oelek, rice vinegar, tomato paste, and sugar—though you can also use honey—are the keys to unlocking deep flavoring just minutes. Don't skip the sambal oelek, an Indonesian chile paste; once you add it to a stir fry you will never go back.
Get the recipe from i am a food blog.
Low-Calorie Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Three simple pantry ingredients—crushed tomatoes, white wine, and a pinch of red pepper flakes—create the base of this Little Italy favorite.
Get our recipe for Low-Calorie Shrimp Fra Diavolo.
Easy 15 Minute Garlic Shrimp Scampi Chow Fun Noodles
It takes only 6 ingredients and a handful of minutes to make this delicious shrimp noodle dish. The secret is to add 1/4 cup of the starchy, noodle cooking water when adding the soy sauce to the sauteed ingredients to make a luscious sauce.
Get the recipe from i am a food blog.
RELATED:61+ Best Healthy Fish Recipes for Weight Loss
Southern-Style Shrimp and Grits
A true Southerner might fault you for using quick-cooking grits, but you don't have to tell. The rest of the ingredients—turkey kielbasa, shrimp, mushrooms, and scallions—come together in minutes on the stove.
Get our recipe for Southern-Style Shrimp and Grits.
Instant Pot Shrimp and Broccoli
Take-out-worthy shrimp and broccoli don't take long, but if you have an Instant Pot it is done in the blink of an eye. Plus, the flavors of soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar will permeate the shrimp and veggies better.
Get our recipe for Instant Pot Shrimp and Broccoli.
Best-Ever Shrimp Roll
You can quickly boil some shrimp and drop them in an ice bath or buy pre-cooked cold shrimp and then toss with celery, onion, chives, mayo, lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt. Pile everything on a toasted hot dog roll and enjoy with your favorite light beer.
Get our recipe for the Best-Ever Shrimp Roll.
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
The trick to achieving the best-ever coating on these air-fried shrimp is to toast the coconut before coating the shrimp. Serve this with veggies and rice for a complete meal.
Get our recipe for Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp.
Versatile Shrimp and Mango Summer Rolls
These healthy rice paper-wrapped rolls are filled with shrimp, super-thin rice noodles, crunchy veggies, and mango. Serve as a light lunch or dinner with a glass of sauvignon blanc on the side.
Get our recipe for Shrimp and Mango Summer Rolls.
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Low-Calorie Shrimp Lo Mein
The best thing about making your own lo mein is that you can pack it with as many veggies as you desire. That will cut down on the calories and up the fiber level. Plus, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, and soy sauce ensure that you will not sacrifice any flavor.
Get our recipe for Low-Calorie Shrimp Lo Mein.
Shrimp Scampi With Linguine Pasta
Once you find the perfect recipe for shrimp scampi, you will never pay restaurant prices for such a quick and easy meal ever again. This one goes light on the butter and olive oil and maximizes the garlic and lemon flavor this classic dish is known for. Toss in some broccoli, which goes great with the lemon-butter flavor, for a little more fiber
Get our recipe for Shrimp Scampi With Linguine Pasta.
Healthy Shrimp and Spinach Salad With Warm Bacon
If you love a good restaurant spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, then this is the recipe for you. We've cut the calories by maximizing the 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 that the salad is known for, plus shrimp adds satiating protein.
Get our recipe for Healthy Shrimp and Spinach Salad With Warm Bacon.
As you can see, it's easy to make this low-fat, high-protein shellfish a part of your weeknight rotation. Be sure to take advantage of frozen shrimp sales and stock up. A quick bath under cold water is all it takes to make shrimp the star of any night. You can enjoy these recipes on your own, or make them for the whole family to enjoy.
An original version of this article was published in August 2022. It has been updated to include more entries.
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