Creamy Herb & Shrimp Pasta

I’ve come a long way since trying my first zucchini noodle. In 2016, I made a chow mein with them for the first time. I cooked the zucchini too much then and ended up with a floppy zucchini noodle. The dish still tasted okay, but the texture threw me for a loop.

Fast forward to today, and after many attempts at a good zucchini noodle, I think I finally nailed it. Here’s my rundown on the best tips I can give to those seeking to shed the carbs by using zoodles:

• Invest in a spiralizer. Trust me. You don’t want to try to make your own zoodles with a knife or mandolin. It ends up taking too much time and wasted effort for imperfect chunks of zucchini. My spiralizer was just $15 on Amazon. Honestly, it was the best $15 I ever spent.
• Barely cook the zucchini. I usually throw my zucchini noodles in at the end of the cooking a dish. You want them to remain pretty crisp, almost raw, for the best zoodle and the best taste. This also gives you a wonderful crunch that normal pasta won’t give you.

That’s it. If zucchini noodles still throw off your tastebuds after those two tips, you might want to try out shirataki noodles. They’re made from the konjac root and are a little chewy, but are my second favorite thing to use in place of real pasta.

For this zucchini noodle dish, I went searching for something to give me a springtime feel. Most Americans right now feel like winter will just not let up. I ran a story this morning about Butte, Montana schools closing for the first time in 20 years because of the snow! Montanans know snow, too, so if a school is closing there you know it must be really, really bad.

I’m hoping by eating all these springtime herbs and vegetables I will inadvertently bring the springtime temps to Oklahoma. We’re dipping below freezing again tonight, and although we haven’t seen the brutal winter like other parts of the midwest, it’s still not been the best either.

I was drawn to a package of dill and a bunch of fresh parsley at the grocery store and went with it. Shrimp was my go-to protein. I’ve been eating a lot of chicken lately, so the shrimp was a welcome sight to see.

This sauce is really thin, but still packs a punch flavor wise. I went heavy on the dill because I adore the fresh herb. It’s no wonder I like ranch dressing and dill pickles so much. If you want to thicken up your sauce more, use some extra parmesan cheese—or maybe even add a knob of cream cheese. I liked the thin sauce, though, so here’s hoping you do too.

Enjoy!

Creamy Herb & Shrimp Pasta

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A creamy, herbaceous pasta with fresh dill, parsley, zucchini noodles and shrimp.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBS. olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• salt & pepper
• 3 zucchini, spiralized

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add garlic and bell pepper strips and saute until slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in cream, dill, parsly, and parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer.
2. Add shrimp and let simmer for 4-5 minutes or until shrimp is pink. Add zucchini noodles and toss, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to season. Serve.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add garlic and bell pepper strips and saute until slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Pour in cream, dill, parsly, and parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer.

Add shrimp and let simmer for 4-5 minutes or until shrimp is pink.

Add zucchini noodles and toss, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to season. Serve.