Healthy Recipes 101

The Heart of The Home Beats in The Kitchen

  • Recipe Index
  • Courses
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beverages
  • Method
    • Air Frying
    • Boiling
    • Broiling
    • Frying
    • Grilling
    • Oven Baked
    • One-Pan
  • About

Hot Tags

  • Juices
  • Chicken
  • Salmon Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • Instant Pot
  • Salads
Fact-checked
Main Dishes

Healthy Shrimp Scampi Recipe

5 from 10 votes
  • Main Dishes
  • Pasta
  • Shrimp Recipes
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Servings 4 servings
Calories 441 kcal
Shrimp Scrampi Recipe
Jump to Recipe
facebook pinterest twitter Print Recipe

This healthy shrimp scampi recipe makes one of the easiest and quickest meals ever for National Shrimp Scampi Day (April 29). The recipe is so straightforward that even an amateur cook could make it with ease.

Although it takes just a few minutes to prepare, it will make you feel like you’re eating out.

Now get all the ingredients ready, put on your apron — it’s time to make this to-die-for shrimp scampi!

What is Shrimp Scampi?

The term “scampi” means a type of edible lobster found in the North-Eastern Atlantic Ocean. In bygone days, this type of lobster was favored by the Italians.

Since butter and wine are crucial parts of their cuisine, the dish “scampi” was born. It’s a remarkable dish made by cooking the lobster with butter, white wine, and aromatic garlic.

Unfortunately, when the Italians first moved to America, they realized that their favorite lobster was hard to find. As a solution, they tried to cook regular shrimp in the same way, and the result was just as satisfying.

Healthy Shrimp Scampi Recipe

Thus, the name of the dish changed to “shrimp scampi”.

Now “shrimp scampi” isn’t only famous for the scampi itself. It’s widely known as regular shrimp cooked and coated in a rich, delicate sauce of garlic, butter, and white wine.

Is Shrimp Scampi Healthy?

First off, our shrimp scampi recipe has a nutritional profile that fits the healthy eating guidelines given by the USDA:

  • Calories: the dish yields around 508 calories each serving. According to our guidelines, men (18-45) should consume 2700 calories per day and women of the same age should consume 2100.
  • Saturated fat: as a controversial type of fat, saturated fat should be moderately consumed. Each serving of our dish has 5 grams of saturated fat, within what we recommend per meal— 4-11 grams.
  • Sodium: the USDA recommends individuals (18-45) should consume less than 2300 milligrams of sodium per day. This recipe only has 522 milligrams of sodium each serving, less than 30% the recommended amount.

Apart from that, shrimp is also among the healthy foods:

  • As delicious as they are, that fluffy white, pinkish meat is 24% protein in mass, richer than typical ground meats. Only 4 ounces of cooked shrimps can give you 48% of your daily protein needs.
  • Shrimp often gets a bad rap for its cholesterol content. However, its cholesterol content has been found to have only a small impact on your cholesterol levels.
  • Similar to fish, shrimp contains a fair amount of omega 3. Only found in marine creatures and a few other plants, omega 3 helps promote heart health.

We have a lot of other healthy shrimp recipes for you to check out too, including shrimp salad. It’s vitamin-packed with creamy avocados, crisp lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes.

How Many Calories are in Shrimp Scampi?

Our shrimp scampi recipe gives 441 calories per serving. To turn it into a full meal, you’ll need around another 300 calories.

Check out our pairing recommendation below. Hint: it’s a French side and a refreshing glass of juice.

Choosing the Pasta for This Recipe

You can make shrimp scampi with whatever pasta you like, but the most common pasta called for is linguine. It’s similar to vermicelli or fettuccine, but there is a slight difference if you look closely at the strands.

ingredient

Instead of entirely flat, Linguine is thick in the middle and flattens out towards the edge. It’s less round than spaghetti, elliptical you might say.

In this recipe, we used fettuccine because it’s the one we had on hand. As they’re all pasta, using one kind or another does not affect the dish’s overall taste.

You can use linguine if that’s what you prefer. Cook the noodles as the instructions say, then proceed to step 2 in our instruction.

How to Make Healthy Shrimp Scampi Recipe

Here’s a summary of our Shrimp Scampi recipe:

boil the pasta

Boil the pasta

prep the shrimp

Prep the shrimps

sear the shrimp

Sear the shrimps

fry the garlic

Fry the garlic

add pasta shrimp and seasonings

Add pasta, shrimp, and seasonings

serve

Serve

Jump to Recipe

Tips for Making This Dish

1. Can You Use Frozen Shrimp?

Frozen shrimp are no doubt convenient and probably the only option there is for most people. It’s fine to use frozen shrimp in this recipe.

However, using fresh ingredients is the best way to have good food. Try fresh shrimp if you have the chance, and you’ll see the indescribable difference.

2. Thickening the Scampi Sauce

Most shrimp scampi recipes don’t call for a thickening agent. This is because white wine evaporates pretty quickly, and usually, what’s left is thick enough to coat the shrimp.

How to make Shrimp Scrampi Recipe

However, if you’re using chicken stock, the sauce can get kind of watery. To fix this, you could try using corn starch.

Mix one tablespoon of cold water and one teaspoon of cornstarch, then dump it into your cooking shrimp. Stir it for a bit on low heat, and the buttery sauce will thicken.

There’s also another option, but only if you’re cooking pasta. Save some of the pasta water, and put one teaspoon of it into your shrimp to get a similar effect.

3. Should I Cook Shrimp Scampi Recipe with Wine?

Seafood, in general, is preferably cooked with white wine. The alcoholic beverage not only eliminates the strong odor of seafood, but it also adds an exceptional flavor.

If you want to make a child-friendly version of shrimp scampi, using chicken stock instead is also a great option. Although not as fragrant as white wine, chicken stock can add depth of flavor to your shrimp.

Some recipes we found call for apple cider vinegar as a substitute for white wine. Technically, vinegar can also remove the shrimp’s strong smell and add a mildly sweet aroma.

Just remember it’s strong in flavor, so don’t add too much.

Still, we decided to keep things traditional because we prefer white wine or chicken stock.

4. Can I Freeze Shrimp Scampi?

Yes, you can. Cooked shrimp can be frozen for up to 3 months in a clean, air-tight container.

If you’re following our shrimp scampi recipe, skip step 1 and proceed to cook the shrimp with wine. Then, pour the shrimp and the sauce into a container, leave to cool, seal, and place in the freezer.

5. How to Reheat Frozen Shrimp Scampi?

You can reheat the frozen shrimp scampi in a microwave. Or, allow the container to thaw enough to get the shrimp and sauce out, then reheat everything in a skillet.

Remember to turn the heat to low, or the liquid will evaporate off and your dish will burn. Also, keep an eye on the skillet.

After reheating the shrimp, proceed to cook sliced garlic in it and add cooked pasta in, along with other ingredients.

Tips for Making This Dish

What Goes with Shrimp Scampi?

1. Linguine

As mentioned before, you can use any long-stranded pasta of choice. It can be linguine, fettuccine, vermicelli, or even spaghetti.

2. Rice

The buttery, garlicky sauce of shrimp scampi goes phenomenally well with rice. It can be any kind of rice, up to you and your preference.

For optimum health, we suggest brown rice. It is packed with B vitamins and many minerals in vast amounts.

You can use a rice cooker to cook the rice while making the sauce. Or, simmer your rice in a pot with one part rice, two parts water for 30 minutes on low heat.

3. Tomatoes

Adding fresh tomatoes to your shrimp scampi skillet gives it a bit of tanginess and freshness. Either diced tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes work just fine.

In terms of nutrients, tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that boosts your immune system.

To include tomatoes in this shrimp scampi recipe, cut your tomatoes and add them while you cook the shrimp. You can mash them or leave them whole, depending on your preference.

4. Broccoli

Besides tender texture and bundles of fiber, broccoli also gives you lots of vitamins and very few calories.

What to Serve with This Dish

The 441 calories alone won’t keep your stomach full for long. We thought a salad and drink were the best companions for this shrimp scampi recipe.

1. Nicoise Salad Recipe

This salad incorporates fresh, organic produce grown around the Nice area in the South of France, hence the name. Specifically, it has crisp green beans, cucumber, tender boiled eggs, and umami tuna, all tossed in a pungent, tangy vinaigrette.

What’s also good about this salad is, you can also make it ahead of time.

2. Watermelon Cucumber Juice Recipe

A glass of fresh juice to cleanse your palate is never extra. With just two ingredients, plus lemon juice and spearmint for fragrance, the juice tastes extremely fresh and pleasing.

Recipes Course Calories Saturated fat Sodium
Shrimp Scampi Main Dish 442 5.0 g 525 mg
Nicoise Salad Side Dish 252 3.2 g 259 mg
Watermelon Cucumber Juice Beverage 58 0.0 g 7 mg
Total 752 8.2 g 791 mg
Nutritional values in this table vary somewhat to those below due to different app calculations. Read more...
What to Serve with This Dish

Other Shrimp and Pasta Recipes To Love

  • Shrimp Alfredo Recipe
  • Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara Recipe
  • Shrimp Primavera Recipe
  • Instant Pot Shrimp Recipe
Shrimp Scrampi Recipe

Healthy Shrimp Scampi Recipe

5 from 10 votes
PRINT RATE Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest
This healthy shrimp scampi recipe makes one of the most delicious Italian dishes that are fantastic for any time of the year. Not just because it’s quick and easy to make, but it’s also absolutely delicious.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 441kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 lb raw shrimp 6.7 oz shrimp with shells removed
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp garlic half minced, half sliced
  • 1/2 tsp salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper divided
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 oz fettuccine pasta uncooked
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbsp lemon peel grated
  • 1/2 tbsp parsley minced
  • 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Boil the pasta, following the instruction on the package. Ours says 10 minutes.
  • While it’s cooking, remove the shrimp shells and butterfly them if you're using fresh shrimp. If you use shelled shrimp, marinate the shrimp with minced garlic, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper (half the kosher salt and black pepper mixture) for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat the pan on medium heat. Add butter and when it’s melted, sear the shrimp, 3 minutes on the first side. Flip the shrimps and add wine. Cook for another 3 minutes and take the shrimps out with a tong.
  • Don’t clean the pan! Add oil, sliced garlic and fry on low heat for 2 minutes (or until the garlic is slightly golden).
  • Add pasta, the rest of the salt and pepper, give it a mix.
  • Add shrimps, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, lemon peel, parsley, parmesan and mix. Turn off the stove.
  • Serve.

Video

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Healthy Shrimp Scampi Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 441 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 202mg67%
Sodium 524mg23%
Potassium 477mg14%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 32g64%
Vitamin A 147IU3%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 140mg14%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Homemade Shrimp Scrampi Recipe
Chicken Alfredo Recipe
Previous Recipe
Chicken Alfredo Recipe
Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Next Recipe
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

More Delicious Like This

healthy Shrimp Salad Recipe

Healthy Shrimp Salad Recipe

Salads
Total 50 minutes
egg drop soup recipe

Egg Drop Soup Recipe

Soups & Stews
Total 20 minutes
Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Chicken
Total 50 minutes
Can you make Chicken Enchiladas ahead of time

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Chicken
Total 1 hour 15 minutes
is Greek Salad healthy

Healthy Greek Salad Recipe

Salads
Total 15 minutes
Chicken Alfredo Recipe

Chicken Alfredo Recipe

Chicken
Total 55 minutes
Luna Regina

Luna Regina

facebook instagram pinterest youtube twitter linkedin
Luna is the founder and chief recipe developer of Healthy Recipes 101. Apart from cooking, she also loves reading, programming, exploring the outdoors, and collecting useless facts about everything.

Comments/ Reviews

Cancel reply
Shrimp Scrampi Recipe
Healthy Shrimp Scampi Recipe
Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Kathy

    May 1, 2021 at 9:37 pm

    Delicious

    Reply
  2. Alexandra

    February 14, 2022 at 6:29 am

    Such a delicious dish – so tasty!

    Reply
    • Luna Regina

      February 14, 2022 at 6:38 am

      So glad you enjoyed it, Alexandra.

      Reply
  3. Jan

    February 14, 2022 at 9:01 am

    A lovely meal

    Reply
    • Luna Regina

      February 15, 2022 at 5:15 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  4. Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/

    February 14, 2022 at 11:04 am

    Pasta AND sea food=the best combination!

    Reply
  5. maya

    February 14, 2022 at 3:27 pm

    Delicious !

    Reply
    • Luna Regina

      February 15, 2022 at 5:15 am

      Thanks, Maya!

      Reply
  6. Stine Mari

    February 14, 2022 at 4:00 pm

    I love this, quick and easy and delicious!

    Reply
  7. Amy

    February 14, 2022 at 10:08 pm

    This recipe was delicious! Easy to follow and turned out beautifully.

    Reply
    • Luna Regina

      February 15, 2022 at 5:14 am

      So glad you enjoyed it, Amy!

      Reply
  8. Tyanne

    February 15, 2022 at 1:52 am

    The healthiest shrimp scampi recipe around!

    Reply
    • Luna Regina

      February 15, 2022 at 5:14 am

      Thanks, Tyanne!

      Reply
  9. Linda

    February 15, 2022 at 5:13 am

    Love this pasta! So good and tasty

    Reply
  10. Kyleigh

    February 16, 2022 at 3:33 pm

    such an easy, delicious dinner!

    Reply
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Recipe developed by Luna Regina on November 4, 2020 Nutritionally reviewed by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD

Latest Recipes

Cheeseburger Pizza Recipe

Beef
Cheeseburger Pizza Recipe

Pineapple Shrimp Recipe

Shrimp Recipes
Pineapple Shrimp Recipe

Salmon Loaf Recipe

Salmon Recipes
Salmon Loaf Recipe

Air Fryer Chicken Parmigiana Recipe

Chicken
Air Fryer Chicken Parmigiana Recipe

Air Fryer General Tso Chicken Recipe

Chicken
Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

Chicken a la King Recipe

Chicken
Chicken a la King Recipe

Top Pinterest

Mango Yogurt Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Mango Yogurt Smoothie Recipe

Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie

Smoothies
Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie Recipe

Pineapple Coconut Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Pineapple Coconut Smoothie Recipe

Apple Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Apple Smoothie Recipe

Pineapple Smoothie With Milk Recipe

Smoothies
Pineapple Smoothie With Milk Recipe

Orange Juice Apple Cider Vinegar And Honey Recipe

Cocktails
Orange Juice Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Recipe

AS SEEN ON
eatthis
parade
bustle
insider
buzzfeed
forbes
cnn
msn
Healthy Recipes 101
We do not offer medical, dietetic, or nutritional advice. Please seek consultation from a qualified health care professional prior to any decision to alter your current diet. Learn more See additional information.
  • Recipe Index
  • Course
  • Method
  • About
  • Cooking Challenge
  • Nutrition Guidelines
  • Recipe Development
  • Cooking Tips
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Follow Us

facebook instagram pinterest youtube twitter linkedin

Get our latest healthy recipes

Stay up-to-date with our latest RDN-approved recipes, kitchen tips, and healthy eating challenges.

Opt-out at any time by clicking the 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of our email.

Visit our other Healthy101 sites:

Healthykitchen101
© 2021 Healthy Kitchen 101, LLC - All Rights Reserved
Return to Top