Everything that’s good in a comfort food can now be made in your kitchen, with our shrimp parmesan recipe. We cook large prawns just-so in a flavorful tomato sauce with extra spices and top the whole thing with cheese before sliding it into the oven. It takes 25 minutes and is so easy, making meal-prepping a breeze.
How Healthy Is Shrimp Parmesan?
“Cheesy” and “healthy” are terms that probably won’t go together in a positive sentence. While it is a safe piece of advice to avoid cheese, it can be an unrealistic expectation and it isn’t really what experts are suggesting.
They advise us to watch our calorie intake and to consume foods in moderation, to reduce certain health risks. Cheese just happens to be a bit higher in them, calories and saturated fats, than other ingredients.
It is not cheese that is unhealthy, but it is the act of consuming foods dripping with large amounts of cheese on a daily basis.
Our shrimp parmesan recipe was crafted with this in mind. It contains 500 calories and 9 g saturated fats per serving, which we believe is the perfect amount for such a cheesy dish.
Apart from this, shrimp parmesan is also quite nutritious:
- Shrimp are a good source of whole proteins that also come with a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids and several minerals.
- Besides fats, parmesan contains vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and phosphorus, among many more nutrients.
- Cooked pasta provides some carbohydrates. You can opt for whole-wheat pasta instead to sneak in more fiber onto the plate.
Ingredients for Shrimp Parmesan
Our recipe calls for large shrimp, tomato sauce, garlic, butter, parmesan and mozzarella, breadcrumbs, seasonings, broth, tomato sauce, and some fresh herbs:
1. Shrimp
When we say large shrimp, we really mean it. It’s much more fun biting into a flavorful prawn that’s too big to fit in the mouth, we find. Plus, if you’re using fresh shrimp instead of frozen, they’re also quicker to peel than smaller shrimp.
We cook the shrimp with olive oil, butter, and garlic, imbuing the protein and the sauce with delicious fragrances.
2. Tomato Sauce
We make our own tomato sauce and chicken broth because it’s easier for us to control the dish’s sodium level. If it poses an inconvenience for you, you can use unsalted canned goods instead.
Our tomato sauce is already quite fragrant, so we only season it with salt, pepper, and paprika for a spicy kick. Should you wish your sauce to be even more fragrant, you may consider dashing over it with some Italian seasonings.
3. Toppings
Although parmesan is in the name, this dish wouldn’t be complete without mozzarella. It may not be as flavorful as parmesan, but it adds that ‘to-die-for’ stretchy texture.
Swirled in the cheese are some breadcrumbs. Once baked, they make a golden and crunchy top layer that’s really fun to eat. What we were left with was a little too fine, so if you can get larger breadcrumbs, like the Japanese panko variety, it’d be great.
On top of it all, we sprinkle some chopped parsley and basil, lending this rich and savory dish a nice touch of freshness.
4. Pasta
We prefer long pastas like spaghetti, angel hair, or fettuccini for this recipe. You can, however, use whatever pasta you like.
How to Make This Shrimp Parmesan
Begin by selecting a skillet that you can later put in the oven. The one we used is a cast-iron skillet, but any oven-safe, non-stick skillet should work.
In the skillet sauté the garlic with butter and olive oil until it gets really fragrant, then add the shrimp. Cook them just until they begin to curl, then add the sauce, the seasonings, and the broth. The shrimp should finish cooking in the oven, so it's important not to cook them through at this point.
Finally, we scatter the cheese-breadcrumbs mixture over the top along with some herbs, then slide the whole thing into a preheated oven. While that's baking, we boil some pasta according to the instructions on the box.
Here's the entire process:
- Sauté garlic with butter and oil.
- Add the shrimp.
- Add the sauce and seasonings, and stir.
- Add the broth and mix well.
- Scatter cheese, breadcrumbs, and herbs on top, and bake.
- Cook some spaghetti and enjoy.
Measurements, timing, and temperature are mentioned in our printable “Shrimp Parmesan Recipe” card at the bottom of this article.
How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers
If you have any leftovers, they can be refrigerated for up to 4 days and frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, they can be then placed into oven-safe containers and baked at 350 until the cheese melts and becomes bubbly again.
What to Serve With Shrimp Parmesan
Here’s our suggestions:
- Beet And Feta Cheese Salad
- Pineapple Water
The roquette, cooked beets, orange segments, and savory feta of our Beet and Feta Cheese Salad boast plenty of delicious flavors and have the exact freshness to tone down the robust flavors of the shrimp. The pineapple water, on the other hand, is simply refreshing. We think these two dishes are among the best choices to pair with shrimp parmesan.
Shrimp Parmesan Recipe
In 25 minutes, our shrimp parmesan recipe cooks large shrimp in tomato sauce, then tops it with cheese and breadcrumbs to make a delicious dinner.
- cook TIME 18 mins
- prep TIME 7 mins
- total TIME 25 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 494 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbspunsalted butter (divided in half)
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 1 tbspgarlic (finely chopped)
- 12 ozpeeled shrimp (from 22 oz whole shrimp)
- 0.8 cuphomemade tomato sauce
- 0.5 tspground black pepper
- 0.5 tsppaprika
- 0.3 tspsalt
- 0.3 cupunsalted chicken broth
- 3 ozmozzarella (shredded)
- 1 ozparmesan (shredded)
- 0.3 cupplain Panko breadcrumb
- 2 tbspparsley (finely chopped)
- 2 tbspbasil (julienned)
- 11 ozcooked spaghetti
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook:
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a non-stick, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
Add 12 oz peeled shrimp and stir occasionally to cook until they begin to curl. It should take about 3 minutes or less.
Add 3/4 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir, and simmer for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Sprinkle 1 oz shredded parmesan, 3 oz shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp parsley, and 2 tbsp basil on top of the shrimp in this order. Slide into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Cook some spaghetti, measure out 11 oz, and serve it with the cooked shrimp.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Natalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer