creamy garlic butter tuscan shrimp coated in a light and creamy garlic parmesan sauce filled with sun dried tomatoes and spinach! guaranteed to impress! low carb and keto approved!
Leave people wondering if there is a hidden chef in your kitchen with this Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp. Quick and easy to make, ready on the table in less than 15 minutes, you will even impress yourself!
shrimp
Tuscan? I know, I know. This is NOT a traditional recipe form Tuscany… BUT it is a ‘traditional’ recipe — in chicken from — from the popular Olive Garden Italian Restaurant. However, me being me, I added my own twist with garlic butter since we’re dealing with shrimp here, and made it so much better than the original.
Garlic. Butter. You are going to fry your shrimp (or prawns) in butter FULL of garlic. I could have left this recipe right here….but then I wouldn’t be doing anything different to this Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp. And that’s NO BUENO. SO… Garlic Butter Shrimp SMOTHERED in a beautiful and creamy Tuscan sauce.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons salted butter
6 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 pound (500 g) shrimp (or prawns), tails on or off
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup white wine (OPTIONAL)
5 oz (150 g) jarred sun dried tomato strips in oil, drained (reserve 1 teaspoon of the jarred oil for cooking)
1 3/4 cups half and half SEE NOTES
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups baby spinach leaves, washed
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with 1 tablespoons of water (optional)***
2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Add in the shrimp and fry two minutes on each side, until just cooked through and pink. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
Fry the onion in the butter remaining in the skillet. Pour in the white wine (if using), and allow to reduce to half, while scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the sun dried tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes to release their flavours.
Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the half and half and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Add in the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and add in the parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. (For a thicker sauce, add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan, and continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens.)
Add the shrimp back into the pan; sprinkle with the herbs and parsley, and stir through.
Serve over pasta, rice or steamed veg.
NOTES
Half and half is an American product, made from equal parts light cream and milk. Feel free to use half light cream and half 2% milk (or full fat if not worried about calories and fat counts), in place of half and half. Alternatively, use all light cream or heavy cream. Substitute half and half with almond milk.
If serving with pasta: add in pasta cooked al dente along with 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water into the pan of shrimp once they are cooked. Gently mix through the sauce until combined. Serve immediately.
