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Enjoy a healthy and low-carb twist on a classic with Zucchini Noodles with Garlic and Shrimp! This delicious single-serving recipe is quick and easy, ready in less than 30 minutes. The flavorful combination is so satisfying, you won’t miss traditional pasta. Perfect for those seeking a nutritious shrimp scampi alternative, this dish features zucchini noodles lightly tossed with succulent shrimp and aromatic garlic. Prepare to indulge in a meal that’s not only fast to make but also irresistibly tasty!

Why This Recipe Works

  • Are you a fan of zoodles, the low carb pasta-looking “noodles” that aren’t actually noodles at all? Zucchini noodles can replace pasta noodles in just about any pasta recipe.
  • This dish is packed with flavor!
  • Zucchini noodles with shrimp cooks in just 15 minutes!
Making zucchini noodles with a spiralizer.

How To Make Zucchini Noodles With and Without A Spiralizer

  • In order to make zucchini noodles, you need to start with the zucchini. Choose a medium-sized straight zucchini for best results.
  • The easiest way to make zucchini noodles is with a Spiralizer. This inexpensive kitchen gadget is the key to cutting your zucchini into long pasta-like strands.
  • To use a Spiralizer, just follow the manufacturer’s easy instructions and there’s no need to even peel your zucchini!
  • You can also use a julienne vegetable peeler. This handy kitchen tool is priced at around $10.
  • Many mandoline slicers will make noodles and a standard peeler will make wide noodles.
A big plate of zucchini noodles with a forkful of grilled shrimp and zucchini.

Expert Tips

Zucchini is made up mostly of water. Here are are few tips for cooking zucchini noodles so they are delicious and not soggy:

  • Be sure to remember three things: don’t peel, don’t salt, and don’t overcook the zucchini. If you peel the zucchini, the zoodles become mushy and we want to avoid that.
  • Zucchini noodles also cook very quickly. You want them to have a slight crunch to them, so I recommend cooking them for only about 4-5 minutes, tossing them lightly with pasta tongs until al dente.
  • Finally, don’t salt the zucchini while it’s cooking. It will cause the water in the zucchini to release and will result in soggy zoodles.

RELATED: Cooking For One Tips To Eat Healthy And Save Money

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How To Make This Recipe

Sautéeing zucchini noodles in a little bit of butter is my favorite way to prepare them. This recipe reminds me of a healthy shrimp scampi.

Ingredients

  • Butter: I use salted butter.
  • Garlic: Chopped fresh garlic adds tremendous flavor to the zucchini noodles, definitely don’t leave it out.
  • Shrimp: Use medium to large shrimp in this zucchini and shrimp recipe. I like to buy shrimp when it’s on sale. Another idea is to use frozen. When you cook for one, it’s a good idea to keep a bag of frozen shrimp in your freezer. It makes meal prep easy.
  • Zucchini: I use one medium zucchini.
  • Salt and pepper: For flavor.
  • Parmesan cheese: For the topping.

Steps

  1. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet placed over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1 -2 minutes. With a fork, flip the shrimp over and cook the other side for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, or until the shrimp is pink and opaque. Remove shrimp from the pan to prevent overcooking and place in a clean bowl; cover the bowl.
  2. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet. When the butter has melted, add the zucchini noodles. Season with black pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, using pasta tongs to toss occasionally.
  3. Pour the shrimp, along with the butter and garlic into the pan with the zucchini noodles and mix everything together.
  4. Top with shredded or grated Parmesan.

Serving Suggestions

You might like to consider adding any one of these wonderful side dish recipes with your zucchini noodles with shrimp:

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Zucchini Healthy?

Absolutely! Zucchini is rich in Vitamins A, C, and K and is low in calories and carbohydrates. It is also high in antioxidants and helps with digestion.

Can I Use A Different Protein?

You sure can. Consider adding in cooked chicken or beef instead of shrimp.

How Do You Peel and Devein Shrimp?

* Pull off the legs.
* Using your fingers, crack open the underside of the shell and peel it off.
* Pinch the tail where it meets the body of the shrimp and pull off.
* Gently run a paring knife along the back of the shrimp.
* Look for the vein. It will look like a long, dark, gritty string. Using the tip of your knife, pull it out.

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.

For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.

If you’ve tried these zucchini noodles or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

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Your Cooking For One Source
Because you’re worth it

Zucchini Noodles With Shrimp For One

5 from 7 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 1 serving
Healthy, low carb zucchini noodles tossed with garlic and shrimp! This single serving recipe can be on your table in less than 30 minutes. It's so tasty, you won't even miss the pasta.

Equipment

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 tablespoons salted butter , divided
  • 1 clove garlic , minced
  • 3 ounces shrimp , peeled and deveined
  • 3 cups zucchini noodles (1 medium zucchini)
  • teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

  • Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet placed over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1 -2 minutes. With a fork, flip the shrimp over and cook the other side for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and opaque. Remove shrimp from the pan to prevent overcooking and place in a clean bowl; cover the bowl.
  • Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet. When the butter has melted, add the zucchini noodles. Season with black pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, using pasta tongs to toss occasionally.
  • Remove pan from the heat and pour the shrimp along with the melted butter and garlic over the zucchini noodles and toss. Season with salt and top with Parmesan cheese and toss again.
  • Transfer to a plate and enjoy!

Notes

Expert Tips
Zucchini is made up mostly of water. Here are are few tips for cooking zucchini noodles well:
  • Be sure to remember three things: don’t peel, don’t salt, and don’t overcook the zucchini. If you peel the zucchini, the zoodles become mushy and we want to avoid that.
  • Zucchini noodles also cook very quickly. You want them to have a slight crunch to them, so I recommend cooking them for only about 4-5 minutes, tossing them lightly with pasta tongs until al dente.
  • Finally, don’t salt the zucchini while it’s cooking. It will cause the water in the zucchini to release and will result in soggy zoodles.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 405kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 800mg, Potassium: 948mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 2206IU, Vitamin C: 127mg, Calcium: 209mg, Iron: 3mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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12 Comments

    1. Thank you for bringing up the issue with the sodium content in our recipe. We really appreciate your feedback, and we take it seriously.

      Upon reevaluating the recipe, we found that there was indeed an error in the initial calculation of the sodium content. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We have since updated the recipe to provide accurate information regarding the sodium content.

  1. I tried this last night. It was delicious! Thank you so much for all these wonderful one person recipes. Since losing my husband I’ve struggled with cooking, but am starting to enjoy it again thanks to you.

    I’ve now tried a few different recipes and they’ve ALL been awesome!

  2. I used 10 prawns from the freezer which had been peeled and deveined and weighed just over 4 ounces and used a vegetable peeler to make my zoodles from a medium zucchini and finely sliced my garlic instead of mincing and made as directed for a delicious dinner which came together so quick. Thank you made for What’s On The Menu tag game at FF&F.

    1. Pasta tongs are great for grabbing large amounts of noodles. The inner prongs lock into each other so that the pasta or zucchini noodles can be easily picked up and held together. You can use regular tongs instead if that is what you have available.

  3. Wow. It looks delicious. I love noodles. So, I will try to make it very soon. Your recipe will help me. Thanks for sharing.