This Creamy Tuscan Shrimp Recipe is a quick and flavorful dinner that packs so much flavor thanks to the cream sauce loaded with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Serve as is or over zucchini noodles or even atop a pile of steamed broccoli!
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Lately, I’ve been craving sun-dried tomatoes. There is so much flavor packed into such a tiny little piece of tomato goodness.
I could honestly eat sun-dried tomatoes like candy! So sweet and bright and tangy and vibrant. Hard to resist, if you ask me!
They can be a bit carby, but luckily, you don’t need a ton of sun-dried tomatoes to add loads of flavor to a dish – like this creamy Tuscan shrimp.
This skillet shrimp recipe is low carb, family friendly, and it’s ready in about 15 minutes. I love quick dishes like this that taste like they were so much work and took you hours to prepare.
Let’s make this!
Ingredient Notes:
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Shrimp – You’ll need some large raw shrimp that have been peeled and deveined with the tail off. You can also use frozen shrimp but you will need thaw it first before cooking! (Tail was left on in these photos, but it’s easier to eat without the tail!)
Butter – Shrimp and butter were pretty much made for each other. You’ll cook the shrimp in the melted butter for lots of good flavor!
Seasoning – We’re keeping it simple with garlic powder, paprika, and salt. The real flavor comes from the sun-dried tomatoes.
Heavy Cream – This creamy Tuscan shrimp recipe just wouldn’t work without the heavy cream. It’ll get mixed with the shrimp and melted butter then cooked until it has thickened into a flavorful sauce!
Sun-Dried Tomatoes – For this recipe I used the dry packed sun-dried tomatoes, not the kind that are packed in oil. If you use oil packed, you could skip the butter and saute the shrimp in the oil from the jar of tomatoes.
Spinach – Some freshly chopped spinach will pair perfectly with the creamy sauce, plus it’ll add a nutritious and healthy boost! You could also use fresh kale.
I made this for dinner the other night. Delish! Served it over spaghetti squash, and with a little grated parm. Next time I’d add mushroom, because we put mushrooms in everything. The flavors were even better the next day with leftovers. Thanks for the great recipe. – Lisa
How To Make Tuscan Butter Shrimp Recipe:
Butter Shrimp – To start, we’re going to melt some butter in a large, heavy bottomed skillet. Add in your shrimp and season it with some garlic powder and paprika.
Cook the shrimp until pink and opaque and then remove them to a bowl.
Please note: I am using shrimp with the tail on because I think they look prettier in the photos. You’ll probably want to use shrimp with tail off for easier eating. 😉
Heavy Cream – Pour some cream into the hot skillet. Add in your sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and give it a good stir. Let this mixture cook for a couple of minutes to reduce the sauce just a bit.
Spinach – Add some spinach and stir it around, letting it cook until it’s wilted.
Finish – Stir the shrimp back into the sauce and season with a bit of salt.
That’s it, friends! Dinner is served and it’s taken you just about 15 minutes from start to finish. Crazy, right?
We love having lots of shrimp recipes on hand for busy nights because you can start with a bag of frozen shrimp and thaw it under cool running water in the sink in about 10 minutes, making it perfect for those nights when you have no idea what to do for dinner.
This creamy Tuscan shrimp recipe takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish, but it tastes like you’ve been slaving away all day.
Best of all, this dish is very versatile! Serve it over zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, low carb pasta, or with a side of steamed broccoli. No matter how you serve it, it’s always a hit because that cream sauce is seriously divine!
What To Serve With Low Carb Shrimp:
- Mashed Cauliflower: I’d serve the shrimp and sauce right over the cauliflower!
- Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus: The prosciutto makes this asparagus so good!
- Cauliflower Salad: This is dressed in a light Italian dressing and loaded with veg.
- Caprese Stuffed Mushrooms: These are just about the perfect side dish to go with this Tuscan shrimp!
FAQ’s:
Yes, but it needs to thawed first. Run under cool water until thawed.
Yes, this should work fine as they are pretty similar but you will need to adjust the cook time appropriately.
If you have any leftover creamy Tuscan shrimp you can keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. We usually don’t store seafood for long. The sauce will also thicken up when chilled.
More Keto Seafood Recipes:
- Garlic Butter Shrimp: The easiest shrimp ever!
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon: Just like this shrimp but with salmon!
- Baked Shrimp Scampi: Simple and flavorful!
- Baked Cod: Bursting with lemon goodness!
- Air Fryer Scallops: With lemon butter sauce!
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp: I love the bright flavor of cilantro.
Creamy Tuscan Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 16 ounces large raw shrimp peeled, deveined, tail off
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the butter to the skillet.
- When the butter has melted add the shrimp and sprinkle with the garlic powder and paprika.
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until shrimp is pink and opaque.
- Remove the shrimp to a plate and set aside.
- Add the heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic to the pan and stir well to combine. Let the sauce cook for 2 minutes to thicken over low heat.
- Add the spinach and stir well. Continue cooking over low heat until spinach has wilted and sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet and coat with the sauce. Sprinkle with salt, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Regina says
Delicious! I made a few adjustments to this recipe based on what I had on hand and it still came out great. Instead of sun dried tomatoes, I used 1/2 can of leftover fire roasted tomatoes. Instead of spinach, I used basil plus I added some broccoli. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Karly Campbell says
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Michelle K Sprague says
Just made this. Added seared sea scallops, bacon and mushrooms. Served it over zoodles. It was soooo good.
Barbara M says
Oh my. This is delicious. Lordy.
Elizabeth Anne Thomlison says
What kind of sundried tomatoes? Plain dried or in oil?
Karly Campbell says
Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t mention that! Either would work, but we used the kind NOT packed in oil. 🙂
Nadege says
I am SO trying this tonight 🙂 …
… after doing the Creamy Dijon chicken recipe two days ago and it was to die for ! Thank you lady for those amazing and really helpful recipes. You are very generous ! (And that’s a pretty good French cook telling you this… but low carb sometimes leaves me helpless, like many people !)
Karly Campbell says
Thank you so much, Nadege! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes and find them helpful! 🙂
Kathlene says
Can you substitute scallops for shrimp?
Karly Campbell says
I think that would work fine.
Gigi says
This is one of my families favorite recipe! So yummy
Karly Campbell says
So glad to hear that!
Judith says
I would also recommend using basil rather than spinach because basil has a higher level of nutrition than spinach. And if you increase the paprika to 1 T rather than a tsp, you will get a substantial increase in important eye nutrients like Vit A, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, Lutein+zeaxanthin and your sun-dried tomatoes also provide lycopene.
Jennifer says
I’m going to try this with kale instead of spinach because I have some to use and spinach gets so slimy when cooked! I love sun dried tomatoes in things and have a bag from Trader Joes (not packed in oil-and they are so cheap there!). Excited to try it this weekend.
Lisa says
I made this for dinner the other night. Delish! Served it over spaghetti squash, and with a little grated parm. Next time I’d add mushroom, because we put mushrooms in everything. The flavors were even better the next day with leftovers. Thanks for the great recipe.
Nicole says
LEFTOVERS?,?,What leftovers??? Lol
Amanda says
Do you think you could substitute the heavy cream for coconut milk? I’m wondering how much it would change the flavor profile.
Karly Campbell says
I don’t have much experience with coconut milk, so I’m not sure.
DONNA GILBERT says
I have some lovely frozen shrimp. Can they be substituted?
Karly Campbell says
You’ll need to thaw them first.
Eileen says
This was outstanding! Made it for my SO and myself over the weekend – it was a very gourmet tasting dish. I used sun dried tomato pesto that I found in the grocery. This will go on regular rotation!
Karen says
Yum! Didn’t have any sun-dried tomatoes but did have a tube of sun-dried tomato paste. Put in a squeeze and got all the benefits of flavor. Once I knew what the ingredients were I never actually looked at the recipe so I probably put in far more spinach than called for. It was delish! Next time with chicken. Thanks.
Magriet Cordier says
Hi Karl, any suggestions to substitute the sundried tomatoes. My husband not allowed to consume any pips and skins.
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure what else would add that pop of flavor like sun-dried tomatoes. Perhaps roasted red peppers, but not sure if your husband could eat those either?
Pam says
Made tonight and will definitely have again . Delicious !!
Kathleen says
I enjoyed this dish so very very much and i will do it again soon. Only change would be to use more spinach.
Lin says
Are the sun dried tomatoes packed in oil?
Karly Campbell says
Yep!
Gary says
I substitute kale for spinach in dishes like this.
Marilyn Tamburello says
What could you use rather than spinach !!!
Karly Campbell says
You could leave the spinach out if you like or add in a bit of basil.
Gary says
I substitute kale for spinach in dishes like this.
Nadege says
I’d say Thai Basil ! And coconut milk instead of cream. That would bring the dish closer to a Thai Curry (if you have curry paste & kafir lime leaves, use them too). Splash some lime at the end and tadaaa !
Lorna says
This sounds delicious. I dont have any sun-dried tomatoes at home right now, but do have roasted red peppers. Do you think these could be substituted?
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tried this with peppers. The flavors will definitely be quite different, but the sauce will still come together the same with no other adjustments, I’d think.
Amanda says
Can I use heavy whipping cream?
Karly Campbell says
Yep, that’s what I used.