I don’t post nearly enough recipes using seafood, which is weird because I love the stuff! If I had my way I’d be eating fish and shrimp at least three nights a week. If my husband had his way we’d be eating steak and macaroni and cheese every night. Well neither of us is getting our way and usually we end up eating chicken. On special occasions or when I just can’t resist any longer, I break out the shrimp and make something special, like this Spicy Tomato Garlic Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash.
Usually when I cook shrimp I grill it and stick to simple flavors like lemon or lime juice with some salt and pepper. Nothing fancy like this spicy tomato garlic shrimp! I say fancy, but the dish is actually super easy to make and it can be done using only one pan. Any meal that uses minimal dishes is a win in my book!
Aside from the fanciness, great flavor, and use of only one pan, this spicy tomato garlic shrimp is a super fast meal to make too. It is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or great if you want to impress some seafood loving guests. The obvious way to serve the shrimp is over pasta, but if you are looking for something lighter I suggest going the spaghetti squash route. Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta and tastes terrific with the shrimp. I also love that you can serve the whole meal in the spaghetti squash shell, it makes for a fun presentation!
Let’s get back to the shrimp and the uber flavorful sauce that it’s served in. The sauce is essentially a marinara sauce with red pepper flakes added for heat and Greek yogurt added for creaminess. Normally this recipe calls for cream or half and half, but I wanted to keep the meal light and healthy, Greek yogurt was the perfect solution.
The yogurt gave the sauce a silky richness and also helped mellow out some of the spice from the red pepper flakes. One tip I will mention is that when you are adding Greek yogurt to something hot, add it off the heat and make sure it is room temperature and not cold to prevent it from curdling in the sauce. Both non fat or 2% Greek yogurt work in this sauce so it’s up to you to decide how rich you want it to be. If your family loves shrimp then this Spicy Tomato Garlic Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash is sure to become a favorite!
Spicy Tomato Garlic Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound large defrosted frozen or fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more depending on how spicy you want it.
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt at room temperature, non-fat or whole Greek yogurt may also be used.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
- Sprinkle the flesh of the spaghetti squash halves with salt and pepper and place them cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes or until the squash is tender. Let the squash cool slightly before scraping out the flesh with a fork.
- While the squash is cooling heat a 9-10 inch skillet over medium-high heat and spray it with cooking spray. When the skillet is hot add in the shrimp and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook the shrimp for about 1-2 minutes per side then remove them from the skillet onto a plate. Place the skillet back on the burner and add in the olive oil.
- When the oil is hot add in the diced onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until it is translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add in the crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, basil, oregano, and parsley and stir everything together. Simmer the tomato mixture over medium low heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Add in the Greek yogurt and stir the sauce until it is incorporated and smooth. Add the shrimp back into the sauce and stir to coat them.
- Serve the shrimp and tomato sauce on top of the prepared spaghetti squash.
Notes
It is important to add the Greek yogurt off the heat to ensure that it doesn't curdle in the sauce.
UPDATE To prevent the dish from becoming too soupy I have found that when you scrape out the strands of cooled spaghetti squash squeeze the excess liquid out with your hands or wring out using a clean tea towel or cheesecloth, just as you would squeeze excess liquid out of defrosted frozen spinach.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 242mgSodium: 1158mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 7gSugar: 13gProtein: 33g
Would like to know how much salt to add. It appears to be missing from the recipe.
I made this for dinner tonight. It was so good. Everyone loved it. I didn’t have any Greek yogurt, so I used sour cream and added tarragon. So, so good. Thanks!
Thanks for trying the shrimp and spaghetti squash out Chris! Happy to hear everyone enjoyed it.
I love this recipe! Thanks for the recommendation of removing excess liquid from the spaghetti squash. I was looking at the nutrition count and noticed the carbs are 45g. I count carbs since I am diabetic so was wondering where this number is coming from since all the ingredients are low carb?
Hi Kate. I looked at the nutrition again and recalculated it, it’s a little lower now. The carbs are coming from the squash as well as the tomatoes.
Made this tonight. It was my very first time to cook spaghetti squash anc I wanted to try something different than using for a spaghetti replacement. It was so super easy and yummy. But I had to use sour cream due to I was out of yougurt abc didn’t know it. Plus I added spinach to the sauce till wilted. We all liked it. Thank you
Thanks for trying the recipe Sheri and I’m happy to hear everyone liked it. :-)
do u drain the tomatoes or leave the juice in
thanks
donna
No need to drain the tomatoes Donna. Enjoy!
Delicious recipie that never fails to impress my guests! In the picture you can see some green herbs, which one is it and how much do you use?
Thanks!
Hi Natalie,
I just garnished with some chopped flat leaf parsley. It adds a nice little bit of fresh flavor and color.
This recipe was SO GOOD! Thank you so much for sharing it!
Thank you Juilia! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Made this last night for my son and I, he’s 14 and loves spicy foods. This dish was easy to make and AMAZING!! We loved it. Definitely will be repeating recipe.
Thanks for trying out the recipe Jennifer! I’m happy to hear you liked the shrimp!
This was a super easy and tasty recipe. I’m also dairy free so I used a bit of coconut milk instead of yogurt. I also chopped up some chiles in adobo sauce and added them in after the garlic for some extra spice. This will be going in the regular rotation. Thanks!
Thanks for trying the recipe Anne and I’m happy to hear you liked it! I love that you added the chipotles for an extra kick and the coconut milk is a great dairy free alternative.
Will the dish be ok without the yogurt? I am dairy free, but this dish looks so delicious!
Absolutely! The yogurt just gives the sauce a creamy consistency. Without it you’ll have something more like a spicy marinara which is just as good!
I thought this was really simple and tasted delicious. I only have one problem, and maybe you can make a recommendation to fix it: it got really watery. I’m assuming it was from the spaghetti squash releasing moisture. The leftovers were even more watery. Is there a good way to keep this from happening and diluting the deliciousness?
Hi Nicci, thanks so much for trying out the recipe and I’m glad to hear you liked it. I’m sorry that the dish got watery and you are correct that it was more than likely from the spaghetti squash. I’ve found that one way to help minimize the wateriness is when you scrape out the strands of cooled spaghetti squash squeeze the excess liquid out with your hands or wring it out using a clean tea towel or cheesecloth, just as you would squeeze excess liquid out of defrosted frozen spinach. I’ve found that I can often get 1/2 a cup or more of liquid out this way. Hope this helps! FYI I’ve updated the notes in the recipe to include this tip, thanks for bringing it to my attention. :-)
Just leave out the chicken broth! No need for it :) it’ll prevent the whole dish from being soupy.
I don’t understand… Once you scrape out the flesh of the spaghetti squash, what do you do with it?
Hi Jaclyn. Sorry I wasn’t clear on what to do with the spaghetti squash. You can either shred it and leave it in the squash shells/skin or you can put it into a serving bowl and top it with the shrimp and sauce.
This looks lovely! Thank you!
question- The picture looks like its topped with cheese… parmesan cheese?
Thank you Daisy! Yes I did sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top. It’s optional, but tastes delicious with it!
Thank you for your reply! I’m trying this out tonight! Thank you again for such a lovely recipe! And your blog! ;)
This is a really fun recipe! I have been going crazy for spaghetti squash lately!
Thanks Julianne! I can’t get enough of spaghetti squash, love it!
What a healhy creation you made!
Thank you Dorothy!
What a lovely recipe! I love shrimps, and spaghetti and spice overall!
Thank you Lily!
Pinning this. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thanks Jennifer, I hope you like it!
Now this is what I call a pot of goodness! I love that you filled the spaghetti squash with that creamy shrimp. I know that this will be making an appearance on my dinner menu soon!
Thanks Ashley! It was such an easy and delicious dinner!
what a great use of spaghetti squash. very clever!
Thank you Kelsey!
This is such a fun spin on spaghetti squash, Danae! You are so smart. ;) Totally trying this out soon! Pinning!
Aww thanks girly!