Chef Gina Makes Paleo and Whole30 friendly Shrimp Scampi

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I love pasta; possibly more than most people. It’s my comfort food and usually what I am craving any given day. Before attempting whole30 or paleo (or a combination of both), I ate pasta at least once a week. Now, determined to keep up my healthy living (not sure I’d call it a diet – but just cutting back), I decided to attempt to satisfy my craving with a lighter version of a perennial favorite: shrimp scampi over spaghetti (squash). This recipe is Paleo and Whole30 friendly, gluten and dairy-free (should you choose to make it that way). Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi

Total Time: 50 min

Makes: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

1 MEDIUM SPAGHETTI SQUASH
2 TBS OLIVE OIL
SALT & PEPPER, TO TASTE
3 TBS GARLIC, MINCED
¼ TSP RED PEPPER FLAKES
10-12 MEDIUM SHRIMP, PEELED & DEVEINED
1 TBS LEMON JUICE
1 TBS PARSLEY, CHOPPED

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut squash in half, remove seeds and pierce skin approx. 4-5 times on each half. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 TBS olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip over and bake, cut side down, for 30-40 minutes. Let cool before handling.
While squash is baking, prepare the shrimp scampi topping. Heat the remaining 1 TBS oil in a large pan. Sautee garlic and red pepper flakes until tender, approx. 1 minute. Add shrimp to pan in a single layer, cook through, about 2 minutes per side until pink
Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to your taste
Scoop squash from the shell into a large bowl. Season with additional salt & pepper if desired. Divide onto plates (about half per person for a large serving). Top with 5-6 shrimp along with garlic mixture.

Notes

If you don’t have time to bake the squash in the oven, it can be cooked in the microwave. Cut down the center, scoop out seeds. Place, cut side down in a pan of water. Microwave for about 8-10 minutes, checking halfway through. Drain water, let cool before handling. Personally, I prefer the oven method, if I have the time as I find the squash is easier to scrape away from the shell when baked in the oven but the microwave works fine – just requires a bit more “elbow grease” when removing
Personally, I will never go dairy-free, as it’s just not realistic for me, so topped with grated Parmesan. Thanks to the flavor of the garlic and red pepper it’s not entirely necessary as cheese is not permitted on a Whole30 diet – but, if you do add the parmesan, this recipe is still keto and gluten-free so not all is lost.
If you are curious about a Whole30 and Paleo, Parmesan substitute: blend 1 cup of raw cashews, 4 tsp of nutritional yeast, and 1 tsp garlic powder in a high-power blender. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month and sprinkle on anything you would have put Parmesan cheese on.