Spaghetti Squash Primavera with Shrimp

For a healthy and very delicious dinner try this spaghetti squash primavera with shrimp recipe. Buttery, garlic vegetables with succulent shrimp tossed with spaghetti squash for a gluten free pasta dinner everyone will love. This is a low calorie but high protein dinner too with just 375 calories and 16.1 grams of protein.

You might also like this low carb lo mein with veggie noodles.

I have always loved pasta primavera since I first had it a young adult. Primavera simply means fresh vegetables and I love it because it’s made with garlic and butter and combine that with traditional pasta it was the absolute best to me.

Today I like to eat lower carb and try to eat less gluten so traditional pasta is a rarity for me. But I found a great substitute and that is spaghetti squash. Actually I have a lot of low carb pasta substitutions on the blog so check those out.

This spaghetti squash primavera with shrimp recipe has it all and it’s my lower carb version of that original dish. The slight sweetness of the squash goes perfectly with the garlicky veggies and shrimp to create a healthy and delicious weeknight dinner. It’s not exactly low carb but it is lower carb and just as importantly it is gluten free, low calorie and high protein.s

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

The simple ingredients I used were spaghetti squash noodles, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic cloves, butter, olive oil, shrimp, salt and ground black pepper.

Veggies
I used cooked squash in this recipe but I’ll tell you how to cook it below. The “primavera” ingredients were broccoli, mushrooms and zucchini. I would not use canned mushrooms in this recipe because they are flavorless to me.

I used those because they are my favorite but you could also use green peas, asparagus, carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, etc. Whatever your favorite veggies are you can use.

Frozen Raw Shrimp
While I added raw shrimp to this recipe you could easily eliminate it or substitute with chicken breast, scallops or other light proteins. The shrimp does go well with this dish as it’s a bit like shrimp scampi. And it adds lean protein to the dish.

Garlic
Fresh garlic is a must. I would not substitute with garlic powder unless you have an aversion to fresh garlic. If so the rule of thumb is to use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of 1 clove of garlic.

How to cook spaghetti squash.

There are a few ways to cook spaghetti squash and I have more information about that in this post. However the easiest way is this.

1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds in the middle and discard.
2. Place in a microwave safe baking dish and place the halves in it cut size down.
3. Add a ¼ cup of water and place in the microwave. Cook for 12-15 minutes until fork tender. Mine just took 12 minutes.
4. Take out and let cool. Then using fork shred the squash to make noodles.

How to make spaghetti squash primavera with shrimp.

Step 1: Get out a large pan or skillet and heat to medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter once it melts and get hot add the mushroom slices. Saute until they have a golden brown color to them.

I love the look of buttery browned mushrooms in dishes. That’s why I brown them separately but if you don’t care about them you can add them when you add the cooked broccoli and zucchini.

Step 2: While the mushrooms are browning, chop and slice vegetables into bite size pieces. Place the zucchini and broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with a tablespoon or two of water and cook for about 4 minutes. When done, drain the excess water then add to the pan with the browned mushrooms. Turn the heat down to medium heat.

Step 3: Sprinkle the salt and black pepper over top and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute for 1-2 minutes then add the crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of butter and shrimp. Saute for a few minutes more until the shrimp are just turning pink.

Step 4: Lastly add the cooked spaghetti squash noodles and saute for a minute or two until well combined. That’s all there is to it.

If you want you can add some toasted pine nuts which add a nice crunchy element. I just love them but they are expensive and not many people have them on hand.

You can also sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese if you want or some minced fresh herbs. Fresh basil would be great in this recipe but I’m happy with keeping it simple.

Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

More spaghetti squash recipes to try.

I have lots of recipes that use this vegetable as a substitute for pasta. Here are few of my favorites.

• keto Mexican casserole or meatball casserole
• keto skillet pizza
• keto coconut curry pasta with shrimp
• spinach pesto with shrimp
• seafood alfredo pasta
• low carb breakfast casserole

I hope you get a chance to try this spaghetti squash primavera with shrimp recipe. There are so many healthy and delicious recipes you can make with this vegetable and I’ve mentioned some above. So give one a try and I’m sure you will love it too.

The nutritional information for 1 of serving (based on 3) is 375 calories / 23.6g fat / 25.1g carbs / 9g fiber / 23.6g protein = 16.1g net carbs