Creamy Tuscan Shrimp (Paleo, Whole30)

Keto Tuscan shrimp in a large stainless-steel skillet with a wooden spatula.

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Creamy Tuscan Shrimp (Paleo, Whole30)

This Creamy Tuscan Shrimp is an easy, irresistible one-pan meal! Plus it's low carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 293kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

1 cup full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk cream and water well-blended
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
½ red or yellow onion peeled and diced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more as necessary
¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil drained, patted dry and roughly chopped
3 cups spinach, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen) you can use frozen chopped or whole leaf spinach
1 pound shrimp see notes
freshly ground black pepper
optional: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs like basil, parsley or thyme

Instructions

In a 2- or 4-cup measuring glass or medium bowl, whisk the coconut milk, broth and nutritional yeast. Set aside. (If you have a small whisk, you can measure all the ingredients into a measuring glass and whisk them in that.)
Add the oil to a large skillet and place over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt and Italian seasoning. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the milk mixture and use the spatula to scrape up the bottom of the pan (adding flavor and making the pan easier to clean later.)
Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Raise the heat to high, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and let it simmer strongly for 5-8 minutes, until reduced and thickened.
Stir the shrimp into the pan, trying to submerge them as much as possible into the sauce. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Add a few grinds of fresh black pepper, then taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Sprinkle on the fresh herbs, if using, then serve and enjoy!

Notes

Note: For the shrimp, I use frozen peeled, deveined and tail-off shrimp, 51-60 per pound. I thaw them by placing them in a colander under cold running water for about 5 minutes, drain, and pat dry and a clean towel or paper towels. If you use larger shrimp, that's fine, they'll just need a little longer to cook.

Serving suggestions

Serve with riced or mashed cauliflower, mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes. If not Paleo or Whole30, you can also enjoy this with rice (wild rice is especially good).

Substitutions

You can use one large shallot in place of the onion.

No fresh garlic? Add ½ teaspoon garlic powder along with the salt and Italian seasoning to the onions (unless your Italian seasoning already has garlic, in which case only add ¼ teaspoon extra garlic powder).

You can add more or less red pepper flakes, or leave them out entirely. If you don't have any but still want a bit of heat, you can add a bit of ground cayenne pepper to the milk/broth mixture.

Even if you don't love nutritional yeast, I recommend leaving it in. It adds a mild savory flavor that helps cover up the coconut milk flavor.

You can use other hearty greens like Swiss chard or kale, just be sure to not add the stems.

You can use larger shrimp but you'll have to cook them longer.

Make ahead

You can prepare the recipe right up until before you add the shrimp. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Reheat in a large skillet and add the shrimp.

Leftovers can be chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over low heat.

Freezer instructions

Before adding the shrimp the sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge and proceed with the recipe).

Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet over low heat.

Nutrition