Creamy Tomato Feta Zoodles with Shrimp
Ah zoodles… one of the most popular food trends from the last few years. For those of you unfamiliar with zoodles, they are spiralized zucchini that serve as a low carb replacement for noodles. Zoodles are a great weeknight recipe base. You can really get creative with them. Think of your favorite pasta recipes and simply replace the pasta with zucchini noodles.
Albeit quite good, zoodles can easily get watery, and if cooked incorrectly, crunchy. I like to mix my zoodles with a little brown rice pasta to give a true pasta like texture.
This is one of my all time favorite recipes. It is pretty easy to make, filling and healthy. Not to mention the leftovers are even better the next day.
The sauce is very versatile. I use this tomato sauce in almost any Italian like dish I prepare. Most recently, I made keto meatballs for my brother and used this sauce as a base. It was a hit. Made creamy with feta instead of heavy cream, there is a great healthy tang.
If you are sensitive to spice, omit the red pepper flakes. If you don’t eat shellfish, some chicken or ground turkey would be a great substitute! Vegetarian? Omit the meat entirely or add my crispy oregano tofu!
{Creamy Tomato Feta Zoodles with Shrimp}
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/2 pound raw wild shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 medium zucchini
1 cup cooked brown rice spaghetti
4 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup minced basil
1 tbs minced garlic
1/4 cup feta
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, plus more to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Slice the tops off of the zucchini, and using a spiralizer, make noodles out of the zucchini. Repeat until all of the zucchinis have been spiralized. Set aside.
Dice the tomatoes and mince the basil and garlic. In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, add the tomatoes, garlic, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Once the tomato mixture is bubbling, reduce heat to a low. Every few minutes, break up/smash the tomatoes until a sauce begins to form (about 15-20 min).
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the shrimp. Sauté with some olive oil over medium-high heat until pink and opaque, about 3 minutes/side depending on the size of the shrimp. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Add the feta to the tomato sauce and stir well to combine, breaking up the feta so it begins to melt slightly. Continue to cook over low heat for an additional 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook brown rice pasta according to package instructions.
While the brown rice pasta is cooking, and the sauce is finishing, pan fry the zoodles over medium heat until they have wilted and have a noodle like texture (about 5-7 minutes).
Drain the brown rice pasta and the zucchini noodles (this step is crucial as zucchini noodles release a lot of water when cooking) and place in a large serving bowl. Top with creamy tomato sauce and shrimp.
