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Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp coated in a light and creamy garlic parmesan sauce filled with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach! Guaranteed to impress! LOW CARB AND KETO APPROVED!
Leave people wondering if there is a hidden chef in your kitchen with this Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp. Quick and easy to make, ready on the table in less than 15 minutes, you will even impress yourself!
What Sets These Tuscan Butter Shrimp Apart
Tuscan? I know, I know. This is NOT a traditional recipe from Tuscany… BUT it is a ‘traditional’ recipe (in chicken) from the popular Olive Garden Italian Restaurant.
However, me being me, I added my own twist with garlic butter since we’re dealing with shrimp here, and made it SO MUCH BETTER than the original.
Garlic. Butter. You are going to fry your shrimp (or prawns) in butter FULL of garlic. I could have left this recipe right here….but then I wouldn’t be doing anything different to a lemon butter shrimp. And that’s NO BUENO. SO… Garlic Butter Shrimp SMOTHERED in a beautiful and creamy Tuscan sauce.
Ingredients
- Shrimp: I prefer using fresh, large raw, peeled and deveined shrimp, tails on or off. If you only have frozen shrimp in the freezer, thaw them completely and pat them dry with paper towels before they hit the hot skillet. Wet shrimp will steam in their own liquid instead of searing, which waters down the sauce.
- Parmesan: Always grate your own Parmesan right off the block. Pre-shredded bags are coated in anti-caking powders that keep the cheese from melting smoothly, and you want it to melt straight into a silky garlic Parmesan cream sauce.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Grab a jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. The strips are much softer and flavorful than the dry-packed ones in bags. Drain the strips before cooking, but save a teaspoon of the oil from the jar to sear the shrimp in. It flavors the whole skillet right from the start, which is the exact same trick I use when making my pan-seared salmon in Tuscan cream sauce.
Note: Please see the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions And Substitutions
You can easily adjust this easy Tuscan shrimp recipe depending on what you already have in your fridge or pantry:
- Protein Swaps: If you don’t have fresh shrimp on hand, you can make this exact same Tuscan cream sauce with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or even sea scallops. Just adjust the cooking time in the skillet so your protein cooks through before you start the sauce.
- Veggie Add-Ins: Shrimp with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach is one of my favorite combinations, but sliced cremini mushrooms, halved cherry tomatoes, or drained artichoke hearts are great additions. Fry the mushrooms right after the onions so they brown nicely, or toss cherry tomatoes in with the sun-dried tomatoes so they blister and soften.
- Heavy Cream: If you’re looking for a lighter option, you can substitute half-and-half or a mix of milk and cream. Keep in mind this might slightly alter the flavor of the sauce, but it will still be creamy.
For another seafood dinner with cream sauce, try lobster tails with bacon cream sauce.
How To Make Tuscan Shrimp
- Simmer the Sauce: Reduce the heat to low-medium and add the half-and-half. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the Spinach and Cheese: Add the spinach leaves and let them wilt in the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and simmer until melted. For a thicker sauce, add the milk/cornstarch mixture and stir quickly until it thickens.
- Add the Shrimp: Add the shrimp back into the pan. Sprinkle with herbs and parsley, and stir through.
- Serve: Serve over pasta, rice, or steamed vegetables.
Some Tips:
- You can use peeled and deveined shrimp with tails on or off.
- Try to find fresh wild-caught shrimp. Frozen shrimp is good too, but fresh will always have a better flavor.
- If you don’t want to use salted butter, use unsalted and season the shrimp to suit your taste.
- Half-and-half is an American product, made from equal parts light cream and milk. Feel free to use half light cream and half 2% milk (or full-fat if not worried about calories and fat counts) in place of half-and-half. Alternatively, use all light cream or heavy cream if you wish.
- I use sun-dried tomatoes in oil and drain them, reserving about 1 teaspoon for added flavor when cooking.
What Can You Serve With Tuscan Shrimp?
- Over garlic butter pasta that has been mixed through with olive oil, salt, and garlic. Also, a touch of Parmesan never hurt anyone.
- Garlic bread: Soaking up the creamy sauce with a warm piece of bread. It’s heaven.
- Rice: Yes, this is amazing with steamed white rice also. The rice absorbs the delicious sauce, making it one of my favorite ways to serve this shrimp.
Or keep it low-carb and serve it for lunch or as a delicious shrimp appetizer with French bread slices, or on its own!
What Wine Goes Well With This?
I choose a dry white wine to go with this. A light Chardonnay or Pinot Gris pairs really well with garlic butter shrimp. For a sweeter wine, choose a Riesling or a Sparkling Moscato.
This is a creamy Tuscan shrimp recipe is an easy-to-make and filling meal.
Recipe FAQ’s
For this delightful Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp, I recommend choosing a white wine. A light Chardonnay or Pinot Gris pairs beautifully, enhancing the creamy garlic flavors. If you prefer a sweeter wine, opt for a Riesling or a Sparkling Moscato. Both will complement the dish’s richness and add a refreshing touch.
It’s best to use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, as they are more flavorful and tender. If you’re using dry sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrate them in hot water for about 10 minutes before adding them to the dish.
Absolutely! You can substitute the butter with a dairy-free alternative, and use coconut cream or another dairy-free cream substitute in place of the half-and-half. Just keep in mind that this may slightly alter the flavor of the sauce.
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Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pound shrimp or prawns, tails on or off
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1/2 cup white wine, optional
- 5 oz sun-dried tomato strips in oil, drained (reserve 1 teaspoon of the jarred oil for cooking)
- 1 3/4 cups half and half or heavy cream, SEE NOTES
- 1 pinch salt, to taste
- 1 pinch pepper, to taste
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves, washed
- 2/3 cup parmesan cheese. freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water (optional)
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt one tablespoon of butter with the oil. Add in the shrimp and fry for two minutes on each side, until just cooked through and pink. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
- Fry the onion in the remaining butter until soft. Add in the garlic and saute until fragrant (about one minute). Pour in the white wine (if using) and reduce to half, while scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes to release their flavors.
- Reduce heat to low-medium, add the half and half or heavy cream, and bring to a gentle simmer while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Add in the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce. Mix in the parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. (For a thicker sauce, add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the center of the pan, and continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens.)
- Add the shrimp back into the pan; sprinkle with the herbs and parsley, and stir through.
- Serve over pasta, rice or steamed veg.
Video
Notes
- Half and half is an American product, made from equal parts light cream and milk. Feel free to use half light cream and half 2% milk (or full fat if not worried about calories and fat counts), in place of half and half. Alternatively, use all light cream or heavy cream.
- You can use shrimp with tails on or off. Fresh, wild-caught shrimp is best, but frozen works too.
- Unsalted butter can be used instead of salted; just season to taste.
- Half and half (equal parts light cream and milk) can be substituted with half light cream and half 2% milk, or all light/heavy cream.
- Use sun-dried tomatoes in oil, draining and reserving about 1 teaspoon for added flavor.
- If serving with pasta: Mix al dente cooked pasta through the sauce in the pan with 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water. Gently mix through until combined. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How can you fry sun-dried tomatoes, – after you add wine????
Wow. This recipe did not disappoint! I used the wine, heavy cream instead of half And half and double shrimp. Also tossed in some leftover pasta from Sunday night. It was amazing. My non-shrimp eaters loved it and my husband had 3 helpings after telling me he wasn’t very hungry. This is definitely going to be a regular in our house! Thanks for sharing!
You can’t, add the sun-dried tomatoes after the onion.
Perfect as written! Loved this recipe. A Keeper! Thank you!
Hey your automatic value converter for more servings is a super useful idea, but it doesn’t change the gram amounts. Just started cooking and realised I had half as many prawns as I actually needed.. would be great if you could fix or just take off converter as it’s kind of misleading :/
Loved it!! Cut back on tomatoes (to 2.5 oz) the second time and liked it even better. Also sliced them into thin strips.
Can I use soy milk instead of half & half?
Was definitely a HIT with my family! Thanks!
What a fantast easy dish ……love it
OMG! I made this dish last night. I wanted to make it completely vegan so I made a few substitutions. I used mushrooms and fresh asparagus tips instead of shrimp. I also substituted the baby spinach with baby kale and I added fresh basil. I substituted butter with vegan butter, the cheese with vegan Parmesan cheese and the half and half with coconut milk (full fat) mixed with a little almond milk. I did have to add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit as the recipe suggested. I poured it over chic pea noodles and it was amazing!!
Thank you for this alternative!! My hubs is vegan and I am still learning how to modify!
So, you literally made an entire different recipe? 🙄 If you’re going to review a recipe, at least keep it close to the way it’s written.
I made this dish last night and wanted to make it entirely carnivorous so I made a few substitutions. I used lamb chops, pork belly as well as shrimp and I omitted the baby spinach in favor of bacon bits. I substituted unsalted butter with regular butter and seasoned it with Camp Mix. I then sauteed it in duck fat and poured it over pulled pork. I covered it with heavy cream plus a cup of hot cognac and lit it up. It was amazing!
Yum! I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes so I used a big spoon of homemade tomato chutney, a splash of verjuice and some dried chives because I forgot to brown an onion. Delicious!
Our family loves this dish and we eat it every few weeks. I’d like to make it for a vegetarian. Any tips?
Don’t use ahrimp ~ use asparagus, spinach and sun dried tomatoes ~
Completed up to stirring in the spinach, tasted and it’s wonderful, can hardly wait for husband to get home to dish it up. Sorry I can’t find a place to post my picture.
It’s dinner here tonight too!!!
Just tried this tonight. It was a HUGE hit! My husband said, “this one’s a keeper!”. Delicious!!