Me and one pot meals are buddies. Sometimes multitasking makes me scared. Actually, most of the time multitasking makes me scared. But that’s ok, because that’s when I whip out a no-panic-inducing meal in a pan and feel suitably smug. You can feel smug too! You might have noticed the slight seafood obsession I have of late; but it’s one of the best lean sources of protein out there (depending on yo’ choice o’ fishie) and it cooks up almost as fast as I run away from doing the dishes. True story. Make this super easy Paleo cajun shrimp spaghetti today and you will see what I mean!
Sooo, here’s the run through of your non-takeout midweek yum! Slice your onion thinly and throw it in a large skillet with a little oil plus the garlic and pepper.
While the onions are doing their thing, take your nice clean shrimpers and toss them in a bowl with a little more oil and as much Cajun seasoning as you can handle. I’m not looking. Or judging.
Keep an eye on your onions while you julienne your zucchini. Don’t let the onions burn but don’t poke at them too much either. Once they have a bit of color on their wintry looking selves, toss your zucchini strips into the pan.
Turn the heat up so that the zucchini begin to soften slightly – if the pan’s a little dry by now, add in a splash of stock to keep things moving. You can tell when it’s time to throw the coconut milk into the mixture when the zucchini starts to curl around in the pan and resemble spaghetti instead of being straight little soldiers, like so:
The best way I’ve found of breaking up those julienne strips is with a good violent use of the kitchen tongs. It’s therapeutic, I swear. Give everything a good stir and add the coconut milk; bring it up to a nice steady simmer and add the shrimp.
Yuuuuuuuum. If the mixture hasn’t thickened up as much as you would like by the time that the shrimp are starting to look opaque, add a 1/2 tsp of arrowroot powder to a dash of water, mix and add to the pan. Let the pan bubble a little longer (don’t boil) and remove from the heat to serve.
Paleo Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti
Paleo Cajun shrimp on top of zucchini noodles – the perfect easy and simple weeknight meal with a spicy kick.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 zucchini, julienned (avoiding seeds)
- 1/2 onion, sliced in thin half moons
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup coconut milk
- Splash of stock
- 1/2 tsp arrowroot starch, mixed with water before use
- Cajun seasoning to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Olive oil to coat shrimp
Instructions
- Pat shrimp dry and toss them in olive oil and Cajun seasoning to taste. Set aside.
- Over a low heat, add the onion to a large skillet with a little additional olive oil.
- Julienne the zucchini, avoiding the seeds.
- When the onions begin to color, add a splash of stock to the pan along with the zucchini strips. Turn the heat up to medium high and heat until the zucchini starts to soften.
- Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
- Add shrimp and stir them so that the Cajun seasoning begins to blend into the coconut milk.
- Cook until the shrimp are almost opaque and then add the arrowroot starch mixture. Simmer a minute longer (don’t boil) until thickened and serve.
This is the first one my boy wants to try!
What kitchen tool did you use to cut the zucchini?
A Julienne Peeler like this one!