Creamy Mozzarella Shrimp Pasta (Low Carb)
Looking for an easy dinner? This delicious shrimp pasta is made with freshly grated mozzarella cheese to make a creamy and flavorful sauce. Add in plenty of minced garlic cloves, basil, tomatoes, shallots and heavy cream to make a luscious, creamy sauce in one skillet. Serve with low carb noodles.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 565kcal
Ingredients
For the shrimp:
- 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined (can leave tails on or off according to your preference)
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
For the mozzarella sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ounces shallots, sliced thin
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 7 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ounce fresh basil, cut into ribbons
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 whole lemon juice and zest
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
- 16 ounces freshly shredded mozzarella cheese low moisture part skim (DO NOT use fresh mozzarella, it won't melt!)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according the package. If using zucchini noodles, you can prepare them and set them aside for later. You may want to reserve some cooked pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce later.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, toss the shrimp with dry seasonings, salt and pepper. Add olive oil to the skillet, and cook the shrimp until pink. About 1 minute on each side. Don’t over crowd the pan. When shrimp are finished cooking, set aside on a plate.
- Add more olive oil, along with shallots and tomatoes with a pinch of salt to the skillet. Cook until beginning to soften, then add in white wine. Allow wine to simmer for a few minutes until the tomatoes break down further, mash with a wooden spoon. Add fresh garlic, fresh basil, lemon juice and zest, and the dry seasonings. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add in your heavy cream, along with the shredded mozzarella cheese, slowly, stirring constantly until the cheese melts completely and the sauce turns nice and creamy. fter the sauce is nice and smooth, add back the pasta, followed by the shrimp. Garnish with basil and dig in!
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat by gently simmering on the stovetop to warm through.
Notes
- Please note, the pasta we used is NOT included in the nutrition facts, as low carb pasta substitutes vary widely. For 2 ounces of Great Low Carb Pasta, it is roughly 7 grams of net carbs, for reference.
- Other good pasta substitutes would be zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash noodles, or shirataki noodles.
- Please do not use fresh mozzarella for this pasta. Trust us, we've tried it! You have to use low moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese. We bought and shredded our own, (it came as blocks) and we're not sure if pre-shredded would do quite the same thing. Freshly shredded mozzarella will turn into a lovely sauce, we know this for sure!
- You could substitute dry white wine for seafood stock, or chicken stock.
- Shallots can be substituted for yellow onions.
- All seasonings are to taste and optional.
- Half and half can be substituted for heavy cream, but the sauce will be thinner.
Nutrition
Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 378mg | Sodium: 2006mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1534IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 637mg | Iron: 3mg