Shrimp and Sausage Zoodles
Here’s what happens in my house when I start a new hobby before I start a new job: the hobby takes a back seat. For about 9 months, apparently.
I needed two nudges to get back on track.
First, a good friend, very kindly, challenged that it looked like I had abandoned writing entirely.
Second, a conversation with my sister. She was diving into another round of Whole30 just as I was wrapping one up, and we found ourselves talking about the same challenge every time: food boredom.
The first week is easy. The second week is manageable. Then somewhere around the middle of the month, meal prep starts to feel like a part-time job and every dinner sounds exactly the same.
What I think most folks need when the “For The Love I Can’t Do Any More Meal Prep Blues” hit: a really easy dinner. Enter this recipe. 15 minutes, I promise, and this thing is ready to go. It’s the time equivalent of Kraft Mac’n’Cheese only much healthier.
The short cuts for this recipe start with Trader Joe’s frozen zucchini spirals. I don’t own a spiralizer, and frankly, I don’t have much interest in adding another kitchen gadget to the collection. Thus my reliance on TJs for a quick fix.
I also love their Argentinian Red Shrimp, though any raw frozen shrimp will work. For the sausage, look for a compliant chicken sausage if you’re doing Whole30, or your personal favorite, if you don’t have a need to be as strict.
A few options I’ve used over the years:
- TJ’s spicy italian or garlic herb chicken sausage are my faves
- Applegate – found at a bunch of different stores, they have sweet italian or fire roasted red pepper
- Local meat sources – be sure to check for low sugar/no added sugar wherever you go
Cooking Notes
I should start off by saying that this recipe is really for 1-2 people. However, if you would like to make for a larger family, or just enjoy leftovers, you can easily double it.
For prep, this meal will use one pan, one cutting board and one strainer. For the the zucchini spirals, simply follow the package instructions.
While these are cooking, you can get to prepping the rest of your ingredients. Dice up half of two different colored peppers, or one whole pepper, if you so choose. Slice the sausages and set aside.
Strain the zucchini noodles, and place the empty pan back on the burner.
Toss the peppers and sausage in the pan with one tablespoon of olive oil. Coat allow to the sausage some time to brown, and the veggies time to soften a bit. This should take about 5 to 6 minutes total.
Mince one glove of garlic and toss into the pan with thawed shrimp, salt and cajun seasoning. Lightly stir everything together to coat. The shrimp will cook quickly; approximately 3-5 minutes.
Lastly, push all of your cooked proteins and veggies to one side of the pan, and place strained the noodles back in. Quickly saute the noodles to warm. Bring everything together with one final toss, and enjoy!
30 Shrimp and Sausage Zoodles
Ingredients
- 12 oz zucchini spirals
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 oz compliant sausage I used Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage, sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 orange bell pepper diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 lb. raw shrimp I used Argentinian Red Shrimp, thawed
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning/old bay seasoning
Instructions
- Place zucchini spirals in a saute pan and cover, cook for about 6 minutes (until the noodles thaw and separate)
- Set noodles aside in a strainer and return pan to stove
- Heat olive oil in pan
- Cook peppers and sausage together until peppers soften and sausage browns, approximately 5-6 minutes
- Add garlic, shrimp, salt and seasoning to pan and toss together
- Cook until shrimp are bright and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes
- Push cooked mixture to one side of the pan, and place strained zoodles back into pan
- Saute zoodles for another minute until warm and fully cooked through
- Toss all ingredients together and serve
