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    Home » Recipes » Entrees

    Healthier Shrimp Scampi

    First Published: June 8, 2021 . Last Modified: January 13, 2022 lisa18 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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    Healthier and light shrimp scampi is flavored with broth instead of a heavy dose of butter but it's still a tasty and decadent seafood dish. Serve the shrimp scampi sauce over spaghetti for a delicious meal. It is one of my favorite easy shrimp recipes.

    A plate of healthier shrimp scampi made with broth instead of butter.

    I love shrimp scampi. It one of those easy shrimp recipes that tastes so good and it is a nice quick dinner. It also goes great with a glass of white wine.

    The thing I don't like is how the butter goes from my lips to my hips.

    I decided to lighten a classic shrimp scampi sauce recipe up and substitute chicken broth for most of the butter. If you don't want chicken broth, you can always use vegetable broth. The pasta soaks up the sauce nicely and you won't miss the butter in this healthier shrimp scampi.

    If you like shrimp with pasta, also try my Shrimp Spaghetti Recipe with Spinach and Tomatoes.

    What is Scampi Sauce? 

    Scampi is the Italian word for langoustine, which are a type of crustacean that looks like a cross between a shrimp and a lobster. The traditional way to serve this shellfish is in a quick saute of butter, garlic, olive oil and white wine. I have always loved the sauce and shellfish with pasta and decided to lighten up the classic recipe using shrimp.  

    Ingredients in this Shrimp Scampi Recipe

    • Spaghetti – Or use any long pasta such as linguini or angle hair.
    • Olive Oil – Any light vegetable oil will work in place of olive oil.
    • Large Shrimp – Look for shrimp that are already peeled and deveined. If you buy frozen shrimp, thaw them before cooking. Remove the tails if you like. This is a personal preference on whether you want them on or off.
    • Garlic – Garlic is one of the key ingredients in traditional shrimp scampi. I recommend using fresh garlic rather than garlic in a jar.
    • Crushed Red Pepper – This adds just a bit of heat to the dish. You can leave it out if you prefer.
    • Dry White Wine
    • Chicken or Vegetable Broth - This replaces the butter to make this healthier shrimp scampi lighter.
    • Lemon - This adds a bright freshness to the dish.
    • Fresh Parsley - Parsley adds great color to this dish. You should use fresh parsley, not dried.
    • Butter – But just a bit because you really can't have shrimp scampi without butter.
    This seafood dish is an easy shrimp recipe.

    Healthier Shrimp Scampi Serving Suggestions

    Pasta is what I love with shrimp scampi, however her are some other ideas on what to serve it with:

    • Serve this shrimp dish with toast points or sliced whole grain bread. This can make for a great shrimp appetizer and bread is perfect to soak up the yummy sauce.
    • For a really healthy, low carb dinner, this scampi is great over a bed of sauteed baby spinach.  Zucchini noodles or zoodles are another great choice but you can really put it over any sauteed vegetables you like.  
    • Shrimp scampi is great over rice and makes it brown rice to get in some whole grains.
    • Toss some greens or salad in a light dressing then top it with the shrimp.       
    a plate of shrimp scampi on top of spaghetti

    More Easy Shrimp Recipes

    • Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Slaw
    • Sweet and Spicy Shrimp (Made in 10 Minutes!)
    • Greek Shrimp Skewers Recipe
    • Cilantro Lime Grilled Shrimp from Food Fanatic
    • Shrimp and Sweet Pepper Stir Fry from Katie's Cucina

    I love that this light shrimp scampi recipe allows me to enjoy one of my favorite recipes without drowning in butter!

    Lighter Shrimp Scampi photo for pinterest

    If you like this easy shrimp recipe, please leave a 5-star rating.

    RECIPE

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    Healthier Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

    This light shrimp scampi is flavored with wine and chicken stock instead of butter so it's flavorful and healthier.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Dinner Entree, pasta, Shrimp
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 551kcal

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces spaghetti or other long pasta
    • 2 TBS olive oil
    • 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
    • 4 large cloves garlic minced
    • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
    • ½ cup dry white wine
    • 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
    • the juice from one medium sized lemon plus extra slices for garnish
    • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley plus extra for garnish
    • 1 TBS butter

    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
    • While spaghetti is cooking, warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, and cook for a minute. Add garlic, crushed red pepper, wine, broth, lemon juice and parsley. Simmer for 1 minute or until shrimp are fully cooked. Remove shrimp to warm plate keeping sauce in pan. Add butter to pan and stir until melted.
    • Drain pasta and add to pan with sauce. Add salt to taste. Toss well and transfer to serving plate. Top with cooked shrimp. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 293mg | Sodium: 1139mg | Potassium: 392mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 553IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 4mg

    First Published March 2010 ; Last Updated June 2021

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie

      March 28, 2010 at 12:17 am

      Very nice, I'm definitely trying to lighten things up around here and this would be perfect.

      Reply
    2. Karen Harris

      March 28, 2010 at 7:07 pm

      This scampi recipe looks great. I love the lighter preparation method. I've got a happiness award waiting for you at my blog. I've also made mention of your blog address so my readers can get to know you.

      Reply
    3. teresa

      March 28, 2010 at 9:37 pm

      oh my gosh, this looks awesome! i can't wait to try!

      Reply
    4. Katrina

      March 28, 2010 at 11:16 pm

      I love lightened up food that still tastes great!

      Reply
    5. kat

      March 29, 2010 at 10:07 am

      Great idea!

      Reply
    6. The Japanese Redneck

      March 30, 2010 at 10:54 am

      I like shrimp scampi, fried shimp, boiled shimp, sauteed shrimp....I think you're getting the picture now!

      Reply
    7. Maria

      March 31, 2010 at 1:23 pm

      Great job on lightening it up!

      Reply
    8. THE ACTORS DIET

      April 02, 2010 at 2:26 am

      i haven't had shrimp scampi in forever! my mom always ordered it in restaurants when i was a kid so i associate it with her.

      just discovered your blog - i'm a jersey girl too! (bergen county)

      Reply
    9. Niki

      April 02, 2010 at 8:49 pm

      This recipe looks so good, and i love that it's a healthier version on Shrimp Scampi!! 🙂

      Reply
    10. Karen

      April 03, 2010 at 10:38 am

      This is perefect! I just bought some beautiful pink shrimp at Whole Foods, today.

      Reply
    11. Liz - Meal Makeover Mom

      April 06, 2010 at 11:02 am

      Your recipe looks great. I'd love to make it. I might also try making it with Barilla Plus whole grain blend spaghetti to see if my family likes it!

      Reply
    12. Allie

      April 06, 2010 at 11:55 am

      Looks yummy! I'll have to use the broth like you did instead of all the butter I use.

      Reply
    13. Stacey Snacks

      April 06, 2010 at 4:51 pm

      Lis,
      I like this lightened up version....I never make it any more because of all the butta!
      Great idea!

      Reply
    14. Jan

      April 15, 2010 at 4:06 pm

      I have some shrimp in the fridge begging to be turned into something, looks like this could be the very thing. Thanks for the inspiration.

      Reply
    15. Kathy

      May 01, 2010 at 3:35 pm

      Made this recipe the other night for dinner! Super yummy and I love the fact that the amount of fat has been cut back. My boyfriend found it to be a bit spicy, so I may cutback on the hot pepper flake next time:) Thanks for the inspiration!!!

      Reply
    16. Lynne L

      August 20, 2010 at 7:36 pm

      GREAT recipe Lisa, excellent way to lighten it up and keep the flavor! I can't wait to try it!

      Reply
    17. Debbie Ring

      December 09, 2022 at 8:59 pm

      Why leave the tails on? Makes no sense

      Reply
      • lisa

        December 10, 2022 at 9:20 am

        Debbie,
        You can remove the tails if you like but the presentation is nice with the tails on as that is even the way many restaurants serve shrimp scampi too.

        Lisa

        Reply

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