Shrimp Scampi

I have an unhealthy relationship with pasta. Since I’m Italian, I like to think it’s in my blood–I could seriously eat pasta every day. And there were times when I did.

Even though I’m back on Weight Watchers, there is no way I’m ignoring my pasta cravings. Especially one of my favorites, Shrimp Scampi. My all-time favorite recipe comes from Ina Garten and… oh boy… it’s divine. But it also includes a lot of butter and oil, so of course it’s divine. In order to make this lite, I had to find a way to mimic the velvety texture that the butter adds to the sauce without, well, adding butter. Cornstarch did the trick, and Jeff said he actually prefers this version to Ina’s, mainly because it isn’t as greasy. Score!

Lightened-Up Shrimp Scampi (8 Smart Points)
Makes 4 servings (about 1 cup of pasta and 1/4 of the shrimp)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound shrimp
• 6 cloves garlic (use as much as you prefer), minced
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup Chardonnay (or dry white wine of your choice
  • If you don’t want to use the wine, increase the stock to 1 cup)
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 large lemons, juiced (a little less than 1/4 cup)
• 8 ounces spaghetti (I used Barilla gluten-free)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions 
In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute shrimp until just pink, about 2 minutes per side.

While the shrimp is cooking, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Make sure you heavily salt your water to season the pasta since the sauce will be rather thin. I typically use 1-2 tablespoons of kosher salt for a large pot of water.

When the shrimp is done, transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the same skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Add minced garlic, red chili flakes, and Italian seasoning. Cook for one minute, just until you can start to smell the garlic.

In a liquid measuring cup, add the chicken stock, wine, and cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch is fully dissolved and add the liquid mixture to the skillet with the garlic and spices. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, whisking often, until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken, about 5-7 minutes.

Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add in the lemon juice and shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for another minute or (don’t cook too long or the juice will become bitter and the shrimp will be rubbery). Add in the cooked pasta and mix everything together until the pasta soaks up most of the sauce, about 1-2 more minutes. Garnish with parsley or grated Parmesan cheese.

Click here to determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically). Serving size is 1 1/4 cup. Calculated using regular pasta.

8 WW Freestyle SmartPoints for 1 1/4 cup.
Calories: 358 | Fat: 5g | Sat. Fat: 1g | Carbs: 50g |Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Protein: 38g