This light Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta dish, loaded with fresh tomatoes, is the best weeknight dinner when summer tomatoes are at their peak.
Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta
This Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta is perfect when you don’t want to spend much time cooking dinner but still want something seasonal and flavorful the family will love. By the time the pasta cooks, the shrimp and vegetables will be ready–all in about 20 minutes. I’ve been making this long before I made Skinnytaste a full time job. I used to whip this up after working full time with fresh zucchini and tomatoes from my garden.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is one of my oldest recipes, a summer dish I used to whip up when I would get home from work with very little time using zucchini and tomatoes from my garden. Cooking with seasonal produce means you don’t need a ton of ingredients. Fresh vegetables add so much flavor on their own.
- Fast: Since shrimp cook in just a couple of minutes, this meal comes together quickly!
- Easy enough for busy weeknights
- Healthy: A low-calorie pasta dish packed with lean protein and vegetables
- Family Friendly: A dish everyone in my house always enjoys
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make this pasta with shrimp and zucchini, you’ll also need fresh tomatoes, aromatics, and broth. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Shrimp: Buying frozen, deveined, and peeled shrimp with the tails off is the fastest, most convenient option. The easiest way to thaw them is to place them in the refrigerator the day before. Then, before cooking, drain and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
- Salt and black pepper for seasoning the shrimp and vegetables
- Pasta: Buy farfalle (bow tie) pasta.
- Aromatics: Thinly sliced garlic and diced shallots
- Zucchini: You can either julienne (slice into thin, long strips) or cube the zucchini. Since zucchini has a high-water content, it only takes a couple of minutes to cook to prevent it from getting soggy.
- Tomatoes: Fresh, diced tomatoes form the base of the sauce.
- Olive oil for sautéing the vegetables.
- Fat-free chicken broth enhances the flavor of the sauce more than water would.
- Toppings: Fresh parsley. Crushed red pepper flakes and grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan are optional, but they add extra flavor.
How to Make Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta
To cook this easy shrimp and zucchini pasta quickly, start boiling the water while you cut your vegetables. While the pasta cooks, sear the shrimp and make the sauce, which should be about done by the time the pasta finishes. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Cook the pasta following the package instructions. Then, drain.
- Sear the shrimp in a large, hot skillet for a minute. For the best sear, the shrimp shouldn’t be touching. Remove them before they’re fully cooked.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the shallots and garlic to the pan over medium heat. After 1 minute, add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Then, add the zucchini and sauté for another minute.
- Make the tomato sauce: Pour in the broth and red pepper flakes. Then, add the shrimp and pasta. Taste for salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
How do you know when shrimp is done cooking?
You’ll know the shrimp are ready when they’re pink, opaque, and shaped like a “C.” Overcooking can make them rubbery. They only need a few minutes to cook, so remove them from the pan after a minute so they can finish cooking in the sauce at the end.
Variations
- Allergic to shrimp? Substitute diced chicken thighs. Make sure to cook them all the way through the first time they’re in the pan. You could also use scallops. Sear them for 2 to 3 minutes, flip, and cook for another 30 to 60 seconds until they turn opaque.
- Pasta options: Swap farfalle with rotini, fusilli, or penne. Use whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta if needed.
- More Protein: Swap pasta with protein pasta and use bone broth for more protein.
- No shallots? Substitute onion.
- Tomatoes: Use cherry or grape tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes create a lighter sauce, but if they’re not in season, use canned petite diced tomatoes.
- Prefer a creamy tomato sauce? Try my Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce.
- Zucchini: Try yellow squash, asparagus, or spinach.
- Herbs: Replace parsley with fresh basil.
- Adjust the heat: I like it a little spicy, but if you’re not a fan of spicy food, omit the red pepper flakes or start with just 1/8 teaspoon.
- Make it brighter: Zest a lemon over the pasta before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this healthy shrimp and zucchini pasta with a salad or vegetable for a light and delicious dinner.
Storage
- Refrigerate the shrimp pasta for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: The pasta will absorb some of the tomato sauce, so if it’s too thick, add a splash of broth or water to thin it out before reheating. Microwave for 30 to 60 seconds until warm, or reheat on the stove over medium-low heat.
More Shrimp Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
For more dinner ideas using shrimp, check out these five delicious pasta recipes to inspire your next meal!
- Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce
- Chilled Italian Shrimp Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Angel Hair with Shrimp and Asparagus
- Linguini and Shrimp Fra Diavolo
- White Bean Scampi with Linguine
Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta in Light Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp, shelled and deviened (12 oz peeled weight)
- salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta, uncooked (or protein pasta, gluten-free pasta)
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, julienned or cubed
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- ½ cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- olive oil spray
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Pecorino Romano cheese, grated, optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat until very hot. Spray lightly with with oil.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper to taste and add to the hot skillet. Saute for about 1 minute on each side, until almost cooked through and remove from heat. Set shrimp aside.
- Add olive oil to the same skillet, lower heat to medium, add shallots and garlic and saute until golden, about 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, and cook about 1 minute. Add zucchini, saute another minute.
- Add chicken broth, red pepper flakes and mix well. Return shrimp to the pan and simmer 30 seconds.
- When pasta is cooked to al dente, drain in a colander and add pasta to sauce. Mix well with the sauce and adjust salt and pepper.
- Add chopped parsley and serve. Top with some really good grated cheese! (optional)
Really good! Even my picky adult daughter who rolls her eyes when I say it’s a Skinnytaste recipe loved it!
Delicioso 😋- Gracias Gina!
This looks so good, Can you use the whole box of pasta instead of 8 ounces ?
We are not big pasta eaters but we love shrimp. It’s great when the family goes back for seconds! A nice light summer dinner.
This was my first time cooking shrimp and it turned out perfect! The dish is delicious.
Thanks Jen!
I love those one. Thanks!
I love *this one! Thanks!
Made this for dinner tonight!! It was so good, our whole family, including our 1.5 year old loved it!
Perfect!
Made this exactly as written two days ago, and wouldn’t change anything, we are have the leftovers tonight. Thank you for coming up with these great recipes, makes my life easier trying to come up with new ideas!
Delicious and easy. The leftovers made an excellent cold pasta salad the next day.
It’s delicious!
But is it tagged wrong? It came up under ‘vegetarian meals’…
This recipe has so much flavor! It’s really delicious. I made it exactly to the recipe and wouldn’t change a thing.
Thanks Elizabeth!
Made this recipe last night for my husband, daughter, brother and sister-in-law. It was a hit! Everyone loved it and the directions were easy to follow. The shrimp was cooked perfectly. This recipe is a keeper and will definitely be in our meal rotation!
I followed the surveying and my zucchini wasn’t cooked at all – did i miss something?
its shouldn’t be mushy
I was working with what I had in my kitchen do I ended up using Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes and some leftover cilantro lime shrimp. It was still really good! Nice and light with a great flavor! My mom loved it to for lunch the next day.
This is one of our favorite ways to have shrimp! We add extra zucchini and extra red pepper flakes and definitely top it off with good grated cheese!
We loved it. It was tasty and healthy. I added some more chopped tomatoes and a little more chicken broth to make more sauce. I didn’t have bow tie pasta so I used shells. All in all it was delicious.
It was great! I did add Old Bay when seasoning the shrimp. But otherwise kept to the recipe. Thank you
DELISH! Such a simple, flavorful, and beautiful dish.
I followed the recipe exactly. I did not add the suggested grated cheese at the end; only because I don’t prefer cheese with my seafood.
This was super easy, quick to make, and will be a perfect addition to our weeknight rotation.
My 15 year old son said the dish was so attractive that it was “insta worthy”! 🙂
I loved it! Very easy and delicious. Thanks!
Great, simple, flavorful recipe! Followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing!
Thank you!
Excellent
Wow! This was so simple and so tasty. My husband and I both loved it, so it is going into the rotation! I made only a few, small changes. Because I don’t like pasta to overwhelm the rest of the ingredients, I cut the bowties to 6oz. Even that felt like a bit too much pasta, so next time, I’ll only do 4 or 5oz. I had some fresh corn on the cob that was nearing it “best used by date” so I cut it off the cob and added it with the zucchini. A very nice addition. Turned out I didn’t need the chicken stock as the Roma tomatoes I used were quite juicy. Sprinkled it with some aged parmesan and viola! a tasty, quick meal that made a nice lunch leftover the next day.
[FYI: I always cut my shrimp in half lengthwise because they cook instantly, curl up into cute little corkscrews, every bite has a bit of shrimp in it, and it looks like twice the amount of shrimp. Try it sometime. Kids — and my husband — love the “shrimp curls”.]
I always cut my shrimp into lengthwise curls for just the reasons you mentioned. 🙂
Another awesome recipe full of flavor! Perfect light summer meal- I forgot the parsley but it still was amazing. All of your recipes have been dinner game changers for our family. We had been stuck in a rut eating a slightly different version of the same food every week and we were all over it. Your meal plans and recipes are consistently easy to make, always full of flavor and such a treat to sit down and eat! Thank you! thank you!
Just delicious. Easy to make and full of flavor.
Delicious! Fresh and tasty!
Made this as written (except had to sub penne for the bows) with fresh tomatoes and zucchini from the garden. I found the sauce a bit thin, but the overall taste was fabulous, especially topped with pecorino romano. A wonderful dish that tastes delicious and makes me feel virtuous with all the healthy ingredients. It’s a winner!
First, I must say I am a Skinnytaste fan and have been for years. I just came across this recipe and it was delicious. It is perfect for an easy weeknight meal. I did not use any cheese since my husband is going dairy free for a few weeks, I want to try it again but adding white kidney beans. I am sure the points would have to change. I thought I could mash some to thicken the broth a bit. I am not sure about adding any other thickener like cornstarch. The dish was so delicious and presents so well that I think it is a great quick dish to put out for guests, it looked gorgeous!
One of my favorite recipes from this site.
I just made it and the portions are HUGE! It was delicious! We have extra for another meal! So good, as are all the recipes of yours I have tried. Thank you!
Thoughts on substituting the bow tie pasta for a cheese ravioli??
Made this tonight for our dinner…we loved it! My husband especially loved how healthy it was! I only added 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper and it was still a bit spicy for me (I'm a spice wimp, I guess!) =) Next time I will cut out the pepper all together. It was also such a pretty dish! Thanks for another awesome recipe. I'm currently pregnant, so not looking to lose weight, just eat healthily and this site helps with that. It also gives me an arsenal of recipes to make once baby comes to help me lose this extra baby weight! Thanks!
Another 5 star dish! You never fail! This was delicious, light and so flavor able. It was a very pretty dish to serve as well!
I absolutely loved this!!!! I used white cooking wine instead of the chicken broth and completely forgot the red pepper flakes – still completely amazing!
Once again, thanks for helping me on my weight loss journey. I make about 4 of your recipes every week to help me = 16 1/2 lbs down so far!
i love your site,this dish i followed to a tea and was so delicious, i love the kick the pepper flakes give it.I am type 1 diabetic and struggle with my weight, so it is so nice to see a site that has so many delicious recipes that i can also enjoy.thank you Gina.Cherise
Thanks Katie!
We had this tonight and it was delicious! Gina, I just keep this website pulled up and use it to meal plan each week. These recipes are making my life SO much easier!
LOVE, this dish, thanks Gina for updating the Points Plus info.
Very good recipe except I will go lighter on the red pepper flakes next time – mouth was burning for quite a while.
This was sooooo yummy! I just started Weight Watchers this week and I love love love your blog. Can't wait to try more of your recipes. How do you determine the WW point values? I am a little neurotic about points and staying within my limit…it's not that I don't trust you are being truthful with the point values I was just curious how you go about it.
Made this last night, it was absolutely delicious, had to restrain myself from eating the other 2 portions.
Hi Gina , is it possible to update this recipe to the Points Plus Program when you have time, thanks for all you do and the delicious recipes.
When i added this recipe up in recipe builder on weightwatchers.com it came out to 7 points plus per serving. However, I ended up using 8 oz of bowtie pasta (instead of 6 oz), and I ended up with 4 servings (instead of 3). It came out to 6 points plus per serving. It was delicious and now my husband and I both have a "to-go container" for lunch tomorrow! 🙂
Hi Gina,
This is one of my favorite "go to" recipes. When you have a chance, could you post the detailed nutrition facts or Points Plus points for this one?
Thank you!
Megan
You cook like me I see!! Glad you enjoyed it.
I made this tonight and used onions instead of shallots and sazon instead of chicken broth and OMG fabulous!!!I didn't have bow ties so i threw in those new veggie ronzoni garden type. num num another amazing recipe! thank you
This is such a great "skeleton" recipe. In an effort to use up a bunch of items in my 'fridge before a vacation, I used it as a springboard.
Here is how I made it (and it was delicious):
-chicken breast instead of shrimp
-added fresh mushrooms
-used red onion instead of shallots (though I guarantee shallots would taste better)
-white cooking wine in lieu of chkn broth
-grapeseed oil instead of olive oil
-whole wheat angel hair pasta instead of bowties
Added a tablespoon of Parmesan and a little cilantro and devoured it.
All in all about the same calorie count and points (maybe a little less with the whole wheat pasta). A fantastic dish!
Thanks Steffy! I love getting comments!! It's nice to know people are liking my dishes, even my older recipes!!
So, let me begin by saying I've been making recipes from your site for the past month, but never commented, (sorry about that!), but my husband and I have had so much success using your recipes that I felt compelled to so you'll never stop posting!
Firstly, I'm not a shrimp gal, but this recipe has turned me into a convert. This was so light and fresh tasting, but also satisfying. I did finish it with shaved parmigiano reggiano – to die for!
Gina, would the points change if whole wheat pasta was used? Looks amazing and I am so excited to feast!
Gina YOU ROCK!!!! I made this last night and it was sooooooooooooo good! I added a little cilantro and YUMMY! I am a Lifetime WW member so I have been in heaven since finding your blog. Keep up the good work. God Bless!
Thanks for leaving a comment. Yes, this is a good one. Love this dish too!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was really good…light, but filling. I used frozen shrimp I had on hand and it tasted great. Thank you for these great recipes!!! I just love your site!
this is soooo delicious. I love your website, thankyou so much
@ Marisa, yes, fresh tomatoes give you a much lighter sauce. The addition of black olives sounds yummy!
I made this last night but subbed regular tomatoes for a can of crushed tomatoes. I'd like to try again with regular tomatoes because I think it would make it lighter. I also added sliced black olives. Yum!!!
I love the idea of adding yellow pepper to this!!
@Sara – I think I'll buy some shrimp to make this again this week!! Glad you liked it!!
This was SOOO good! I added in a little extra red pepper and at the end before I mixed with the pasta, I threw in about 2 tbsp's of fat free half and half for a creamier sauce. It was SOSO good, and even better the next day for lunch! Thanks so much for the awesome recipe. 🙂
Sara
I just made this and yum! My familty is more into veggies so I added a yellow pepper! It was soooo good! I may have added a few too many red pepper flakes because it was hot! but they say hot and spicy food speeds the motabolism so? thats a plus
I made this AGAIN and loved it…thanks!
Yes, my husband loves it and the red pepper flakes give it a nice kick!
i made this last night and it was fantastic! So flavorful!
i made this last night, and it was fantastic. So flavorful!
I just cooked this for my family and they loved it! You would never know it low fat. Great meal!!!!!!
Sounds and looks great! I love the idea of pairing zucchini with pasta!
Yummy shrimp and tomato pasta! Nice and light for a quick summertime dinner 🙂
As far as the serving size, I usually divide it equally amongst the amount of servings. I’ll try to list it in the future by ounces.
Great recipe! Not being a “seafood” fan, I’d try it with chicken breast but yumo!
Definitely following you for some great recipes!
Keep up the great work and enjoy the new, healthy lifestyle! I love being a WW!
This looks so good, I love the combination of ingredients!
I love your recipes! My only comment is you never give the serving size and WW is all about portion
control, right?
@anonymous serving size is a little bigger more than 1 1/2 cups.
this looks delicious! Does it work out to about 1 cup a serving? Thanks!
Terrific recipe, Gina!
the picture has me really wanting a bite of this NOW! Will have to see if I can find a good deal on shrimp so I can make it soon.
OH WOW, that’s so pretty! Your blog site is my favorite place to visit!! I can’t wait to try this one!
Gina, this is officially my new favorite blog! I am on and off Weight Watchers (I’m not above the weight reco. for my height but am not comfortable with current weight either). Always looking for ways to slim down some of my favorite recipes!