Creamy Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp
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Published Mar 18, 2019, Updated Sep 23, 2024
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This pesto spaghetti squash features a creamy almond pesto sauce and is topped with cooked shrimp for a low-carb, protein-packed meal. Dairy-free and gluten-free.
This recipe is inspired by a couple reader request for more simple weeknight recipes!
And I should mention that this pesto sauce isn’t your traditional herby pesto sauce. It’s almond based so it’s extra creamy with a little punch and tang.
This recipe obviously also falls under the category of simple weeknight recipes because it’s only 4 ingredients (once the sauce is made!). Of course, we’re not counting olive oil, salt and pepper.
I use roasted spaghetti squash noodles as the base, but if you’re craving actual pasta, you can always swap in regular pasta or high-protein chickpea pasta.
I paired this with shrimp because I love how quickly it cooks up, but I’d be willing to bet any protein source would work well with this sauce! Lastly, we’re topping the dish with fresh basil to really bring all of the flavors together.
More Spaghetti Squash Recipes
- Spaghetti Squash Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bowls
- Spagheti Squash Baked Feta Pasta
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 large, about 3lbs spaghetti squash, roasted
- 1 ¼ cup almond pesto sauce
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed if frozen
- Sea salt and pepper
- chopped fresh basil, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Make almond pesto dip. This step can be done 1-2 days in advance.
- Roast spaghetti squash as instructed in the linked recipe and remove noodle strands. This step can be done 1-2 days in advance as well.
- If you’re roasting the spaghetti squash the day of, start cooking your shrimp when the squash has about 5 minutes left of roasting.
- Cook shrimp by adding oil to a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Tilt pan so the oil coats the bottom. Once oil is hot add shrimp, season liberally with salt and pepper and cook until shrimp are pink and opaque. This should take about 5 minutes, but will depend on the size of your shrimp and how many you have in the pan.
- Transfer shrimp to a plate and add roasted spaghetti squash noodles into the pan. This step is especially important if you roasted your squash ahead of time and it’s coming cold from the fridge. Add almond pesto sauce to the pan with the squash and toss to coat. Spaghetti squash can get clumpy so just continue tossing until the noodles are coated. Transfer spaghetti squash mixture to plates, top with cooked shrimp. Sprinkle on chopped basil, if using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this last week for the family and it was a huge success. We roasted squash in air fyrer so took half the time with no oil – what a delicious and nutritious meal! THANK YOU
Yay! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit, Karen! Thanks for the review and star rating. I really appreciate it!
Pesto spaghetti squash with shrimp
Relatively easy very tasty! Even my hubby liked it, thanks.
I absolutely loved this recipe!! So do my brother who usually usually enjoys a real plain diet (meat and potatoes). I enjoy the normal basil pesto in many dishes but this pesto is really an upgrade of that. I also love that this recipe has a lot less fat content in it than the typical pesto dish. It will be my go to recipe in the future.
Also I found that I especially enjoyed it after it had a chance to sit for a few hours or more for the flavours to mix. If I was to eat it immediately upon making it then I would decrease the apple cider vinegar to 1 Tbsp.
Thanks so much for the share Brittany! You nailed it like you so often do!! xxx
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Donna! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
Shrimp in a vegetarian meal? lol ok then.
Is there a note of this dish being vegetarian in the post? I don’t see anything!
This was the second recipe we’ve made from this site and for the second time we absolutely loved it! This dish has so much flavor and texture; it’s perfect! My husband loved it so much that he asked if we could make this once a week from here out. Definitely in our top 5 favorite meals!