Spicy Shrimp Scampi Risotto with Garden Fresh Peas is made without butter or cheese for a healthy dinner recipe easy enough for any weekday night but yummy enough for any special meal.
I just looked at my countdown app and our wedding is in 58 days!! Holy cow…that just hit home!! I feel like I have so much to do before the BIG DAY 😯 I know it will all come together and it won’t be absolutely perfect but only I will know (still kills this type A gal), but I am really trying not to stress about it!! I understand now why women become bridezillas before their weddings 👿 It is a lot of pressure and the stress is real folks!! If I am becoming a bridezilla (and I am really trying not to), somebody please tell me 😉
With all of that going on, dinners are getting to be “ok what is in the pantry/frig/freezer that I can put together for a meal?” I don’t have time for extra trips to the store and dinner needs to be just another thing that I am checking off the list!! Have I mentioned that I have just a few lists? Wedding lists, blog lists, to-do lists, honey-do lists, etc. That is how this Spicy Shrimp Scampi Risotto with Garden Fresh Peas came about.
First stop was the pantry, and my container of risotto caught my eye! Hmm…we haven’t had a risotto in a while, so lets do that!
Then I went to the freezer for my protein to put with it. I zeroed in on the frozen shrimp and thought that would be good and they thaw fast (double bonus), so I grabbed them. Then just as I was shutting the door, I noticed a bag of garden peas that we had put up last year! Perfect!! They needed to be used up and would be lovely in my risotto 🙂
I grabbed a couple of staples that I always have on-hand: onion, garlic and chicken broth. I typically don’t use butter (sometimes just a little) in my risottos but I do use parmesan cheese!! Unfortunately, we were out of parmesan so I just left it out. It still was fantastic without the parmesan and nobody even noticed 😉
I hate that people think that risottos are hard, they really are not!! Do they require attention? Yes, but it is just stirring…come on people that isn’t too hard 😉 And they are done in about 30 minutes…so stop giving poor risottos a bad rap, ok?
I mean…look at all that yumminess!! I just love the creamy consistency <3 <3 <3 You’ve got your veggies and a lean protein so you are all set!
Here is your recipe for Spicy Shrimp Scampi Risotto with Garden Fresh Peas:
- 4 cups reduced-sodium or no-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil; divided
- 1 large, sweet, yellow onion; chopped
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 cup risotto
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 1.5 lbs. uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 16 oz. peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less depending on taste)
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
- Warm chicken broth in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.
- Heat 1 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add risotto, stir to combine and sauté for about a minutes.
- Add white wine and deglaze the pan, letting the wine cook down until it has reduced by about half.
- Add one ladle of broth, stirring frequently, until the liquid has almost absorbed.
- Continue with broth, one ladle at a time. Stirring frequently.
- While the risotto is working, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the shrimp and cook until they are bright pink and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Season with crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- When you add the last laddle of broth, also add the peas to the sauce pan.
- Once the risotto is finished (it will be nice and creamy), season to taste.
This looks so good 😀 Off to pin it so I can try it later.
Thanks so much Maureen!! It was great 🙂 I hope you give it a try!!