Healthy Shrimp and Grits: Yes, there is such a thing!
Healthy shrimp and grits! Indeed, this Southern comfort food doesn’t have to be laden with extra calories, sodium and saturated fat. The taste is amazing in this healthy shrimp and grits recipe.
Healthy Shrimp and Grits
I grew up in Florida and was raised to love grits (as well as all types of citrus fruit and seafood). My kids – born and raised in Virginia – grew up to love them too. Being from the North, my husband though was a grits convert. But alas the entire family can sit down to enjoy a breakfast or dinner with a side of grits. The entire family enjoys traveling too, and as we’ve traveled throughout the South, we’ve ordered shrimp and grits from many a restaurant. I decided it was time to healthify this favorite southern comfort food. And this for healthy shrimp and grits recipe does not disappoint.
Delicious! I promise!
How I created this Healthy Shrimp and Grits Recipe
I started with whole-grain grits instead of a refined product. I prefer the yellow grits for flavor and color, but feel free to swap them out for white grits. Just skip the quick-cooking varieties. To keep the calories down, I used as little oil as possible and avoided butter. I’m not much of a fan of bacon or ham, so I omitted them too, but kept the smoky flavor with the addition of smoked paprika. This helps to keep the calories and saturated fat in check. For a boost of umami, I sautéed some mushrooms. If you want even more umami, add a little Parmesan cheese to the grits or sprinkle some on top of the dish before serving.
Healthy shrimp and grits are made beautiful with yellow whole-grain grits and smoked paprika.
If you have diabetes and find that this recipe puts your meal total for carbohydrates above your goal, you can cut the portion of grits to 2/3 cup to save about 9 grams of carbohydrate.
Healthy Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
- 1 cup stone ground whole grain yellow grits (may be labeled polenta)
- 3 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (use low sodium broth to trim the sodium even more)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (start with 8-10 ounces untrimmed mushrooms)
- 6 scallions, cut into approximately 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika in a medium pot with a lid and bring to a boil. Gradually pour in the grits and stir vigorously. Reduced the heat to to medium low, so the grits cook at a low boil. Keep the pot covered except to stir periodically to prevent clumping. Remove from the heat when the grits are at the desired consistency, after about 6 to 8 minutes. For this recipe, I prefer my grits on the wetter side, but you can continue to cook them until they are the way you prefer them.
- While the grits are cooking, toss the shrimp with the salt, crushed garlic and remaining 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and swirl to cover the pan. Add the shrimp and cook on each side until just pink, a total of about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the skillet.
- In the same skillet, add the mushrooms and scallions. Sautée on medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Return the cooked shrimp to the skillet. Sprinkle the thyme and pepper over the shrimp and vegetables and stir.
- To serve, scoop up about 1 cup of grits and 1 cup of shrimp and vegetable mixture into each of 4 bowls. If you have leftovers, store the grits separate from the shrimp for easier reheating.
Notes
Nutrition
Be sure to tell me how you like my healthy shrimp and grits recipe!
Cheers to happy, healthy eating!
Filed Under: Entree, Recipe, Seafood
Tagged: diabetes, healthy comfort food, prediabetes, seafood, whole grains
Jill Weisenberger
I'm Jill, and I believe simple changes in your mindset and health habits can bring life-changing rewards. And I don't believe in willpower. It's waaaay overrated. As a food-loving registered dietitian nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist and certified health and wellness coach, I've helped thousands of people solve their food and nutrition problems. If you're looking for a better way to master this whole healthy eating/healthy living thing or if you're trying to prevent or manage diabetes or heart problems, you'll find plenty of resources right here.
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Welcome to my Blog
Hi there! I'm Jill, a nutrition & diabetes expert and the author of 4 books.
I believe simple changes in health habits can bring you life-changing rewards.
And I believe willpower is way overrated.
Right here is where you can discover the mindset and habits to stick with healthy lifestyle choices most of the time - and drop the guilt when you don't.
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The smoked paprika really gave it the smokey bacon flavor. Loved this recipe. Super quick to make!
So glad you like it! I’m not much of a bacon eater, but I do love the smoked paprika. Happy to know that you do too.
Do you have to use mushrooms
I recommend them for their meaty, umami tastes, but if you don’t like mushrooms, you can leave them out.
This recipe is amazing! My husband was not thrilled when I told him what I was making for dinner, but after one bite he declared that this is the best dinner I’ve made. I did add pancetta and a sprinkle of cheddar. This will be in ouf regular rotation of meals.
So happy to hear this! I bet the pancetta gave it an even more wonderful smokey flavor. I love when my readers adapt my recipes for their own tastes. We should all do that.
The recipe sounds great! However, I can’t eat mushrooms. Is there something else I can use instead of them or can I simply omit them? Thank you.
I would just leave them out, but it won’t have quite the umami taste. To boost umami, you could add some Parmesan cheese. And if you wanted some smokey meat, other readers have enjoyed pancetta.