Our easy weeknight dinner recipe tonight? Ohhh, just a little something I like to call Garlicky Shrimp with Cheddar, Chickpeas, & Zucchini. This all-in-one 25 minute meal has all of the good stuff: Veggies, protein, dairy, and all of the flavor!
Welcome to one of my new favorite easy weeknight dinner recipes, Garlicky Shrimp with Cheddar, Chickpeas, & Zucchini! This simple stovetop recipe ticks off all the requisite comfort food boxes without being too heavy, and doesn’t heat up the whole house on a hot summer’s day.
So, let’s cook up a skillet full of garlicky shrimp, lemony butter, nutty chickpeas, and perfectly seasoned veggies… then finish it off with just enough cheddar cheese to bring everything together.
Ever since making this sauteed cheddar chickpeas & zucchini recipe last month, I’ve been thinking about how to bulk it up into a full family dinner. Well, this week, ALDI had bags of wild-caught peeled shrimp on sale — and, the theme of the week there is lemon, because of their annual support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand. If there were ever a sign, this was one!
Adding some lemony, garlicky, buttery shrimp to the original chickpeas & zucchini recipe easily elevated it from a side dish to a whole darn (delicious) meal. I also changed the seasonings up slightly, and basically doubled the original side dish recipe to feed four.
And don’t worry, this process is easier and more straightforward than it looks. I mean, it’s a 25 minute recipe, so how bad could it be? 🙂
Garlicky Shrimp with Cheddar, Chickpeas, & Zucchini
Ingredients
– for the veggies
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 medium zucchini (20-24 oz), thinly sliced
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed & drained
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 small cloves)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp cumin
Sea salt (or pink Himalayan salt), to taste
Black pepper, to taste
– for the shrimp
1 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed (See Note)
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 small cloves)
Juice of 1/2 of a medium lemon (about 1 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp parsley
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, depending on your preference for heat — I used 1/2 tsp
Sea salt (or pink Himalayan salt), to taste
Black pepper, to taste
– to finish
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Directions
Cut off & discard the ends of the zucchini, then slice it thinly. Thinly slice the onion, and mince the garlic if you’re not using pre-minced.
Start by sauteeing the veggies
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Swirl to coat the pan.
Add the zucchini and onion, then brown the veggies over medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the veggies are browning, rinse and drain the chickpeas.
After browning the zucchini, stir the chickpeas, garlic, and seasonings into the pan. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for five more minutes, or until zucchini is nicely softened, stirring occasionally.
While the veggies are cooking, peel and devein the shrimp (if not using pre-peeled). Shred the cheddar (if not using pre-shredded).
Once the zucchini is softened and nicely browned, remove the veggies temporarily to a separate bowl.
Now, let’s saute the shrimp
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the same skillet you used for the veggies, and reduce the heat under the pan to medium.
Add your thawed & peeled shrimp to the skillet, and cook over medium heat for about two minutes.
Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, butter, and seasonings, then flip the shrimp and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through. They should be turning pink, and white all the way through the center.
Mix it all together… then add cheese!
Stir the zucchini and chickpeas back into the pan, then stir in the cheddar cheese until just melted.
When serving: Add a little optional fresh-chopped parsley for garnish, if desired.
Notes
Plan ahead and put your frozen shrimp in the fridge to thaw the night before, or thaw the bag under cold water before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. The cooking time here does not include the time to thaw the shrimp, but assumes you’re starting with it defrosted. (I used a handy bag of peeled, deveined, and tail-off shrimp to save time, too.) I used sea salt in the original side dish recipe but pink Himalayan salt today; use whatever makes your heart happy.
Yes, this is the dinner I was looking for!
Today I used a full 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper in order to add a nice kick to the lemony, buttery, garlicky, cheesy goodness of the shrimp and veggies here, but adjust this to your own taste. And if you’re wondering how well the lemon and cheddar flavors work together, the answer is: Beautifully! The different tangs complement each other well, and work along with the garlic butter to balance out the mild shrimp, seasoned zucchini, and nutty chickpeas.
Garlicky shrimp with chickpeas & zucchini is naturally gluten free, and is a good meal prep option — just portion the skillet out into separate lunches for later in the week.
Garlicky Shrimp with Cheddar, Chickpeas, & Zucchini, printable recipe
Garlicky Shrimp with Cheddar, Chickpeas, & Zucchini
Equipment
Ingredients
for the veggies
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 medium zucchini 20-24 oz, thinly sliced
- 1/2 of a medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2 cans chickpeas garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
- 1 tsp minced garlic about 2 small cloves
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp cumin
- Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, to taste
- Black pepper to taste
for the shrimp
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz large raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed (See Note)
- 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 small cloves
- Juice of 1/2 of a medium lemon about 1 Tbsp
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper depending on your preference for heat — I used 1/2 tsp
- Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, to taste
- Black pepper to taste
to finish
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Cut off & discard the ends of the zucchini, then slice it thinly. Thinly slice the onion, and mince the garlic if you’re not using pre-minced.
Start by sauteeing the veggies
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Swirl to coat the pan.
- Add the zucchini and onion, then brown the veggies over medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the veggies are browning, rinse and drain the chickpeas.
- After browning the zucchini, stir the chickpeas, garlic, and seasonings into the pan. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for five more minutes, or until zucchini is nicely softened, stirring occasionally.
- While the veggies are cooking, peel and devein the shrimp (if not using pre-peeled). Shred the cheddar (if not using pre-shredded).
- Once the zucchini is softened and nicely browned, remove the veggies temporarily to a separate bowl.
Now, let’s saute the shrimp
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the same skillet you used for the veggies, and reduce the heat under the pan to medium.
- Add your thawed & peeled shrimp to the skillet, and cook over medium heat for about two minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, butter, and seasonings, then flip the shrimp and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through. They should be turning pink, and white all the way through the center.
Mix it all together… then add cheese!
- Stir the zucchini and chickpeas back into the pan, then stir in the cheddar cheese until just melted.
- When serving: Add a little optional fresh-chopped parsley for garnish, if desired.
Notes
Recipes in the real world
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