Breaded Shrimp Meal Prep

Love breaded shrimp, but hate all the added refined flour and fat? This healthy breaded shrimp is super easy to make — and it’s done without frying or using breadcrumbs!  PLUS they’re gluten-free, paleo, keto, clean eating, and made in a sheet pan! Check out how to bread shrimp and what to serve with it in this healthy meal prep recipe!

Even though this recipe is one we eat as a family quite often, I hadn’t shared it on the blog for years because it really feels like a cheater recipe. It’s one of my super duper easy dinners that I don’t really think of as a “recipe.”

But it’s so good and so quick and so easy that it really should be shared.

Because I love to share such things with you.  Plus, it works great for meal prep!

Since I usually have extra tomato sauce stored in the fridge and I also buy fresh shrimp at the store and freeze it, all I need is to make sure I have a box of brown rice pasta and some almond meal in the pantry.  These are usually a regular for me.

Can you see how easily this meal is coming together?

How To Make Breaded Shrimp

I’ve listed out the steps for making breaded shrimp at home (and healthy, even!).  I think you’ll be shocked at how super easy it is and that it just requires a few simple steps.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond meal, parmesan cheese, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano.  Stir to combine. This is the healthy breading.
2. Rinse and pat dry the shrimp. 
3. In small handfuls, dredge the shrimp in the almond meal mixture until coated.
4. Transfer the breaded shrimp onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet, separating the breaded shrimp by a tiny bit. 
5. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over the top of the shrimp.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the shrimp is no longer translucent and is pink.  Turn the broiler to high and broil for 1-2 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

And now you have crunchy, savory, delightful breaded shrimp that is made using all whole ingredients and coated in a high fiber, high protein, high healthy fat coating that you that you can feel good about.

Is Breaded Shrimp Healthy?

Regular breaded shrimp is typically made with refined breadcrumbs and then deep fried in processed oil.  That turns relatively low calorie, healthy shrimp into little pods of refined fats and carbs.  No, thank you.

So, instead, to make healthy breaded shrimp, we use the following strategies:

• make a coating using almond meal and a few simple ingredients (all whole, real ingredients!)
• bake the shrimp rather than deep fry
• keep salt to a minimum

What Shrimp Is Best For Breaded Shrimp?

For the shrimp, look for large or jumbo size shrimp for breading.  It’s okay if they’re frozen – you don’t need to pay extra for them to be fresh – most shrimp is frozen anyways when it arrives at the grocery store anyways.  I choose peeled and deveined shrimp because it saves a ton of time in prepping, but it does cost a couple dollars more per pound. 

Make sure to rinse the shrimp well and then and then pat it dry – the coating will stick better if the shrimp is patted dry and it will make you more efficient when breading because it wont get clumpy.

Can You Eat Pasta On A Clean-Eating Diet?

YES!  But you have to know what type of pasta to look for because not all pasta noodles are created equal.  For the noodles, there are TONS of unrefined options out there nowadays.  Look for pasta noodles that only contain one ingredient, like chickpeas, brown rice flour, or quinoa.  

Here are clean-eating pasta options to try:

• quinoa noodles
• zucchini noodles
• spaghetti squash noodles
• quinoa noodles
• brown rice noodles
• whole wheat pasta
• buckwheat noodles
• spelt pasta
• lentil pasta

I personally love the Jovial brand because they taste just like regular ol’ spaghetti noodles and hold up great during the week for meal prep.  You could always replace the noodles with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash noodles for a lower carb option if you’re really trying to cut carbs and/or calories, and care about your pasta being gluten-free.  Whatever you choose, just be sure to check the ingredients and ensure they are very minimal.

How To Meal Prep Breaded Shrimp

This breaded shrimp is ready straight from the oven and can be served right away of stored for later in meal prep containers for up to 5 days.  To store for later, just divide the noodles evenly into meal prep containers, then top generously with some tomato sauce (approximately 1/4 cup per serving).  You can make your own like I have in my roasted tomato sauce video or you can buy pre-made sauce – just look for a marinara sauce that contains just a few ingredients and those ingredients are just olive oil, tomatoes, and some spices, and does not include any sugar.  I really like Whole Foods 365 marinara sauce for when I’m not making my own sauce.

Can I Store Breaded Shrimp For Cooking Later?

If you wanted to save the un-cooked, breaded shrimp in the fridge to be cooked later, you totally can!  Just prep to the point right before baking, and then refrigerate for up to 8-10 hours before cooking.  This would allow you to make it ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven right before serving.  

Can I Freeze Frozen Shrimp?

If you wanted to freeze this breaded shrimp for later, just allow to cool, and then place the entire pan into the freezer to allow the shrimp to freeze individually.  It’s best to cook the shrimp before freezing so the breading stays on well, but it’s not necessary.  Then, once they’re frozen, you can gather them all together and store together in a freezer safe container or re-usable storage bag.

There you have it: A total cheater easy weeknight dinner that can be used as meal prep for the week and no one would ever know is cheater.

It’ll be our little secret.

PS I’ve also made this meal with chicken which is really yummy as well. All you need to do is cook the breaded chicken just like the shrimp and then slice it to serve over the pasta.

Breaded Shrimp Meal Prep Recipe Video

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Breaded Shrimp Meal Prep

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

Love breaded shrimp, but hate all the added refined flour and fat? This healthy breaded shrimp is super easy to make — and it’s done without frying or using breadcrumbs!  PLUS they’re gluten-free, paleo, keto, clean eating, and made in a sheet pan! Check out how to bread shrimp and what to serve with it in this healthy meal prep recipe!

Categories: Easy Dinner, Meal Prep, pasta, Seafood

Difficulty: Easy

Keyword: breaded shrimp recipe, shrimp marinara

Servings: 6

Calories: 410 kcal

Author: Lacey Baier

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 lbs large shrimp deveined and peeled
• 2 lb brown rice spaghetti noodles (or fave single ingredient pasta)
• 4 cups tomato/marinara sauce Use canned or make your own with this easy tomato sauce recipe!
• chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450° F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Heat a large pot of water over high heat. On boiling, add the noodles and cook, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes, or until al dente. Remove from heat and strain the noodles, rinsing them off with old water to stop them from cooking. Toss with olive oil, and set aside while you cook the shrimp.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond meal, parmesan cheese, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Stir to combine.

4. Rinse and pat dry the shrimp. In small handfuls, dredge the shrimp in the almond meal mixture until coated.
5. Transfer the breaded shrimp onto the parchment lined baking sheet, separating the breaded shrimp by a tiny bit. Repeat with the remaining shrimp. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over the top of the shrimp.
6. Place in the oven and bake 8-10 minutes, or until the shrimp is no longer translucent and is pink. Turn the broiler to high and broil for 1-2 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

7. Divide the noodles evenly into meal prep containers, then top generously with the marinara sauce (approximately 1/4 cup per serving), and then top with 6-8 breaded shrimp per container. Garnish with additional shredded parmesan and parsley, if desired.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• Recipe time and nutritional information listed is for entire meal, not just breaded shrimp. 
• Meal can be stored in fridge for up to 4-6 days.
• Re-heat, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes, or until heated through.

 

Nutrition Facts

Breaded Shrimp Meal Prep

Amount Per Serving (1 meal)

Calories 410 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Cholesterol 385mg128%

Sodium 445mg19%

Potassium 235mg7%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 14g56%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 25g50%

Vitamin A 487IU10%

Vitamin C 18mg22%

Calcium 296mg30%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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