Sweet Potato Noodles with Shrimp and Cilantro Pesto
by Katie Webster
March 29, 2016 (updated 5/1/23) Jump To Recipe
This recipe for gluten-free sweet potato noodles topped with shrimp, cilantro pesto and peas is a clean eating weeknight meal ready in under 45 minutes!
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Sweet Potato Noodles with Shrimp and Cilantro Pesto
My favorite thing recently has been to make sweet potato noodles with a spiralizer. The noodles are tossed with cilantro pesto and topped with shrimp, peas and more cilantro pesto. The combination is so crazy flavorful and delicious. My daughters and I chowed down on this combo. They gave it two thumbs up and told me it was okay if I wanted to tag this recipe “kid friendly.”
They cook up in a little oil, just until they are tender, not falling apart. They are a healthy whole-food (and gluten-free alternative) to wheat or grain noodles when making gluten-free recipes and are so satisfying. Speaking of healthy pasta-alternatives, you could also cook spaghetti squash in the microwave for a quick and healthy “spaghetti”!
Recipe Highlights
- The whole pesto spiralized sweet potatoes dinner is completely gluten-free!
- You can make the pesto in advance.
- The sweet potatoes could also be spiralized up to 2 days in advance (or longer if freezing!)
More Spiralized Veggie Recipes
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
- Cilantro: Whole fresh cilantro is necessary for the cilantro pesto.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Pepitas: These are essentially just green pumpkin seeds.
- Parmesan
- Shrimp: You’ll need about 1 pound of thawed, peeled and deveined shrimp. I like getting wild-caught when I can!
- Sweet peas: Frozen sweet peas are fine here.
- Sweet potatoes: You’ll need 1-1/2 pounds of peeled sweet potatoes that have been cut into noodles with a 3-mm spiralizer blade.
- Seasonings: Lime, garlic, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make This Sweet Potato Noodles with Shrimp
Step 1: Make cilantro pesto
With the motor running in the food processor, drop garlic through the feed tube and allow to process until minced. Open the lid and add cilantro. Cover and turn the processor on. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil through the feed tube and allow to process until the mixture becomes paste-like, scraping sides as necessary. Add pepitas, Parmesan and ¼ teaspoon salt and process again, scraping sides as necessary, until smooth and pesto-like. Set aside.
Step 2: Cook shrimp
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add shrimp and cook, turning once until bright pink and cooked through. Add peas and pepper and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often until the peas are just heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in ½ of the pesto. Cover to keep warm.
Step 3: Cook sweet potato noodles
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a large straight-sided skillet or wide Dutch oven. Add sweet potato noodles, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, gently stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons of water to prevent it from over-browning as it cooks. Cook until wilted and al-dente, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the remaining cilantro pesto and gently stir to combine. Divide noodles among four bowls. Spoon the shrimp mixture over the noodles, dividing evenly. Serve the shrimp and sweet potato noodles with lime wedges.
FAQs and Expert Tips
This is a wonderful make-ahead recipe! You can spiralize the sweet potatoes in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. If refrigerating, store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Alternatively, they’ll last up to 3 months in the freezer (thaw at room temperature on a paper-towel lined plate to use).
Pesto can be made up to 1 day in advance. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
Store the cooked dish in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You might want to keep the sweet potato spirals and pesto separate so they don’t get too soggy.
Reheat in the microwave until just warm, 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, reheat in an oiled skillet over medium-high until just warm, 3 to 5 minutes.
You could definitely try this recipe using spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles instead. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you could make my basil pesto to serve with it instead.
More Dinner Recipes To Make This Month
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Print
Sweet Potato Noodles with Shrimp and Cilantro Pesto
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings: 3 cups noodles, 3 cups shrimp mixture 1x
Description
Grain free noodles made from spiralized sweet potatoes, cooked until just tender, tossed with cilantro pesto and then topped with shrimp and peas. This makes a healthy gluten-free weeknight meal in under 45 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 large clove garlic
- 2 loosley packed cups cilantro leaves and stems, washed and spun dry
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 pound thawed, peeled and deveined large shrimp (26–35 ct.)
- 1 10-ounce bag frozen sweet peas, thawed
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into noodles with a spiralizer with 3 mm blade
- Fresh lime wedges
Instructions
- With motor running in food processor, drop garlic through the feed tube and allow to process until minced. Open lid and add cilantro. Cover and turn processor on. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil through feed tube and allow to process until the mixture becomes paste like, scraping sides as necessary. Add pepitas, Parmesan and ¼ teaspoon salt and process again, scraping sides as necessary, until smooth and pesto-like. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add shrimp and cook, turning once until bright pink and cooked through. Add peas and pepper and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often until the peas are just heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in ½ of the pesto. Cover to keep warm.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a large straight sided skillet or wide Dutch oven. Add sweet potato noodles, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, gently stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons water to prevent from over browning as it cooks. Cook until wilted and al-dente, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the remaining cilantro pesto and gently stir to combine. Divide noodles among four bowls. Spoon the shrimp mixture over the noodles, dividing evenly and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
To Make Ahead: Pesto can be made up to 1 day in advance. Store in a sealed container in refrigerater. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 495
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 836 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 33 g
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
Definitely the 3 blade Paderno! This is gorgeous – pinned 🙂
I’m so glad I gave it another shot. Thank you for pinning Anne.
I also bought the (as Liz calls it) lame hand-held and nearly cut off a finger trying to use it. The real deal has been on my wishlist ever since, although now that KitchenAid came out with a spiralizer attachment I may just get that one!
Ha ha. The hand held ones are no good at all. Now we know. Thanks for coming by today Jessica.
Love how easy this is! Perfect for a quick weeknight meal. I am also obsessed with my spiralizer!
I have a ton of root veggies from my CSA, I’m thinking they may get spiralized later this week. I am glad I am not the only one obsessed. Ha ha. Thanks for visiting Rachel.
Yup, bought the lame hand-held spiralizer and thought it was a waste. Then, an intern bought us the Paderno one and it really does make a huge difference. Liz has it at her house so I’ll have to get it back to make this!
Lame indeed. Ha ha. Glad your intern did that. I love having one now. You will have to borrow it back some time for this recipe. Have a great day Janice.