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Garlic Parmesan Cream Shrimp over Roasted Squash packs a delicious flavor punch. Creamy garlic Parmesan sauce and perfectly cooked shrimp, served over deliciously roasted squash. It’s what foodie dreams are made of. This shrimp stuffed squash will be your new favorite dinner!
I’m a big fan of shrimp recipes. If you are too, you’ll want to be sure that my Shrimp and Mexican Street Corn Bowl and Shrimp Tomato Soup recipes are in your recipe box along with all my Seafood Recipes.
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Fall dinner inspiration
This dinner reminds me of my Thai Basil Shrimp that I served over baked sweet potatoes.
Maybe this Garlic Parmesan Shrimp is more of a fall dish because I served it over the roasted squash.
In fact, the squash was the whole reason for this dish.
I have so many squashes around my house right now. I bought them all for decorations. And, then, I’ve been given some more from some friends.
So, I decided that I needed to roast up some of the edible ones.
Roasted squash has always been a favorite of mine. Ever since I was a kid, and my mom would make squash bean boats for dinner.
She would take roasted acorn squash halves and fill them with a little butter and brown sugar, then she’d fill the rest of the “boat” with beanies and weenies. Oh it was a favorite of mine!
What’s the best way to cut and clean the squash?
Typically I use my trusty kitchen knife for everything.
This fall I’ve been experimenting with those little plastic Halloween jack-o-lantern cutter knives (affiliate link).
No, seriously, hear me out. They’re awesome! They cut the flesh of the pumpkin with ease.
You really don’t have to worry about making a wrong move and cutting your arm off. And, they are cheap!
I’d be willing to bet you have some already somewhere in your kitchen or in your Halloween stash. Grab one and give it a try.
It doesn’t even have to be an expensive kit, just the cheapy ones from the grocery store work great.
Place the squash on a cutting board. Cut the squash in half from stem to tip, starting on one side of the stem and cut straight through until the knife stops hitting resistance and you’ve cut through to the hollow middle.
Continue cutting around the squash, through the tip, ending up on the other side of the stem.
Do not try to cut through the stem.
Put down the knife and hold the squash in both hands. Pull the two halves away from each other, cracking the shell at the stem.
The stem will stay with one half and leave the other half clean. Cut the stem out using the knife.
To scoop out the seeds and stringy goop from the center of the squash with a simple dinner spoon. Again, you don’t need any fancy tools for this step.
What’s the best way to roast the squash?
My favorite way to roast squash is now the air fryer! I love it. It makes quick work of the hard winter squash.
If you don’t have an air fryer, the oven is my second choice.
And don’t forget to save the seeds. Roasted Squash Seeds are a delicious and healthy snack!
Oven Roasting
I have two methods for oven roasting the squash.
One is cut and then roasted, while the other is roasted, cut and roasted again.
Cut, then roast
This is a straightforward way to roast your squash. Simple and classic.
Place the squash wedges cut-side up, like bowls, in a roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet.
Drizzle with a little olive oil, and use your hands to rub it all over the cut surface and inside the squash. Place a small pat of butter (if desired), about ½ tablespoon, in the center of the squash cups.
My mom used to put a spoonful of brown sugar in the cup too.
Roast in a 375° F oven until the squash is caramelized and browned around the edges, about 45 to 60 minutes. You should be able to easily poke a fork through the flesh.
Roast, then cut
This method makes it really easy to cut the squash.
If you have any conditions in your hands like arthritis or carpel tunnel, this method will help you out.
Preheat the oven to 400° F, and place the acorn squash directly in the oven, whole.
Bake the squash for 20 minutes or until soft enough to cut in half with little effort.
Carefully remove the squash from the oven, and cut the squash in half or into large wedges, and scoop out the seeds and fibers.
Place the squash pieces in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet.
Brush cut sides of squash with oil, and place a small pat of butter (if desired), about ½ tablespoon, in the center of the squash cups. Continue to bake for 20 more minutes.
Air fryer roast the squash
This is my new favorite method for roasting a squash and it comes from the wonderful blog Foodtastic Mom. Make sure you hop over to her blog for the printable recipe card.
The flesh of the squash browns really nicely, and the squash meat is soft and tender.
Cut an acorn squash cut in half, or use two large wedges of a larger squash.
Scoop out the seeds and stringy goop from the inside of the squash.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the cut flesh of the squash, and rub it all over with your hands.
Preheat the air fryer to 325° F.
Place the two squash pieces cut side down into the basket of the air fryer, and cook at 325° F for 20 minutes.
Turn the squash over and place a small pat of butter (if desired), about ½ tablespoon, in the center of the squash cups.
Air fryer at 400° F for an additional 10 – 15 minutes, or until the cut surface is browned and the inside of the squash is fork tender.
How to prep shrimp
Simply defrost frozen, peeled, & deveined shrimp and remove the shell from the tail.
I like to buy the extra jumbo shrimp 16/20 count per pound. They’re nice big shrimp.
To defrost the shrimp, place them in a medium bowl and cover with cool tap water. Change the water out for fresh tap water a couple of times, and in about 5 minutes they’ll be defrosted.
Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel.
At this point, the tail shell is easily removable. It’s your choice if you want to leave the tails on or remove them before cooking.
As you can see in the photos, I removed the tails. I find it easier to eat them if they are breaded and cooked without the tails.
But, if you’re going for a really pretty presentation, like for appetizers at a party, feel free to leave the tails on.
What is whipping cream?
The ingredients in this cream sauce call for whipping cream.
“What is that?”, you may ask.
Most well-stocked grocery stores will carry whipping cream, also sometimes called simply “cream”, in a carton in the dairy section of the store, and it’s probably right next to the heavy whipping cream.
Whipping cream is a liquid, much like milk or cream that you pour out of a carton.
It is not whipped cream that you squirt out of a can.
If your store doesn’t carry whipping cream, you may use heavy whipping cream. Please do not use whipped cream out of a can in this recipe.
The difference between whipping cream and heavy whipping cream is the fat content.
Whipping cream, or light whipping cream, is lighter in fat and flavor than heavy cream, and contains 30% to 35% milk fat.
Heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream, must contain at least 36% or more milk fat. Whipping cream, when used in this recipe, will not be a heavy as heavy whipping cream, and will produce a nicer sauce. This is the recipe that you’ll also find in my Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce recipe.
If you find yourself with leftover cream, here are some ideas of What to do with leftover cream.
Variations
This shrimp recipe is so good! And, you could do some different things with it.
Any hard winter squash would be delicious here. I used acorn squash, but you could use butternut squash for a butternut squash and shrimp dish. I also have instructions for Air Fryer Butternut Squash.
Or try spaghetti squash for a low carb pasta version.
You could cut the squash into cubes and serve the cubed squash and shrimp over pasta for a fun noodle dinner. I think linguini and egg noodles would be great options for this!
Add in some more vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, or red bell pepper.
You may like a squeeze of lemon over the top of this dish when it’s done, so be sure to serve it with some lemon wedges.
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via the pin.
Garlic Parmesan Cream Shrimp over Roasted Squash Recipe
Garlic Parmesan Cream Shrimp over Roasted Squash
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 1 pound frozen shrimp defrosted
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 1 large clove garlic pressed
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan
- Roasted squash wedges or halves of acorn squash
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Once the pan is hot, sear the shrimp 1 to 2 minutes each side, until just pink. Shrimp may need to be cooked in two batches so that they don’t crowd the pan. Remove the shrimp from the skillet to a clean plate, and set aside.1 pound frozen shrimp
- To the same hot skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and once hot, add the chopped onion. Cook until starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the pressed garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the vegetable broth to the cooked onion, and cook about 5 minutes, reducing the broth by about half.2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ yellow onion, 1 large clove garlic, ½ cup vegetable broth
- Add the cream, chopped rosemary, and thyme, stir to combine, and cook for 5 minutes, or until cream thickens slightly. Add shredded Parmesan and stir in.1 ½ cups whipping cream, ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, ½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, 1 cup shredded Parmesan
- Add shrimp back to cream sauce, and stir to combine.
- Serve shrimp in garlic Parmesan cream sauce over roasted squash wedges.Roasted squash wedges or halves of acorn squash
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Deb Clark
I appreciate all of the information you’ve included, thank you! I’d never used my air fryer to roast squash – that’s a great time saver and it was a wonderful method to cook squash. Loved the recipe and combination!!
Michaela Kenkel
I saw this recipe on facebook, and I knew I had to try it! What a gorgeous presentation — my family said it was a “fancy dinner” – but I was just tickled at how delicious it was!
Michelle
I’ve been thinking about this recipe since I saw it on Facebook! So glad it caught my eye…it’s delicious! Will definitely be making it again!
Nikki
We made this over the weekend and it was delicious! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
jennifer stewart
I love shrimp scampi and would love to eat it all the time but need to give up the pasta. I love the idea of shrimp and a delicious cream sauce but served over squash! This is genius!
Julie
We absolutely loved this recipe! I’d never made squash in the air fryer until now and boy is it a life changer! The Shrimp is creamy and delicious and a wonderful contrast to the squash!
Jennifer Stewart
OMG I never knew how easy acorn squash was to make in the air fryer but I am not making it any other way from now on. Another bonus is how the creamy soft squash just melted into the cheese sauce and made it even better! We loved this recipe. So good!
Debra Corliss
We love this meal! The creamy shrimp is perfect with the squash. This has become one of our favorite fall meals – 5 stars!!
MICHAELA KENKEL
My husband LOVES squash – I made this for his birthday dinner and it was SO AMAZING!! I only chose 5 stars because 50 wasn’t an option! LOVE this recipe!
susan | the wimpy vegetarian
I must tell you, I’ve made this recipe now 4 times and my husband and I both LOVE it. I spoon it over delicata squash for a filling, delicious dinner. Thanks for a great recipe!
Melissa
This is unbelievable. I made it upon accident as I googled acorn squash and shrimp. This recipe is a keeper WOW!
Melissa
This recipe is so good!! I cooked the squash in the Airfryer and what a time saver that is!! I’ll definitely be making this again!