Easy Shrimp Carbonara Without Cream (Low Calorie)

Shrimp carbonara is a spin-off of the traditional carbonara recipe complete with chewy pasta noodles coated in a delicious cheesy sauce, paired with succulent shrimp. It's a great way to enjoy carbonara while hitting your macros.

Pair it with a spicy chipotle chicken pasta and a side of Japanese brussels sprouts for a well-rounded pasta dinner.

Jump to:

• 🍎 Calories and Nutrition
• 🍏 How to Make It Healthy – The Fitsian Method
• 📋 Ingredient Notes
• 🔪 Step by Step Instructions
• 💡Tips and Tricks
• 📖 Substitutions and Variations
• 💭 Frequently Asked Questions
• 🍽 What To Eat It With
• 🥡 Storage
• 🍳 Recipe

🍎 Calories and Nutrition

Shrimp carbonara has 385 calories with 35 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat, and 42 grams of carbs. It's a well-balanced dish with ample protein content from the shrimps, egg-based sauce, and cheese, as well as carbs from the pasta.

Carbonara is traditionally a dish on the heavier side, but with a few ingredient swaps and portion control, I was able to make it low-calorie and macro-friendly.

🍏 How to Make It Healthy – The Fitsian Method

Carbonara is traditionally a very heavy dish, laden with cream and fatty pork. Here's what I did to make it lower calories:

• Omitted usage of any cream. Traditional carbonara recipes only use egg and cheese. I used 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese for about 90 calories.
• I used shrimp instead of bacon. I seasoned the shrimp with Cajun seasoning to give it a similarly salty flavor that the bacon would usually contribute.
• Portioned exactly 1 serving of pasta. While pasta is essential to this dish, it can easily add up in calories. Portion control is key here.

For a detailed breakdown of each ingredients, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of the Butternut squash recipe, you may refer to the table below:

Cajun Shrimp Carbonara
Ingredient	Quantity	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Carbs (g)
Shrimp	5 oz	100	21.25	1.25	0
Garlic	1 clove	4.5	0.2	0	1
Italian Cheese	1 tbsp	20	2	1.5	0
Pasta	1 Serving	190	6	4	41
Egg	1 egg	70	6	5	0
Total		384.5	35.45	11.75	42

If you liked this recipe, check out the following:

• Cheating Cheat Meals collection
• Pasta Without Pounds collection
• Uni Carbonara Recipe
• Shrimp Scampi Recipe

📋 Ingredient Notes

Carbonara Sauce

• Egg
• Parmesan Cheese

Pasta and Shrimp

• Shrimp – Deshelled and seasoned with your favorite spice. I used cajun seasoning, as it gives a delicious briny flavor to the dish.
• Pici or pasta of choice – I used Pici because I liked the texture. You can also opt to use bucatini, spaghetti, or your pasta of choice.
• Garlic and Onion – Gives the carbonara a delicious flavor that pairs well with the shrimp
• Parsley – For garnish. Adds a kick of freshness to the dish
• Red Chili Flakes (Optional) – For a garnish that will add a kick

🔪 Step by Step Instructions

Cook the pasta – Start off by cooking pasta according to the package directions. Make sure to salt the water beforehand and do not forget to take out about ⅓ cup of pasta water!

Prepare the ingredients – De-shell the shrimp and season with cajun seasoning if desired. Mince the garlic and onions into small pieces.

Cook the shrimp – Spray the pan with cooking spray and add the shrimps in a single layer, cooking for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until opaque. Remove the shrimps from the pan and set them aside.

Make the carbonara sauce – In a bowl, mix together the egg and the cheese until everything is mixed through. Set aside.

Sauté the aromatics – Add more cooking spray if needed and sauté the garlic and onions for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden.

Make the pasta – Turn the heat to low and even remove the pan from the stove if needed to ensure the pan cools down. Slowly add in the carbonara sauce, along with the cooked noodles and stir together, mixing in pasta water as needed.

Garnish and serve – Remove from the pan, garnish with cheese, cilantro, and red pepper flakes, and enjoy your delicious shrimp carbonara.

💡Tips and Tricks

Don't forget to turn the heat to low – Make sure you turn your heat low before pouring the sauce into the dish, or the eggs will begin to curdle and solidify. Sometimes I even remove the pan from heat completely for more control over the texture of the sauce.

Remove shrimps to prevent overcooking – Put it on a plate and mix it into the carbonara after it is done cooking.

Don't forget the pasta water – It's essential for creating the optimal sauce texture!

📖 Substitutions and Variations

Add chicken – To bulk up on the protein, add some chicken along with the shrimp.

Add Vegetables, such as asparagus or mushrooms – Asparagus chopped up would also be delicious in this carbonara

Use other pasta shapes – Bucatini, fettuccine, and spaghetti would be great choices. Short pasta, such as rigatoni, would also work.

Use Pecorino Romano cheese instead of Parmesan – It is a harder to find cheese, but I've found that it has a delicious flavor when made in a carbonara.

💭 Frequently Asked Questions

🍽 What To Eat It With

This dish would go well with a delicious vegetable side, such as these Japanese style brussel sprouts, or some delicious raw fish as a crudo, such as the Korean soy-marinated salmon sashimi or one of the mouthwatering uni recipes.

🥡 Storage

While I recommend eating the dish fresh for the optimal pasta texture, carbonara will last up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

🍳 Recipe