Hello, hello, welcome to the start of a new week! How was your weekend?
Unfortunately the little man caught a horrible cold late last week, so we stuck around the house nursing him back to health (and binge-watching Veep during nap time. Oh my gosh – Seinfeld meets Park and Rec – so. hilarious!) I was able to dash out for coffee with a friend on Saturday, followed by dinner with a few MOPS Mamas that night. We met at a Lebanese restaurant that I’ve been wanting to eat at for years, and I now want to exist on a diet made up solely of chicken shawarma and basmati rice. That is to say, we’ll be back, especially because I didn’t try the stuffed grape leaves. WHY DID I TURN DOWN THE STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES?!
Probably because I was still full from recipe testing Shrimp and Wild Rice Skillet earlier that afternoon – aka what you need make for dinner TONIGHT!
The inspiration for this recipe actually came from another restaurant Ben and I visited over the holidays – Club Car. They’ve been around for over two decades, but I hadn’t been since my sophomore year of high school when my girlfriends and I ate there prior to our school’s Valentine’s Day dance. None of us had dates so we gussied ourselves up, put on matching t-shirts from The Limited Too, then had our parents drop us off at the Club Car for dinner where an hour later we were supposed to be picked up by a limo then driven to the dance in all our girl power glory! Two hours later we started the long walk home with sagging curls and egos because our limo never showed up, then proceeded to eat our feelings by way of banana cream pies and buttered popcorn while watching the Spice Girls Movie on repeat.
Good times (and thank God for even better girlfriends!)
Anyway, Ben and I recently heard that Club Car is Celiac-friendly and were eager to add another safe restaurant to our short list, so we suggested the whole family go for dinner when his brothers and parents were in town over New Years. I’d peeked at the online menu before we left and knew they had gluten-free pizza, which is what I ordered and inhaled at record speed.
The meal was so good that we returned for lunch a week later and I ordered their Shrimp Charleston – sauteed shrimp served over a bed of rice tossed with green onions, bacon, tomatoes, and garlic butter. It was just Heavenly, and I was eager to recreate the flavors at home with a healthy boost!
I chose a brown rice blend as the base of my Shrimp and Wild Rice Skillet then added nutrient-rich vegetables including baby spinach and chopped tomatoes, big flavors from garlic and bacon, and staying power from sauteed shrimp. This dish is one of the most flavorful I’ve eaten in ages, and the active cooking time is like, less than 15 minutes. Super, super easy. I also love that this skillet dish is a complete meal in one – healthy whole grains and vegetables, filling protein…and of course, a little bit of bacon. :)
Start by cooking 1 cup wild rice blend in 1-3/4 cups chicken broth. You could do this one or even two days ahead of time, or get it going on the stove while you prep the rest of the ingredients, which is what I did.
While the rice is cooking, add 1lb 16/20 count jumbo shrimp to 2 Tablespoons each brown sugar and salt stirred into 4 cups cold water then refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. This quick brining step will make the shrimp extra snappy and delicious once sauteed. I don’t always brine my shrimp, but it really makes a big difference in taste and texture when I do.
After the quick brine, drain then rinse the shrimp, and then pat them very dry with paper towels.
Ok – skillet time! Heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add half the shrimp, season with seasoned salt and pepper, and then saute until the shrimp are cooked through, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp to a plate then repeat with another Tablespoon oil and the remaining shrimp.
Turn the heat down to medium then melt 2 Tablespoons butter (you could use Earth Balance Vegan Butter, or ghee, which is what I used!) in the skillet. Add 2 chopped green onions then saute until tender, 1-2 minutes, and then add 2 minced garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds.
Next add 1 chopped vine-ripened tomato and 4 cups baby spinach that’s been roughly chopped. Season with more seasoned salt and pepper then saute for about a minute, just until the spinach is slightly wilted.
Finally add the cooked wild rice, 3 strips chopped bacon (which I cooked in the microwave to keep things easy!) and 1/4 cup chicken broth, and then simmer until the broth has been nearly absorbed by the rice. This makes the dish nice and creamy, without having to add cream!
Last step is to drizzle in a little lemon juice which makes every flavor pop (trust me, don’t leave it out!) then scoop onto plates and top with the sauteed shrimp. Just like that, a delicious, restaurant-worthy dinner is served. Enjoy, enjoy!
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Shrimp and Wild Rice Skillet
Description
Shrimp and Wild Rice Skillet is healthy and hearty. A craveable gluten-free dinner recipe!
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1 cup wild-brown rice blend (I like Lundberg Farms)
- 4 cups cold water
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons salt
- 1lb 16/20 count jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- seasoned salt and pepper (see notes for seasoned salt recipe)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter or ghee
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 vine-ripened tomato, seeded then chopped
- 4 cups loosely packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 1/2 lemon
Directions
- Bring 1-1/2 cups chicken broth and rice to a boil in a saucepan then place a lid on top, turn heat down to low, and then simmer until rice is tender, 45-50 minutes.
- Add cold water, salt, and brown sugar to a large bowl then stir to combine. Add shrimp then let sit in brine while rice cooks. When rice has 10 minutes left, drain then rinse shrimp, and then pat very dry with paper towels.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shrimp, season with seasoning salt and pepper, and then saute until cooked through, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove shrimp to a plate then saute remaining shrimp in remaining 1 Tablespoon oil, and then remove to plate.
- Turn heat down to medium then melt butter in skillet. Add green onions then saute until tender, 1-2 minutes. Add garlic then saute for 30 more seconds. Add tomato and spinach, season with seasoned salt and pepper, and then saute until spinach has barely wilted, 1 minute. Add cooked bacon, rice, and remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth to the skillet then simmer until chicken broth has thickened, 2-3 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over the top, season with more seasoned salt and pepper, and then toss to combine. Serve with cooked shrimp.
Notes
- Click here for homemade seasoned salt recipe >
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
This is a good dish… I got turned on to Lundberg’s wild rice blend about a year ago and it’s just the best! I do have a couple suggestions to the recipe. Firstly, not so much salt. That really is a lot. Secondly, rather than chicken broth, use vegetable broth. The chicken flavoring ruins it for me. I find that vegetable broth is a better complement to the flavor. And finally, as an option, try adding some cream of mushroom soup. I skipped the tomatoes for personal preference, so the mushrooms from the soup made for a good substitute in adding some texture to the meal and the soup made it super creamy.
Sounds delicious, John! I’m so glad you were able to make this recipe your own!
Hey!! Could I marinade the shrimp? If so what would you suggest??
Thank you!
I would recommend brining them – it truly gives them a TON of extra flavor!! Here’s the recipe: https://iowagirleats.com/shrimp-and-wild-rice-skillet/
Fantastic. Very good
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Nicole! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was delicious! My kids aren’t a big shrimp fan so I browned some smoked sausage for them — we might just add both next time! Thanks for sharing!!
Love that idea!! So glad it was a hit with the whole family!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe idea!
I hope you love it, Jenifer!
I love this recipe idea! Thanks or sharing this wonderful recipe! I will surely this in weekend!
I hope it’s a hit, Linda!
This recipe is way too salty. The bacon is enough added salt so just add the cracked pepper.
Otherwise it is a good dish.
Hello! Thank you for this recipe!! I made it this evening and it was indeed a hit…my mom went back for seconds!
Fabulous!! So glad it was a hit!
Super tasty! I’ve made this recipe a few times now and my whole family loves it.
So delish. I did changed a few things bc I didn’t have everything but this was AMAZING.I just used regular onions, added jalapeno when cooking onions n instead of chicken broth at the end I added unsweet coconut milk. This did not disappoint, will def b making this weekly YUMM
Love the creamy spin on this, Mel! So glad you enjoyed it – thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Super tasty! My husband and I both really liked it!
Thrilled to hear it, Melissa! Thanks for your review and recipe rating! :)
We made this tonight. We’ve been on an Iowa Girl Eats kick lately! This was marvelous. So much flavor. Will add this to our regular recipe rotations.
Thrilled to hear it, Erin! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
I winged some things because of what I had on hand. Amazing! I used vegetable stock, cilantro, heirloom tomato, an entire lemon plus zest. No scallions or spinach. I’m confident I could audition with this recipe! Thank you so much Kristin!
thats look very delicious i ll gonaa try today. thank you for providing recieps.
Howdy Kristin,This looks so delicious. Gonna try them for my kids. They are shrimp lovers.
Yummy! Thanks for these tasty recipe.
We LOVED this dish! I didn’t have Spinach but I did have frozen peas and used them instead, which was just as delicious. Thank You!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I don’t have access to your favorite wild rice blend, but did have Royal Select rice blend (basmati, brown, wild and Thai red) and it worked wonderfully. The brining of the shrimp added an slightly sweet flavor layer (to already sweet shrimp) and the combo of veggies – tomato and spinach – was really perfect. This doesn’t taste like anything I’ve ever made before, which was great fun. There are just two of us and this was a perfect, one-dish dinner for us. My DH asked where I found the recipe and I said, “Guess.” He laughed and said, “Must have been Iowa Girl.” This one is definitely a keeper!
Love it, Anne!! So glad you both enjoyed. I haven’t made this dish in awhile – need to make that happen again ASAP!
Great recipe, tasty and easy to make. I used only wild rice, not a blend.
So glad to hear it, Marcy! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Looks delicious, & your photos are fantastic!