Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry with Lemon and Garlic
Posted: 06/11/2021
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A light lemon and garlic sauce really enhances this shrimp and vegetable stir fry, along with crisp asparagus, zucchini, and red bell pepper. You’ll have it made in under 30 minutes!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Healthy and easy to make, this is the perfect weeknight dinner!
How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: Large skillet or wok, sharp knife, cutting board, measuring utensils
Servings: 4
Table of Contents
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Tender pink shrimp, bright green asparagus and zucchini, crimson bell pepper, snowy white rice — doesn’t that just make your mouth water? With a hint of lemon and garlic, this lightly seasoned stir fry is perfect for warmer months.
Don’t you love a good stir fry? Ready in minutes, with crisp vegetables and a zesty sauce, it always hits the spot. We often make this chicken stir fry with ginger and basil, or this easy beef and vegetable stir fry. Another favorite with my family is sweet and sour chicken stir fry.
At less than five hundred calories per serving (including the rice!), you can really feel good about eating this entree. We all know that vegetables are good for you, and most of us don’t eat nearly enough of them every day. Shrimp is a good source of protein and contains zinc and antioxidants that your body needs. See this article by Healthline to learn more .
About this recipe
There are three parts to this recipe:
- Fluffy cooked rice
- Meat and veggies
- Sauce
Cooking Rice
You’ll want to get the rice on first because steamed rice needs twenty to twenty-five minutes to cook which is a lot less time than the stir fry needs. We usually make Instant Pot white rice. It’s a fool-proof and hands-off cooking method.
As always, look for the printable recipe at the end of this post with complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.
What you’ll need
- Shrimp: Frozen or fresh, you’ll need one pound of raw peeled and deveined shrimp, with tails off. Shrimp is a healthy protein that is low in calories.
- Easy Sauce: With just chicken broth and lemon juice, the sauce is simple, letting the shrimp and vegetables shine. A bit of cornstarch is added to thicken the sauce.
- Lots of Good-For-You Vegetables: Stir fries are a fantastic way to eat lots of veggies. This stir fry boasts asparagus, zucchini, red bell pepper, and onion. Feel free to exchange other vegetables that you may like better.
- Flavor: Lemon zest and garlic, salt and pepper, and fresh parsley are light and bright, perfectly enhancing the shrimp.
- Rice
How to make it
One of the most important things to do for a successful stir fry is have everything ready before you get cooking. Once the pan is hot, things move really quickly and you won’t have time to stir up the sauce or chop veggies.
Hopefully you have the rice cooking already. Get out your wok or a nice big skillet. Chop the veggies, season the shrimp with salt and pepper, and stir up the sauce.
Ready? Here we go:
Heat your pan and add a bit of oil. Throw the shrimp in and watch them sizzle. Are they turning pink and curling up? Flip them over, and when they’re done, take them out of the pan and put them on a plate. That should take less than five minutes.
We’re on a roll now. If your pan seems dry, add a little more oil. Is your pan still nice and hot? Good! Add the onion, bell pepper, asparagus, and zucchini, in that order. Give them a vigorous stir, and throw in the garlic and lemon zest. Stir, stir, stir. Season with a little salt and pepper.
If you’re timing things, your veggies should achieve crisp tender status in about five to six minutes.
Give your sauce a quick little whisk in case the cornstarch settled, and pour it into the pan. Stir and watch the sauce begin to thicken and coat the veggies. Is your stir fry smelling really good? I hope so!
Stir the shrimp back into the pan, with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Are you hungry? Because dinner is READY!
FAQs
Can you stir fry meat and vegetables together?
Usually, meat and vegetables are added to the pan separately. If you add everything all at once, the pan or wok cools off too quickly. Your stir fry steams instead of sizzles. Stir fry the meat, remove it from the pan, allowing the pan to reheat. Next, add veggies that take a bit longer to cook. Finish up with the veggies that cook quickly.
How do you make stir fry not mushy?
If your stir fry is mushy, two things could be happening. One: your pan isn’t hot enough so things are cooking too slowly. Two: you’re adding too much to the pan at once, causing the pan to lose too much heat. Slow heat steams and braises which is fine for simmering stews but not for your stir fry.
How do you make stir fry more flavorful?
While vegetables and meat have lots of flavor, the sauce is really what makes a stir fry shine. Some ingredients that are added to the sauce for flavor are: garlic, red pepper flakes, citrus juice and zest, fresh ginger, toasted sesame oil, fish sauce, oyster sauce, etc. There are so many choices that it would be impossible to list them all.
Do you have to boil vegetables before stir frying?
Definitely not! Vegetables that are stir fried retain their crispness, bright color, and flavor. Fast and hot, stirring constantly, is what constitutes a stir fry. Boiling would really defeat the purpose of a stir fry.
Do you put water in stir fry?
Once in a while, if I feel the veggies are just too crisp for my intended audience (i.e., my kids), I’ll add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan and cover it briefly so the veggies steam and soften. Not really the way it’s supposed to be done but it’s your dinner, and guess what, no one is judging you.
Make It your own
- Replace the suggested vegetables with broccoli, pea pods, mushrooms, carrots, celery, green bell peppers, etc.
- Only have frozen vegetables? Stir fries can successfully be made with frozen vegetables. Don’t thaw the vegetables and make sure your wok or skillet is very hot before adding them.
- For a vegetarian/vegan dish, omit shrimp and substitute crispy air fryer tofu or baked tofu. Stir it in just before serving. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth in the sauce.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to add a little zing.
- Try this stir fry with noodles, or zoodles (zucchini noodles), for a fun twist, instead of steamed rice.
- Looking for a heartier sauce? Try shrimp and broccoli stir fry. It has a soy based brown sauce that is sweet and tangy, somewhat similar to teriyaki.
Make-Ahead Ideas
While cooking stir fries is fast, prepping the vegetables can take a bit of time. The good news is that you can wash, trim, and cut the veggies up to a day ahead. Store them in a zip top bag or tightly wrapped bowl.
In addition, if you remember to put the bag of frozen shrimp in the fridge the night before, they’ll pretty much be ready to use when it comes to dinner time. Give them a quick rinse, pat them dry, season with salt and pepper, and you’re good to go.
Storage & Reheating Tips
This dinner is best eaten immediately but leftovers aren’t bad either. Store them in the fridge for up to two days, and heat in a skillet briefly to rewarm. If you’re in a hurry, reheat in the microwave on medium power for 1-2 minutes or until warmed through.
Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan (#2). You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week!
We’ll be adding a new meal plan weekly. If you’re interested, browse all of our meal plans.
More shrimp recipes
Shrimp is perfect for last minute meal preparation. Don’t have any meat thawed? Frozen shrimp is ready to use in just minutes. Try:
- Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Pineapple with a yummy teriyaki marinade.
- Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- Pasta with Shrimp, Brussels Sprouts, & Wine Sauce
- Lemon Pepper Shrimp – super easy recipe!
- Shrimp Salad with Mango and Avocado
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Shrimp Tacos with Avocado, Mango and Pineapple Salsa
- Grilled Shrimp Salad with Garlic Parmesan Italian Vinaigrette
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
A light lemon and garlic sauce really enhances this shrimp and vegetable stir fry, along with crisp asparagus, zucchini, and red bell pepper.
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp, (20-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup diced onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 zucchini (8 oz.), cut into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Steamed rice and lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- In a small bowl, whisk broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch until smooth and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, and cook for 1-2 minutes per side or until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
- If needed, add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add onion, bell pepper, asparagus, zucchini, lemon zest, garlic, and season with remaining salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, 5-6 minutes.
- Whisk chicken broth mixture one more time, and add to vegetables. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add shrimp and parsley, stir to combine, and remove from the heat.
- Serve with steamed rice and lemon wedges.
Notes
- If you like a little heat, add ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes to sauce, or to taste.
- Nutrition information is based on 1 cup steamed rice per serving.
- Different vegetables can be substituted, depending on what you like or happen to have.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 143mg, Sodium: 956mg, Potassium: 643mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 2262IU, Vitamin C: 60mg, Calcium: 114mg, Iron: 3mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Donna says
Haven’t made any recipes yet but everything looks delicious. Would like to get more recipes .aaThanks Donna
Rachel Gurk says
Plenty to choose from! Happy cooking!
denise says
I’m ready to dig in!
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you love it!
Reichel Wellswim says
This was EXTREMELY GOOD!!!!!!!!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Sabrina says
great stir fry, thank you, love all these vegetables with shrimp with the simple chicken broth lemon juice sauce! thank you
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks so much! I’m glad you liked it!