One-Pan Garlic Shrimp in Tomato Sauce

Plump shrimp simmered in a garlicky, fresh-tomato sauce, ready in 15 minutes with a single skillet.

Some dinners try too hard. This one does not. It leans on five honest ingredients: ripe tomatoes, a generous fistful of garlic, sweet shrimp, fresh dill, and good olive oil, and lets them do exactly what they were born to do. The tomatoes break down into a loose, glossy sauce, the garlic perfumes everything, and the shrimp turn tender and pink in just a few minutes. There is no cream, no flour, and no long list of pantry odds and ends. Just a pan, a little heat, and about a quarter of an hour.

I keep this recipe in heavy rotation on the nights when I want something that tastes like I fussed over it, but I clearly did not. It happens to be naturally gluten-free, low-carb, and paleo-friendly, which makes it an easy yes for almost anyone at the table. Mop it up with bread, spoon it over rice, or pile it on zucchini noodles to keep things light. However you serve it, the part that disappears first is always the sauce.

Why you'll love this recipe

It is genuinely a 15-minute fast. Five minutes of chopping, ten minutes at the stove, and dinner is done.
One pan, minimal cleanup. Everything happens in a single skillet, so there is no pile of dishes waiting for you afterward.
Five simple ingredients. No specialty items, no hard-to-find sauces, nothing you cannot pronounce.
Naturally low-carb and gluten-free. It fits keto, paleo, and Mediterranean-style eating without any swaps.
High in protein. A pound of shrimp split between two plates makes this a seriously satisfying main.
Endlessly flexible. Change the herb, change the side, add a pinch of chili, and it still works every time.

Ingredients

Ripe tomatoes (4, chopped). The heart of the sauce. Pick the softest, juiciest tomatoes you can find so they collapse easily. Swap: about 3 cups of canned diced tomatoes work beautifully out of season; drain a little if they look very watery.
Garlic (5 cloves, minced). This is a garlic-forward dish, so do not be shy. If you love it, push it to six or seven. Swap: in a pinch, 1.5 teaspoons of garlic powder stirred in at the end will do, though fresh is far better.
Large shrimp (1 pound, peeled and deveined). Buy them already cleaned to save yourself the fiddly work, and look for a sustainable source. Swap: prawns, scallops, or even chunks of firm white fish cook up nicely in the same sauce.
Fresh dill (1 small bunch, chopped). Bright, grassy, and a little unexpected with shrimp. Stir it in at the very end so it stays fresh. Swap: basil, parsley, or cilantro each bring their own character if dill is not your thing.
Olive oil (2 tablespoons). Use a good one; it carries the flavor and gives the sauce its silky finish. Swap: avocado oil works if you prefer a more neutral taste.

How to make garlic shrimp in tomato sauce

Prep. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and roughly chop the dill. Mince the garlic and set it aside. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
Build the sauce. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, cover with a lid, and let them cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they soften and turn saucy.
Add the shrimp. Nestle the shrimp into the tomato sauce in a single layer. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turning them once, until they are pink, opaque, and curled.
Finish. Stir in the minced garlic, the chopped dill, and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Let everything cook together for about a minute so the garlic loses its raw edge.
Serve. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and bring it to the table right away while the sauce is hot and glossy.

How to serve it

With crusty bread for tearing and dunking, the sauce is the whole point, so give yourself something to soak it up.
Over rice to turn it into a fuller, heartier plate.
On zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice for a low-carb, paleo-friendly dinner.
Tossed with pasta and a little of the starchy cooking water for an easy weeknight bowl.
As a small plate with a glass of wine, tapas-style, for a slow evening.

Variations and swaps

Add heat. A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes stirred in with the garlic gives the sauce a gentle warmth.
Make it richer. A small knob of butter or an extra splash of olive oil at the end makes the sauce feel more luxurious.
Brighten it. A squeeze of fresh lemon just before serving lifts everything.
Stretch it further. Fold in leftover cooked salmon, white beans, or a handful of spinach to bulk things up.
Cheese it. A light shower of grated Parmesan on top is not traditional here, but it is very good.
Thicken a runny sauce. If your tomatoes give off a lot of liquid, stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste and let it cook down for a minute.

Storage and meal prep

Let any leftovers cool, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Shrimp can turn rubbery if blasted with heat, so reheat gently: a covered pan over low heat or short bursts in the microwave at half power both work well. The sauce itself freezes nicely on its own for up to 2 months, which makes a smart prep-ahead trick. Make a big batch of the tomato base, freeze it flat, then thaw and add fresh shrimp on the night you want to eat. I would not recommend freezing the dish with the shrimp already in it, since they tend to toughen on the second cook.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen shrimp? Yes, and they are often fresher than the thawed shrimp at the counter. Defrost them in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes, then pat them very dry before they go in the pan so the sauce does not turn watery.

My sauce came out too thin. What happened? Some tomatoes simply hold more water than others. Cook the tomatoes a little longer with the lid off to let the liquid evaporate, or stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste to thicken it quickly.

Is this recipe keto and paleo? It is. With only tomatoes, garlic, shrimp, herbs, and olive oil, the dish is naturally low in carbs and free of grains and dairy. Just serve it over something low-carb, like zucchini noodles, to keep the whole plate on plan.

Can I make it ahead for the week? The tomato sauce is a great make-ahead component, but shrimp are best cooked fresh. Prepare the sauce in advance, refrigerate or freeze it, and add the shrimp when you are ready to eat for the best texture.

Recipe Card

One-Pan Garlic Shrimp in Tomato Sauce

A quick, healthy skillet dinner of tender shrimp in a fresh garlic-tomato sauce, ready in 15 minutes with five ingredients.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 2

Ingredients

4 tomatoes, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small bunch dill, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the tomatoes, cover with a lid, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until they soften into a sauce.
Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until pink and opaque.
Stir in the minced garlic, chopped dill, and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for about 1 minute more.
Season to taste and serve immediately.

Notes

If the sauce is too runny, stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and cook for another minute.
No fresh tomatoes? Use about 3 cups of canned diced tomatoes, or thawed frozen tomato sauce.
For a low-carb or paleo meal, serve over zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.

Approximate nutrition (per serving, makes 2)

Calories 445; Total Fat 18g; Saturated Fat 3g; Trans Fat 0g; Unsaturated Fat 14g; Cholesterol 479mg; Sodium 2162mg; Carbohydrates 16g; Fiber 3g; Sugar 7g; Protein 54g