Super fresh, incredibly easy Keto Sheet Pan Recipe loaded with shrimp and lovely in-season veggies like asparagus. This recipe is super flexible, keto-friendly, and makes meal planning a breeze.
What you need
Below is a quick list of what you need to make this Pesto Keto Shrimp Sheet Pan recipe. Feel free to substitute to suit your protein and veggie preferences.
Quick Shopping List
- 1 lb large peeled and deveined shrimp with tails on
- 1 medium Yellow squash
- 1 red Bell pepper
- 16 Asparagus spears
- 3-4 tbsp Olive oil, preferably cold-pressed
- 1/2 cup Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 tsp minced Garlic
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
- Salt and Pepper
Kitchen Essentials
- Sheet Pan (Full $20 or 2x Half $20), the half sheet works when cooking with variations
- Paring Knife (budget $20 or premium $60)
- Parchment Paper (makes for quick cleanup)
About the Key Ingredients
As I have always insisted, it is essential to get fresh products! This is doubly important when making a pesto, which tastes 1000x better when made fresh. And the same applies to seafood, including shrimp.
Shrimp
If you are lucky and have access to a fish market, that is amazing. If not, don’t fret, most local supermarkets carry fresh shrimp. If you have no other option, then frozen shrimp will work. However, don’t forget the golden rule, defrost your shrimp at room temperature, drain, and make sure they are dry.
Shrimp is high in protein and low in calories (extra low in calories!!), which is excellent for those who follow a Keto diet. It is also high in fiber and minerals like selenium and phosphorus. They are also a good source of cobalamin (vitamin B12), which helps keep blood and nerve cells healthy. While it is high in cholesterol, it is extremely low in saturated fats and contains no trans-fat at all.
Pine Nuts
Pine nuts, considered to be part of the mind diet developed by Martha Clare Morris, Ph.D., a Rush nutritional epidemiologist. Pine nuts are also high in antioxidants. If you can’t find pine nuts in your local farmer’s market, you can order them online from Amazon. If your local selection is limited, I recommend getting these online.
In-Season Veggies like Asparagus
Some people love them, and then some absolutely hate them. If you must, you can easily substitute them with any in-season vegetable. However, asparagus helps you lose weight, lowers blood pressure, and is a good source of potassium. So if you can, I highly recommend asparagus when it is in season and budget-friendly. These days you can pretty much get asparagus year-round, however, it can be expensive.
I absolutely love the flexibility of this recipe! You can easily swap the asparagus for a seasonal product like cauliflower (keto-friendly), which is excellent baked.
If in doubt, check out our in-season vegetable guide for recipe ideas.
How to make (Pesto) Keto Shrimp Sheet Pan
Honestly, this recipe is simple, and the pesto only takes about 15 minutes to make. I typically make extra and freeze in ice cube trays and then store in a plastic zip-lock. Ultimately this is a considerable time saver next time around.
Oh and don’t forget to preheat your oven (!!) I can’t count the number of times I’ve forgotten.
The shrimp are a real pain in the butt but don’t’ worry, I have a nice trick for deveining these delicious crustaceans.
Beyond that, the rest is really up to you, and the options are truly endless. I often make a few sheets at the same time with various in-season veggies and even swap the shrimp for chicken. From a meal plan perspective, this usually covers me for about 1/3rd of my week, give or take.
Pro Tips, Helpful Links, and Recipe Time Savers
You can read more about the benefits of shrimp directly on Healthline.
Using a toothpick makes deveining shrimp super easy.
Invest in a quality set of knives makes all the difference. Frankly, just picking up a quality knife and slicing, dicing, and mincing feels great.
Surprisingly an often overlooked ingredient is Olive Oil, and I suspect this is primarily due to the variety of options available today. At the very least aim for Extra Virgin cold-pressed or cold-extracted Olive oil.
Try this (Pesto) Keto Shrimp Sheet Pan
(Pesto) Keto Shrimp Sheet Pan with Seasonal Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 lb large Shrimp Peeled and deveined with tails
- 1 medium Onion Chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red Bell pepper Chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 16 spears Asparagus Medium
- 4 tbsp Virgin Olive Oil Cold pressed or Cold Extracted
- 1/2 cup fresh Basil Whole leaves
- 1 tsp Garlic Minced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Grated
- 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (!!)
- Place the basil leaves, pine nuts, grated Parmesan, minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a blender or food processor, and blend on high until well combined into a pesto sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil, and blend to combine.
- Toss the shrimp with the pesto sauce in a large bowl, and set aside.
- Place the chopped vegetables into a large bowl, and coat with a tablespoon of olive oil as well as salt and pepper to taste.
- Layer the seasoned vegetables along the outside of a large sheet pan.
- Add the pesto shrimp in a single layer into the center of the sheet pan surrounded by the vegetables.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through, and the vegetables have reached your desired level of tenderness.
Share your thoughts (!!)