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I am a big fan of shrimp creole – a southern Louisiana shrimp dish made with tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, celery and spices. But since going back to Weight Watchers, I am always looking for ways to lighten up recipes—even relatively healthy ones—by decreasing the fat and extra calories, while keeping them delicious.
So I adapted this easy healthy shrimp recipe to better suit our tastes, with ingredients I had on hand. You can serve it over white rice, brown rice, favorite rice blend or even low-carb cauliflower rice. I used a wild rice blend since that was what was in the pantry.
I made this low fat shrimp creole for dinner recently and everyone who tasted it thought the flavor was great. Remember to adjust the spices to suit your tastes. I went light on the spices and then let everyone add hot pepper sauce and cayenne at the table.
How Many Calories and WW Points in Shrimp Creole?
According to my calculations, each 1 cup serving of shrimp creole has about 240 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
2 SmartPoints (Green plan)
1 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
1 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
6 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced into thin half moons
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Cooking Notes
If the sauce doesn’t seem thick enough, you can make a slurry by mixing 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch together and stirring it into the sauce before adding the shrimp.
If you’ve made this Skinny Creole Shrimp, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Shrimp Creole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced into half moons
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 can (28-ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon creole or cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch cayenne
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet (affiliate link) over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until softened about 7 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, creole seasoning, thyme, oregano, pepper, cayenne and bay leaf. Simmer with the skillet partially covered, until the flavors are blended and sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and cook, stirring a few times, until they turn opaque, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- To serve, spoon over rice or cauliflower rice
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 2 SmartPoints (Green plan) 1 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 1 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 6 PointsPlus (Old plan) If the sauce doesn’t seem thick enough, you can make a slurry by mixing 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch together and stirring it into the sauce before adding the shrimp.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to Serve with Shrimp Creole?
Shrimp creole is delicious and flavorful, but you can take it to a new level with the proper side dishes. Some of our favorite Weight Watchers friendly accompaniments include:
- Rice, wild rice, or cauliflower rice
- Slow Cooker Creole Style Green Beans or simple steamed green beans
- Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
- Light & Healthy Cornbread
- Slow Cooker Broccoli Risotto
- 4-Ingredient Broccoli Confetti Risotto
- Slow Cooker Broccoli Corn Casserole
- Paula Deen Corn Casserole Made Lighter
- Simple Shredded Romaine Salad
This recipe was very enjoyable but a bit spicy for some. I made some adjustments because of what was available.
Hi John,
Thanks for taking the time to let us know. I very much appreciate it. ~Martha
I was looking for a new way with shrimp and I found it. My husband wondered why I never made this before. He loved it. Told me I shouldn’t tell anyone it is a WW recipe, as nobody would know. (Like that might be a deterrent). Definitely going into my dinner schedules from now on. I thought I had crushed tomatoes, but I couldn’t find any, so I made my own with a can of fire roasted tomatoes and my mini processor. I also went heavy on the spices a little, cause that’s what I do. It was terrific!
A bit heavy on the tomato and it could have had more heat (cayenne or cajun seasoning). Maybe use a can of Rotel and a TBSP of tomato paste? Otherwise great and very quick to assemble.
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for your feedback! ~Martha
This is the best recipe for shrimp creole I have ever tried. I’ve been married to a Cajun for going on 40 years so I know my creoles. I don’t normally use recipes, we basically sing these tunes by ear, but I decided to give this one a try. It’s wonderful! I added one thing, half a star anise.
Also, it’s great to have it written up so that WW people can easily use it in their meal planing. Folks, this is NOT diet food. Make this and you will be getting the real deal.
Dear Deborah,
Thanks so much for your kind review!! I appreciate it very much! All the best, ~Martha
I love shrimp dishes and this sounds delicious, but I don’t understand where the high sugar content (16 g) in this one. Can you tell me what bumps it up so much? Thank you!