Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet
This Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet only requires 4 ingredients, and it’s whole30, gluten-free, paleo, and super-easy to make!
This recipe was first published on July 24, 2014. I updated it in July 2018 with new pictures and extra information about the recipe.
Some Brazilian guests are visiting us today! (Well, when you read this post they will be here already.) And, I really need to finish cooking some goodies to offer them. I don’t know about you guys, but when Brazilians have friends or family over, they fill you with food until you say, “I can’t eat anymore, please stop!” 😉
I guess this is the way Brazilians show how much they care about their friends and family. In Canada, it is very common that we offer guests something to drink when they arrive, but in Brazil, food is the first thing offered.
It’s so funny! My husband is Canadian, and every time he visits my mom he says to me, “Baby, why does your mom think I am hungry all the time? She’s like an Italian!” YES, we are like the Italians, Portuguese, and Spanish. That’s Latin culture, guys. Just for the record, he wasn’t complaining about it. In fact, he loves this tradition since he is such a good eater, right baby?
And if you are like my family and me, who really enjoying cook, you won’t want to miss any recipes from my blog, right? So, you simply need to subscribe to my newsletter, and you will receive new recipes in your inbox plus a free e-cookbook!
So, this Sweet Potato, Kale, and Shrimp Skillet is so easy to make for lunchtime or a busy weeknight meal. It takes only a few minutes to be ready and on your table. The only thing that takes a little time is for the sweet potatoes to cook.
Since you sauté the kale leaves, you need to keep the heat low to so that they don’t become soggy. I dislike soggy leaves, which is why they look almost raw in the pictures. I just sauté them for about one minute or so, but if you wish, you can sauté them for longer. It is really up to you. Let’s talk a little bit about the shrimp now.
Why did you use a cast iron skillet to make this recipe?
I’m a huge fan of cast iron skillets. If you visit Primavera Kitchen often, you know that I have a variety of cast iron skillet recipes for you to try. I love cooking with cast iron pans because they are very versatile. You can use them for frying, baking, grilling, broiling, braising, and sautéing meats, vegetables, and more! You can make almost everything in them. Isn’t that great? Cast iron is also very resistant and durable. I have had my three cast iron skillets for over 7 years now, and they look absolutely new.
They are also fairly cheap for the quality you get, and they have a precise heat distribution, which makes foods cook evenly and taste delicious. I have two favourite cast iron skillets. You can see the Le Creuset one in the pictures in this post, and the other one is my Lodge skillet, which I use to make lots of recipes for my family such as Chimichurri Chicken Green Beans Skillet and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Skillet. This Lodge skillet is great because it has a very good price ($15 at Amazon) for the quality. I highly recommend this type of skillet, and you can get yours here.
Can I make this Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet with frozen shrimp?
Absolutely, but you need to thaw the shrimp before cooking it. If your shrimp are frozen, place them in a bowl with cold water in the sink, and leave them for about 5 minutes. The shrimp are thawed when they are soft and easily bendable. Then, rinse, and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Now, they are ready to cook.
Why are my shrimp so chewy?
It’s probably because you overcook your shrimp. When shrimp are overcooked, they become tough, rubbery, dry, and chewy. Shrimp cook very quickly. So, as soon as the shrimp turn pink, it’s a sign that they are done. It will only take about 3-5 minutes to cook if the shrimp are medium-sized. If the shrimp are larger, they will take about 6-7 minutes.
5 more shrimp skillet recipes to try:
All these recipes are low-carb, paleo, gluten-free, and whole30.
- Shrimp Vegetable Skillet: This is a great one-pan meal for the entire family. Super-healthy and perfect for a quick dinner or a delicious lunch.
- Chimichurri Shrimp Broccoli Skillet: This recipe is another quick-and-easy, one-pan meal for your busy weeknight dinners. It’s ready in less than 15 minutes and super-flavourful.
- Garlic Shrimp Asparagus Skillet: Perfect for a busy weeknight since this one-pan meal will be ready in 20 minutes or so.
- Creamy Parmesan Shrimp Skillet: This recipe is full of so many flavours that you’ll think you are eating a gourmet meal!
- Shrimp, Bell Pepper and Onions Skillet: I love this recipe because even if you don’t have bell peppers or onions, you can still make this recipe with other veggies of your choice.
For more quick and healthy lunch or dinner recipes, please visit my lunch time and what’s for dinner Pinterest boards!
I hope I inspired you to create a delicious healthy lunch dish in your own kitchen today.
As a memory, I kept the original photo from 2014!
See below for how to make this Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet:
Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or ghee
- ½ cup onions — diced
- pinch crushed red pepper — to taste
- 2 cloves garlic — minced
- 2 cups sweet potatoes — diced
- 2 cups shrimp — peeled, deveined, and thawed if frozen
- 3 cups trimmed and coarsely chopped kale leaves
- salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
-
In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
-
Add the onions and crushed red pepper.
-
Cook until the onions are soft and golden.
-
Add the garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds.
-
Add the sweet potatoes, and cook until soft. Add a few tablespoons or ¼ cup of water to help steam the sweet potatoes, if necessary.*
-
Add the shrimp, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they turn pink.**
-
Turn the heat to low, and add the kale, stirring until wilted.
-
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Amount per serving (1/4) — Calories: 265, Fat: 7.8g, Cholesterol: 239.5mg, Carbohydrates: 18g, Sugar: 3.4g, Protein: 32.1gIf you make this recipe, follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo and hashtag it #primaverakitchen. I'd love to see what you're making!
If you like this Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet recipe, please share it with your friends and family. Do you want to taste more? Subscribe to my newsletter, and follow Primavera Kitchen on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for all delicious recipe updates. As always, I really appreciate you stopping by.
Found this great recipe in Pinterest! Added feta on top!
Mm.. Yummy! Love feta cheese!
Stopping over after seeing your recipe featured on The Everygirl Blog. I am printing this recipe and making tonight!
That’s awesome. Hope you enjoyed this recipe 😉
Awesome inspiration! My girl and I love to cook together. Shrimp is one of our favorites.
Thanks a lot 😉
Made this recipe tonight. It is absolutely delicious!
Happy to hear about that, Sharon 😉
Was really good my daughter thought the sweet potatoes were carrots! Lol
A work of art beautiful recipe. The flavors of the shrimp sweet potatoes and kale blend and compliment one another sweet and tastefully. My whole family luved it so very much. There was only one thing i did differently and that was instead of the oilve oil i used advacodo oil cause thats what i had on hand. This is the kind of recipe that says fall is here. U can keep going back for more and not feel so gulity cause its healthy. I usaually take a pic when done cooking but in this case i was so excited to try it that i forgot. While cooking this the aroma gets ur stomach growling and howling in anticipation. Thank u for a simple elegant tantalizing recipe.
Hi! I want to try this recipe, as I just fixed your Asparagus, Sweet Potato Chicken dish tonight. I didn’t have a cast iron pan like you show, and although it was an extremely tasty meal, I can’t say it turned out just like the picture! 🙂 So, I was wondering, is the pan you use a 12 inch skillet, or 10 inch? Thanks!
Yes, I use a 12 inch skillet.
Just whipped this up for dinner and it was delicious! Love how quick and easy it is. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Happy you enjoyed it!!
I’m sorry but I won’t be making any skillets from your recipes. You missed informed everybody by saying you used “sweet potatoes” when you used “yams” there’s a big difference and they are NOT the same thing. I purchased “sweet potatoes” like the recipe stated and when I was done cooking them I noticed they were not the same color as the ones in the picture. Why? Because you used Yams. So I basically wasted my money and time on making this because it wasn’t even good. Thanks but no thanks for the help and waste of a dish.
I’m sorry you feel this way, Megan. Sweet potatoes come in many different colors depends on the variety. I’m originally from Brazil and sweet potatoes there are white. Here in Canada sweet potatoes have a copper skin with an orange flesh. All sweet potato varieties normally have the same shape and size and they are much smaller than yams. Yes, I used sweet potato for all my recipe. I would never miss inform my readers just because I have an enormes respect for everyone who comes here and try my recipes. Thanks.
Uh, she DID use sweet potatoes. Hence the ORANGE colour of the potato in her photos.
I love this recipe! I tweaked it a bit & used low sodium soy sauce & some balsamic vinegar on the shrimp & then added a little more to wilt the kale. Very good!!
Mm… Soy sauce and balsamic vinegar are great addition to this recipe 😉
I made this last night and it was absolutely amazing! It took me a little longer to cook the sweet potatoes but I don’t think I cut them up small enough! It paired really nicely with a sauvignon blanc 😊 thank you so much!
Yes, if you don’t cut the sweet potato in small pieces it will take longer to cook. Happy to know you enjoy this recipe 😉
This is really good. I’m newly gluten free and having a tough time finding recipes that I actually like, but I’ll make this again!
This is a great gluten-free meal option 😉
I made this tonight with white sweet potatoes! My husband and son loved it! I will try it again with orange sweet potatoes too! l only added a little lemon juice when cooking the shrimp. Some of the others posts have great ideas for next time! Yum!
That’s awesome, Kim. Happy to hear that. If you try any other recipe from PK, please let me know how it turned out. xoxo
Couldn’t believe such a simple recipe could turn out so delicious! Will definitely make again
That’s awesome. Happy to hear that!
So happy to find this recipe, it’s exactly what I need for tonight. All I have in the house is a bag of frozen shrimp, a bunch of Swiss chard, and two sweet potatoes. I googled sweet potato and shrimp and the first recipe I see it this! I was going to do the chard as a side dish but now I’ll just substitute it for the kale and make a one skillet meal!
I’m so glad you find my recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your comment. 🙂
How many sweet potatoes is 2 cups? 1.5?
It’s probably 2 cups.
Delicious, simple, and HEALTHY. I used frozen sweet potato fries, which I cubed, and added a bit of chopped fresh basil & tarragon. at the end. I also used fresh chopped chives instead of onions. Love this dish! A new lunchtime favorite!
That’s awesome! So happy to hear that 😉
don’t let her bother you with her yam /sweet potato mix up I thank you for taking the time to be kind to all of us that read your great meals thank you and God bless you and your family
Thank you so much, Ken. You’re so sweet and kind. I appreciate it 😉
So good! I’m on the path to removing lectins from my diet and came across your recipe. I drizzled a teensy amount of coconut aminos into my bowl and it was great. But then on my second helping (because it was THAT good), I didn’t add the aminos and it was equally awesome. I think it’s one of those dishes where you might need a few bites before you really get the taste going, but then find yourself inhaling it in no time because your body wants those nutrients! I can’t wait to try your other recipes. Well done and thank you!
You’re VERY welcome 😉
Just made this. Delicious! I used Lacinto Kale and white sweet potatoes because it’s what I had at home. I love the sweet, spicy, earthy flavors. Thank you for sharing! 😃 Btw, I agree with you on the sweet potatoes, they can be white or orange. Yams are different. 😉 The recipe is perfect with sweet potatoes. I think I will add a splash of lemon the next time. Might be good to add some zing. Could also be a disaster! 😂
hahahahah not sure about zing but a splash of lemon is a great idea.
Thanks for the great recipe! I just made it for dinner. My husband said it was a definite “make again”. I did used a large “Garnet sweet potato”, peeled it and cut it in small dice. At about 10-12 minutes on medium to medium low it was cooked perfectly – soft, not mushy or too firm and beautiful color! You didn’t say whether to peel it, but I did. We like a bit of spice so I used 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Given another’s comments, I drizzled balsamic vinegar over kale before stirring it into other ingredients and will do that again. (That person also added soy sauce, but I don’t like soy sauce so didn’t add that.) I sprinkled a bit of grated parmesan on part of mine – I don’t adhere to Paleo, just aim for healthy. (Grated Parmesan didn’t add much. Nest time I’d try goat cheese. I also don’t like feta 😉 My husband said it was great and he didn’t want any cheese on his 😉
Happy you liked it. And yes goat cheese works great with this recipe.