This Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet only requires 4 ingredients, and it’s super-easy to make!
Looking for more shrimp recipes? Try these ones too: Garlic Butter Shrimp, Air Fryer Shrimp and Shrimp Fried Rice.
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 on your table. The only thing that takes a little time is for the sweet potatoes to cook.
Since you are sautéing the kale leaves, you need to keep the heat low 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 anything 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 Asparagus Sweet Potato Chicken Skillet, Chimichurri Chicken Green Beans Skillet, and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Skillet or any of these Cast Iron Skillet Recipes or these Skillet Dinner Recipes.
This Lodge skillet is great because it is a very good price for the quality. I highly recommend this type of skillet, and you can get yours here.
Can I make this recipe 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. It’s such an easy-to-cook protein! Try my Sweet Potato Green Beans Shrimp Skillet if you want another tasty shrimp recipe.
Why are my shrimp so chewy?
It’s probably because you overcooked 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:
- Shrimp Vegetable Skillet: This is a great one-pan meal for the entire family. 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 flavors 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 delicious 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 lunch dish in your own kitchen today.
As a memory, I kept the original photo from 2014!
Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet
Video
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.
Notes
- Don't add more than a ¼ cup of water to cook the sweet potatoes because they may become soggy. Also, cover the skillet with a lid for about 2 minutes. It helps cook the sweet potato faster.
- If I'm using more than 2 cups of shrimp, I cook the shrimp first and set them aside to avoid overcrowding the skillet.
- Here is a complete list of shrimp recipes for you to try. They are delicious, easy-to-make, and also great as leftovers.
- If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, you can use a large non-stick skillet instead.
- To store: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: You can microwave leftovers or reheat on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
Follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #primaverakitchen. We'd love to see your recreation.
About how many servings did this make?! It looks so yummy!
Up to 3 or 4 people, Brittany! Thanks for the question.
Excellent! I am trying to slowly move our household to clean eating and am so glad I found this recipe tonight. I did not have Sweet Potato so substituted peeled Butternut Squash. It took a bit longer to cook (20 minutes vs. 10-15 for Sweet Potato). I also added a squeeze of lemon when I added the Kale.
I will definitely make this again – my husband ate it all and asked for seconds.
So glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe. Thanks a lot for your comment!
Thanks so much for your comment, Lauren. Butternut squash is a great substitute to this recipe. It was a great idea! I am glad you enjoyed this meal 😉
Delicious, enjoyed every bite!
Awesome!
My husband prepared this recipe, it was so good!!
So glad you and your husband enjoyed this dish 😉
I am so happy you loved this recipe, Lorraine! Thanks for your kind words 😉
Do you peel the sweet potato? And what type of onion did you use? Making this tonight.
Yes, I peeled the sweet potato and I used yellow onions, but you can use a different type of onion too 😉
It was very delicious, I would have never combined these ingredients until I stumbled upon this recipe. Great Job!
Thanks a lot for your comment, Kenita! So happy you enjoyed this recipe 😉
I just got done eating this and it was awesome! I was going to make a different dish with my shrimp but I was missing an ingredient so I googled shrimp and kale and this recipe popped up. Next time for a side dish I will leave out the shrimp. Thanks for the recipe,
Thanks a lot for your comment and feedback, J. So glad to hear that 😉
I and my little minions will love this! This is a great base to add a few other seasonings that can be varied depending on season or mood.
I particular prefer to cook with gas heat, but electrical heat is fine too 😉
What a great recipe, healthy, colourful and appetising! One question though. If you cook the sweet potatoes till they are done and then add the kale to cook for a few minutes, won’t the sweet potatoes be falling apart at that stage? Taste wise it won’t matter of course but I was thinking of presentation. I’d need to cook the kale for about 5 minutes to make it more digestible. Thanks for your reply.
you can add the kale at the same time you add shrimp. They will cook together. I added kale at the end because I don’t like to cook my kale a lot.
Tried this and it was simple and delicious. Already planning to make this again.. 🙂
I reviewed this on my blog!
That’s amazing, Hanna!
such a beautiful looking meal. I can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks a lot, Trisha 😉
had mixed feelings about this combination of ingredients (which i LOVE individually!), but seriously, this is amazing! i had extra stuff left over and i’m gonna make it again tomorrow!
I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Cynthia! And Thanks a lot for your feed back 😉
Does anyone know the nutrition information for this recipe? Or an estimate perhaps? I am on a very strict macro diet after being hospitalized and this dish just sounds absolutely delicious!
Had for dinner last night! The combination of ingredients was absolutely perfect together and I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tonight…or make it again in the near future! Thank you for this awesome recipe.
So so so happy your love this recipe, Megan. Thanks for your comment 😉
This recipe is so delicious! My whole family loved it. They loved it so much, when I turned the idea into soup, it was all gone before I had a chance to snag a bowl!
WOw… this is great. You don’t have any idea how much your feedback made me happy!! Thanks a lot for stopping by 😉
I made the sweet potatoe, kale and shrimp skillet. I added sweet peppers, crushed mint and balsamic vinegar. It was delicious! A recepie that I will continue to make for my family?
That’s awesome, Alicia 😉
Loved this dish! I’m a college student and found this so easy and healthy to make on my budget! I also cooked some white rice and put the kale, sweet potatoes, and shrimp on top with a little soy sauce and it was amazing!!
So, glad you enjoyed this recipe 😉 I also eat that with rice and I love it!
Made this with small red potatoes and frozen shrimp I had on hand… Added more pepper flakes for a nice kick. I squeezed a whole lime on the kale while the potatoes were cooking… Gave the dish a hint of citrus. Turned out wonderful! I just eyeballed everything: used a whole kale bunch, 4 small potatoes, and About a pound frozen shrimp. I didn’t even have to season it with extra salt. Just relied on the brine from the shrimp. My husband loved it! 😊 Will be a staple for our household from now on. Also love that it’s a one pot dish! ❤️
Thanks for your feedback, Christine. I am so glad you and your husband liked this recipe. I bet your version was so delicious! Have lovely day 😉