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?
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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. 🙂
same here, eating a lot out of the fridge these days as we wait for the next grocery store run. Kale, sweet potatoes, frozen shrimp…check check check. Looking forward to it.
Awesome!
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.
The food you share it is very appealing and looks delicious. I really want to reward it, thank you for providing the recipe.
This was so easy and delicious! I ended up roasting my sweet potatoes while I was chopping everything up for the rest of my meal. The only other change was to grate the rind of one lemon and add that and the juice of half of the lemon at the end. It’s a very simple dish – the sweet potato, kale, garlic and shrimp all come through. I felt healthier after eating it and am enjoying the leftovers now. (PS: anyone throwing a yam versus sweet potato temper tantrum have some serious perspective issues)
Happy you like this recipe! Thanks for stopping by and leave your tips and feedback.
I made this recipe as part of my meal prep and it was so easy and so delicious! I added mushrooms and used a little more crushed red peppers because I loove spicy foods and it was absolutely amazing! Third recipe of yours I tried and it was just delicious! Will definitely make again!
That’s absolutely AMAZING. I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks so much for your feedback 😉
Can you use frozen already-cooked shrimp?
Yes you can. Just add it when you add the kale.
Hello! I had exactly the list of ingredients, so decided to make this last night! The only change I would make next time is to par-cook the sweet potatoes first–either by roasting or sautéing. Although I diced them into 1/2 inch cubes, they took a long time to cook. Which meant that by the time they were done the onion and garlic was burned. I removed everything and then did the shrimp by itself, since I had large shrimp, then the kale, and then tossed everything together. The suggestion for balsamic was a great addition.
This has become an easy week night staple. Sometimes I switch to shrimp with salmon or another seafood. Great recipe!
Happy you liked this recipe. Yes this recipe goes well with salmon and other type seafood.
I just made this. My picky husband who doesn’t like anything that’s good for him said “Make it again.” I added leftover garlic butter mushrooms. Just like always I made too much sweet potatoes, and not enough kale. I seem to be always referring to your recipes. And as usual they are always a hit at dinnertime. Please keep them coming. I bought way too much kale at the grocery store. Now to figure out a recipe to use up the rest of the kale.
That’s amazing! Happy him liked it!
How much does two cups of shrimp weigh
1 star for not giving the weights in the ingredients
Iit’s on the recipe card box.