This Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet only requires 4 ingredients, and it’s whole30, gluten-free, paleo, and 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 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 Asparagus Sweet Potato Chicken Skillet, Chimichurri Chicken Green Beans Skillet, and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Skillet or any of these 50 Healthy Cast Iron Skillet Recipes or these 15 Healthy Skillet Dinner Recipes.
This Lodge skillet is great because it has a very good price 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. 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 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!
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.
Tips
- 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 healthy, 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 Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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.
Leanne says
Found this great recipe in Pinterest! Added feta on top!
Olivia says
Mm.. Yummy! Love feta cheese!
Mary says
Stopping over after seeing your recipe featured on The Everygirl Blog. I am printing this recipe and making tonight!
Olivia says
That’s awesome. Hope you enjoyed this recipe 😉
Tammy Parker says
Just made this tonight!! Thank you for the easy & delicious recipe!
Olivia says
Happy to know you enjoy it!
happy room play says
Awesome inspiration! My girl and I love to cook together. Shrimp is one of our favorites.
Olivia says
Thanks a lot 😉
Sharon M McCaul says
Made this recipe tonight. It is absolutely delicious!
Olivia says
Happy to hear about that, Sharon 😉
Syndi says
Was really good my daughter thought the sweet potatoes were carrots! Lol
Lisa says
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.
Maggie says
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!
Olivia says
Yes, I use a 12 inch skillet.
Tina Panetta says
Just whipped this up for dinner and it was delicious! Love how quick and easy it is. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Olivia says
Happy you enjoyed it!!
Megan Kennedy says
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.
Olivia says
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.
Josephine B says
Hi Olivia, I live in Sydney, Australia and I’ve just found your site this morning. I’d also like to reiterate on the difference of “sweet potato” and “Yam”. You are TOTALLY CORRECT as my family are market produce growers and I’m 76 years old having grown up in the industry all my life I know the difference between the two.
To what I’ve seen of your site and I’ve been on my laptop now for 2 hours copying out some of your MARVELOUS, IMPRESSIVE RECIPES and can’t wait to try them all. Keep up the good work and I look forward to many more recipes to come. Than you again. 🙂
Teresa says
Uh, she DID use sweet potatoes. Hence the ORANGE colour of the potato in her photos.
Amanda says
If you read up on sweet potatoes vs yams, almost all the “yams” we have here in North America are actually sweet potatoes. Real Yams are from Africa and hard to come by. Sweet potatoes come in many varieties and colours but basically taste the same.
Anida Messner says
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!!
Olivia says
Mm… Soy sauce and balsamic vinegar are great addition to this recipe 😉