This Creamy Garlic Shrimp and Artichoke Toasts recipe is SO flavorful and, thanks to the quick-fix weapon that is garlic and herb cheese spread (hey hey Boursin), it comes together with the kind of speed that we all really want on a busy weeknight. I feel comfortable speaking on behalf of essentially everyone, there. Yes, today we’re talking a less than 30-minute, one-pan, budget friendly champ-of-a-recipe that is also refreshingly different.
Sure, you could go ahead and serve this over/with pasta or maybe egg noodles of some sort, maybe piled up on a bed of fluffy rice, or maybe farro – those would be fine options, absolutely. But I opted to serve this creamy, garlicky (veggie packed!) mixture over some delicious, crusty slices of toasted Italian bread, instead. It was a good move, let’s just leave it at that.
Creamy Garlic Shrimp Toasts
I was out to dinner with my family once years ago, at a little restaurant in Lexington, KY, and I had an unforgettable dish of what I think was called “Whiskey River Shrimp,” the memory of which has apparently stuck with me over the years since. As the name would suggest, there was whiskey lurking in the sauce and lots of butter and cream. It was a very how-bad-can-it-be sort of dining situation.
The recipe was inspired by that, but in today’s shrimp toast, however, we’re keeping it really simple. No whiskey or butter or cream are making appearances today, in fact. It’s not necessary to build strong, bold flavors in the sauce.
How to Make these Creamy Garlic Shrimp & Artichoke Toasts
It doesn’t really get much easier than this, guys. The only thing I’m going to ask you to chop is a small onion. The rest is really just a drop it in the pan and give it a stir here and there sort of thing. EASY!!
- You’ll want to get a big skillet for this one – I used my trusty cast iron, but just grab any deep-sided pan that you like.
- The real flavor time savor (rhymes!) here is the garlic and herb cheese spread. It literally does all the things in this recipe. For starters, this stuff (Boursin is what I use, but you can grab any comparable brand you like) gives the savory garlic flavor we want, without us ever having to actually peel and/or chop any garlic. That’s a busy weeknight win if you ask me.
- The “creamy” in the name also comes from the dang cheese spread. we’re not using and butter or cream here – just the cheese. I kind of love that. This recipe is lighter than you ‘d think, and also loaded with veggies (onion + spinach + artichokes).
- We’ll just knock the rawness off of the onion by cooking it in a little olive oil and then wilt down a whole mess of fresh baby spinach. Add in the cheese spread and a little stock or water to thin it out, and then gently mix in the beans and shrimp. The shrimp will cook quickly for you – should only take about 5 to 7 minutes. Make sure they’re nestled down in that sauce!
- Finish by folding in the delicate artichoke hearts, and then serve the whole thing up over some crusty toasted bread. Voila! So easy, and so good.
Spilling the Beans
I’m not just using butter beans here because they’re cool (they are), or for the heck of it. This is a GREAT MONEY-SAVING TRICK that really comes in handy so often for me. Rather than buying tons of shrimp, which gets costly in a hurry, I supplement by using big, creamy butter beans instead. It would cost me $30 to get enough shrimp to fill this pan, and that’s a hard pass for me to be honest.
The butter beans mimic the shrimp in both size and color and offer a wonderful creamy heartiness to the dish. What’s more, they’ll pick up the flavor of the shrimp as they simmer in the creamy sauce – which is awesome.
A budget-friendly move that also happens to be extremely tasty. Win – win.
If you like the sounds of this Creamy Garlic Shrimp and Artichoke Toasts recipe, you might want to check out:
Yogurt-Whipped Polenta with Shrimp, Crispy Kale & White Beans
Easy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Shrimp
Creamy Garlic Shrimp and Artichoke Toasts
A quick and easy one-pan meal that packs a huge flavor punch, and is healthy to boot.Â
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion, diced (see note)
- 5–ounces fresh baby spinach (typically one bag or container)
- 5.2–ounces garlic and herb cheese spread (such as Boursin)
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock (or water; see NOTE 2)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 14-ounce can butter beans, rinsed and drained (or Great Northern or cannellini)
- 10–oz. raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 14-ounce can artichokes, drained and halved/roughly chopped
- Toasted crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over med-high heat. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes, just to soften. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook (stirring) until it has fully wilted down, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and herb spread and the veggie stock (or water) and stir to combine – it will turn into a creamy sauce. Taste it and add a little more salt and/or stock if you think it needs it.
- Add the beans and shrimp, making sure the shrimp are nestled down into the sauce, and cook until the shrimp are just pink; about 5 to 7 minutes; stirring occasionally. Add the artichokes and allow them to heat through. Serve this creamy shrimp mixture either piled on top of some crusty bread slices or in a big skillet, family style.
Notes
NOTE 1: The amount of onion doesn’t have to be exact here (or in most of my recipes, honestly). So don’t fret too much over the size of the onion itself. Whatever you find will be great. You could also use two shallots instead.Â
NOTE 2: Similarly to note 1, you can adjust the amount(s) of garlic and herb spread, and stock/water to suit your preferences. If you like a thinner sauce, use more water, etc. Up to you!
