I love the bright, fresh flavors of a chimichurri sauce. Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp with Quinoa Pilaf is the perfect weeknight recipe if you do a few steps ahead on the weekend. It sounds fancy though, doesn’t it?! The fresh herbs and garlic pack a nutritional punch. Quinoa is high in fiber and protein and is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies can’t make on their own. Add in the shrimp, which is also a healthy protein source and this meal is a winner in the nutrition department! Good thing it tastes just as good as it is for you!
To make this Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp with Quinoa Pilaf an easy weeknight dinner, the key is prepping ahead. First, start with making the Chimichurri sauce. You’ll only need about 3/4 cup of the chimichurri for this recipe, so you can freeze the rest! It will stay good in the freezer for about a month. Next, throw the shrimp and 3/4 cup chimichurri into a Ziploc bag and into the fridge to marinate. Yay! You’re halfway done prepping! The final step is to cook the quinoa. You are only going to halfway prepare the quinoa recipe, as the final ingredients are best added at the end. To do this, boil the water. Add the quinoa and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the kale and cover. Simmer for 5 more minutes, turn off the heat, and let sit for 5 more minutes. Let cool and then transfer to a glass container and refrigerate. In a small container, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and pine nuts and place in the fridge. Slice the green onion and store in a ziploc bag in the fridge.
When ready to prepare the meal, thread the shrimp onto skewers (or, if using a grill pan, you can skip this step since there aren’t any grates for the shrimp to fall through). Heat a grill to medium high heat and grill for 2 minutes per side, until the shrimp is cooked. To finish the quinoa, place the cooked kale and quinoa mixture in a skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly until warmed through. Add in the lemon juice mixture and stir. Add in the sliced green onion and stir. Serve the shrimp skewers on a bed of the quinoa pilaf. Yum! There you have it – Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp with Quinoa Pilaf!
Note that this can all be prepared the night of serving, that’s totally fine! Let the shrimp marinate for an hour or so in the fridge (the chimichurri can easily still be prepped ahead – it will stay good in the fridge for a few days). To make the quinoa, as soon as the quinoa/kale mixture is done cooking, just add in the remaining ingredients! It’s still really a pretty quick dinner, it just goes a little faster when it is all pre-prepped.
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Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp with Quinoa Pilaf
Ingredients
For the Chimichurri Shrimp
1 1/2 cups packed fresh parsley
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 small red onion
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup olive oil
1 lb raw peeled and deveined shrimp
For the Quinoa Pilaf
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 small bunch kale, chopped, stems removed
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp pine nuts
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Chimichurri Shrimp
In a food processor, combine the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and onion. Process until finely minced. Then add the herbs to the food processor. Pour in the olive oil while pulsing. Pulse until the herbs are finely minced, but not pureed. Place the shrimp in a ziploc bag and pour 3/4 cup chimichurri over the shrimp. Seal the bag and refrigerate overnight (or at least 1 hour). When ready to prepare the shrimp, remove from the marinade and skewer. Heat a grill to medium high heat and cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
For the Quinoa Pilaf
In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer. Let the quinoa simmer for 10 minutes, then add the kale on top, cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5-7 minutes until the quinoa is tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk to combine half of the lemon juice, the zest, olive oil, green onion, and pine nuts. When the quinoa is tender, pour the lemon juice mixture over the quinoa and fluff to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place the quinoa pilaf on a serving platter. Top with the shrimp skewers and an additional sprinkle of lemon juice.