Creole Shrimp & Spinach in Creamy Tarragon Sauce

This Creole-inspired dish is rich, vibrant, and absolutely irresistible.

I love Creole and Cajun cuisine! Living in the mountains of Colorado, we don’t exactly have easy access to all the great food Louisiana has to offer, so I’m left to recreate those flavors as best I can—with a healthier take! Traditionally, Creole and Cajun cooking isn’t necessarily known for being the healthiest. But I believe you can have all those great flavors in a nutritious and wholesome dish, and that is what inspired me to create this Creole Shrimp & Spinach in Creamy Tarragon Sauce.

This dish is deliciously creamy without using any cream. The secret ingredient? Silken tofu. It blends into a luscious sauce that’s velvety smooth without any dairy. Tarragon and Creole seasoning give the dish its signature flavor—bold, slightly spicy, and full of depth.

What You’ll Need

• Silken Tofu: The base of the sauce
• Nutritional Yeast: Adds a layer of umami and depth, enhancing the richness of the sauce with a slightly cheesy, savory note
• Veggie or Chicken Broth: Used in the sauce
• Aromatics: Garlic, shallot, and green onion
• Lemon: You’ll use both zest and juice
• Creole Seasoning I like this homemade Creole seasoning, but you could sub store-bought
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: To sauté the aromatics and shrimp
• Shrimp: Fresh if you can get it, but frozen (and thawed) works well
• Spinach: Fresh or frozen; I used frozen because I didn’t have fresh on hand
• Fresh Herbs: Fresh tarragon and parsley are a MUST; don’t use dried

How to Serve

• Over Pasta: Toss with linguine or fettuccine for a creamy, restaurant-worthy meal.
• With Rice: A bed of fluffy rice soaks up the sauce beautifully.
• On Its Own: Pair with crusty bread to scoop up every flavorful bite.
• Garnish Generously: Finish with sliced green onion tops, more parsley, or extra tarragon for a fresh, fragrant touch.

This Creole Shrimp & Spinach in Creamy Tarragon Sauce comes together quickly, so I highly recommend getting all your ingredients prepped before beginning to cook. Blend up the sauce and chop the aromatics. If using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze it well to remove as much water as possible — no one likes soggy spinach! Then just saute the shallots, green onion and garlic, add the shrimp and spinach, and finish with the sauce, herbs and seasoning. Serve immediately!

Creole Shrimp & Spinach in Creamy Tarragon Sauce

Courses: Dinner

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Difficulty: Beginner Servings: 2 Best Season: Spring

Ingredients

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For the Shrimp

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 green onion, sliced, white and green parts divided

• 1 ¹⁄₂ ounces dry white wine
• ¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 8 ounces shrimp
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed

• 1-2 teaspoons creole seasoning, to taste

For the Sauce

• 8 ounces silken tofu
• ³⁄₄ cup veggie or chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice + zest
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped

Instructions

For the Sauce

1. In a blender, combine the silken tofu, broth, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, tarragon, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Blend to a creamy sauce.  Taste and adjust seasonings to your palate.  Set aside.

For the Shrimp

1. Add the olive oil, shallot and white parts of the green onion to a skillet and cook over medium heat for a minute or two.  Then add the garlic and cook about a minute longer.  Be careful to not burn the garlic.

2. Add the white wine and shrimp and cook until the shrimp are just beginning to turn pink.

3. Stir in the spinach and cook for another minute.  Then add the sauce, Creole seasoning, parsley and tarragon. 

4. Warm the sauce through, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.  Lower the heat as needed -- you want to warm the sauce gently.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Serve immediately over pasta, rice or on its own with some crusty bread!  Garnish with the sliced green onion tops, parsley or tarragon.

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 2 ServingCalories:369.7kcalTotal Fat:22.3gCholesterol:59.5mgSodium:1192.6mgTotal Carbohydrate:18gDietary Fiber: 5.3gSugars: 2.9gProtein:24g

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