Meal Prep
Garlic Parmesan Shrimp Orzo
Garlic. Butter. Shrimp. Cheese. Orzo. That’s it. That’s the list. If those five words don’t already have you sprinting to the kitchen, allow me to elaborate: this meal is filthy in the best possible way. The shrimp are seared to perfection, tossed in a garlic butter bath, and then folded into a cheesy orzo situation that can only be described as aggressively comforting. You will crave this on Mondays. You will crave this on Thursdays. And by Sunday, you’ll already be planning when to make it again.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
Garlic Parmesan Shrimp Orzo
63.8g protein657 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 15 mins
- Cook Time
- 20 mins
- Total Time
- 35 mins
Equipment
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the Shrimp:
For the Orzo:
Instructions
Prep the Shrimp
2 lb raw shrimp, 1 tbsp olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Start the Orzo
1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic
8 oz dry orzo pasta
Simmer the Orzo
2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup 2% milk, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder
Sear the Shrimp
Sear shrimp for 1- 2 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Do this in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding.
Finish the Dish
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Serve or Store
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving.
- Calories
- 657 kcal
- Protein
- 63.8 g
- Fat
- 22.4 g
- Carbs
- 50.8 g
Full nutrition and how it’s calculated
All values are per serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Saturated Fat
- 9.03 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2.12 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8.82 g
- Trans Fat
- 0.47 g
- Cholesterol
- 403 mg
- Sodium
- 1,305 mg
- Potassium
- 982 mg
- Fiber
- 2.5 g
- Sugar
- 3.4 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 275 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 3.33 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.69 mcg
- Calcium
- 421 mg
- Iron
- 3.87 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$5.72 per serving · $22.87 for this batch
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- raw shrimp: $18.03
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Frozen Raw Peeled Deveined Tail-Off Small Shrimp · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.18
13.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic: $0.22
12 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
3 clove = 9 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Spice World Fresh Peeled Garlic, 6 oz, Pouch · Price checked 2026-09-21
- smoked paprika: $0.09
2.3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.3 g Four 2 oz jars; full multipack weight is 8 oz.
Walmart: (4 pack) Great Value Smoked Paprika, 2 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red pepper flakes: $0.03
0.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 1.8 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Crushed Red Pepper, 1.75 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- dry orzo pasta: $0.62
226.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Orzo Pasta, 16 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.18
13.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- unsalted butter: $0.24
28.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 14.2 g Salted butter reference; unsalted uses this as a substitute estimate.
Walmart: Great Value Salted Butter · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic: $0.16
9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
3 clove = 9 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Spice World Fresh Peeled Garlic, 6 oz, Pouch · Price checked 2026-09-21
- low-sodium chicken broth: $0.78
480 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 240 g Liquid carton treated as 32 US fl oz; stock uses the broth reference where applicable.
Walmart: Great Value Reduced Sodium Gluten-Free Chicken Broth, 32 oz Carton (Shelf-Stable) · Price checked 2026-09-21
- 2% milk: $0.09
122.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 245 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value, 2% Reduced Fat Milk, Gallon · Price checked 2026-09-21
- grated Parmesan cheese: $1.12
91.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 7.6 g Shredded Parmesan reference; grated products and brands may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.01
0.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 3.1 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.01
0.6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.4 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- chopped parsley: $1.03
7.6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 3.8 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Parsley, 0.5 oz Clamshell · Price checked 2026-09-21
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein63.8g39%
- Carbs50.8g31%
- Fat22.4g30%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
Toasting the orzo briefly before adding broth gives this recipe a different starting point from simply boiling pasta and covering it in sauce. Have the broth measured and nearby so the garlic and pasta do not keep browning while you fetch it. Once the liquid goes in, stir along the bottom periodically; small pasta can settle and catch while the top still looks fine. Stop the simmer with a little bite left in the orzo and some looseness in the sauce; the pasta will absorb more liquid as the containers sit in the fridge.
The shrimp cook in a separate skillet near the end, then fold into the Parmesan orzo after the sauce is ready. That keeps them from sitting through the entire simmer. Divide the shrimp deliberately across the portions, then spoon the orzo around them. It is an easy way to keep this shrimp meal prep consistent from the first container to the last.
Orzo will absorb more liquid as it sits, so loosen a refrigerated serving with a small splash of water or broth before heating. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Break up the dense center with a gentle stir and check the shrimp as well as the pasta. Add fresh parsley after heating if you have it. This belongs in the pasta rotation when you want a spoonable lunch rather than long noodles to untangle.
Notes from your kitchen
Tried it? Tell us how it went.
Leave a rating and tell us how it turned out. Swaps, tips, and questions welcome.
From the community
I built this because I wanted something creamy and savory that didn’t require babysitting the stove. Shrimp + orzo + garlic parmesan felt like the fastest path to something comforting. Let me know if you want to see more low-effort wins!