Greek Shrimp Quinoa Bowls (Easy Weeknight Meal)
These Greek shrimp bowls are one of my favorite easy meals when the weather starts getting warmer. The shrimp cooks quickly, the veggies keep everything feeling fresh, and the whole meal comes together with simple ingredients like quinoa, hummus, cucumber, tomatoes, and store-bought Greek dressing. If you already have quinoa cooked, this can easily be a 10-minute dinner. It’s light without feeling unsatisfying and has become one of those recipes I come back to over and over again during the summer.
I spend a lot of time creating recipes that are quick, realistic, and easy to fit into everyday life, especially during seasons when cooking feels harder than usual. Meals like this are exactly what helped me through cooking burnout because they rely on simple ingredients, minimal cooking, and flavors that still feel fresh and exciting. Even when I don’t feel like chopping vegetables, this recipe still works. You can use a veggie chopper to make prep easier or simplify it even more with easy vegetables like broccoli and extra dressing. The goal is always to make dinner feel manageable, not complicated.
If you’re into quick summer meals like this, you might also love my salsa verde shrimp bowls, blackened shrimp bowls, BBQ salmon tacos, or pineapple chipotle chicken tacos. Same fresh, low effort energy, just different flavors to keep dinner interesting.
Ingredient Spotlight
- Frozen Peeled & Deveined Shrimp – I always use frozen shrimp that’s already peeled, deveined, and tail-off. It keeps this recipe quick and low effort since all you have to do is thaw and cook the shrimp.
- Store-Bought Greek Dressing – Using a store-bought Greek dressing keeps this recipe incredibly simple. If you don’t have Greek dressing, Italian dressing works too. You can also make a quick homemade version with olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning.
Step by step instructions
In a bowl combine shrimp, salt, garlic powder and greek dressing. Stir well. When skillet is preheated, add the shrimp. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, flip and cook 1-2 minutes more. Thinly slice the cucumber, chop the red onion and slice the tomatoes. Add the veggies toa bowl with salt, garlic powder and greek dressing. Stir well to combine. Reheat the quinoa to warm it through. Assemble the bowls. Add quinoa, shrimp, cucumber tomato salad and hummus. Garnish with dill (optional).
Tips for success
- Quick shrimp thawing method – Forgot to thaw the shrimp overnight? Place the sealed bag in a bowl of cold water and swap the water every 15–20 minutes. It should thaw in under an hour.
- Meal prep quinoa ahead of time – I like to cook large batches of quinoa and freeze it in portions so meals like this come together even faster.
- Use rice or cauliflower rice instead – Not feeling quinoa? Rice or cauliflower rice both work great here.
- Instant Pot quinoa is the easiest option – Quinoa cooks in under 15 minutes in the Instant Pot, which keeps this recipe quick and low effort.
Easy Greek Shrimp Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp
- 3/4 teaspoon salt - divided
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder - divided
- 2 tablespoons greek dressing
- 3 cups cooked quinoa - see below for how to make with dry quinoa
- 1 cup tomatoes
- 1 medium english cucumber
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 3 tablespoons greek dressing
- 1/2 cup hummus
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh dill - chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add shrimp, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 2 tablespoons greek dressing to a bowl. Stir well.1 pound shrimp, 0.5 teaspoon sea salt, 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons greek dressing
- When skillet is preheated, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 2 minutes.
- Flip shrimp and cook 1-2 more minutes.
- Chop the tomato, thinly slice the cucumber into half moon circles and chop the red onion. Add the veggies to a clean bowl with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 2-3 tablespoons greek dressing. Stir well.0.25 teaspoon sea salt, 0.25 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 cup tomatoes, 1 medium english cucumber, 1/2 medium red onion, 3 tablespoons greek dressing
- Reheat quinoa in a skillet or in the microwave. If you need to cook quinoa, add 1 cup dry quinoa and 1.5 cups water to instant pot and cook for 1 minute high pressure. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes than manually release.3 cups cooked quinoa
- Serve the bowls by adding quinoa to the bowl and topping it with the cucumber tomato salad, shrimp, hummus and a sprinkle of fresh dill.1/2 cup hummus, 2-3 tablespoons fresh dill
Recipe Notes
- Make sure the shrimp is fully thawed – Drain off any excess liquid before cooking so the shrimp can brown properly instead of steaming.
- Cook shrimp in a hot skillet – Shrimp cooks very quickly. Cook for about 2–3 minutes on the first side, then about 1 minute after flipping.
- Watch for the “C” shape – The shrimp is done when it turns opaque and curls into a tight “C” shape.
- Storing leftovers – Store the shrimp, quinoa, and vegetables separately for the best texture. These bowls are great for meal prep and keep well for about 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Easy Additions for Greek Shrimp Bowls
These bowls are great as is, but if you already have any of these on hand, they’re delicious additions:
- Roasted red peppers
- Pickled red onions
- Pepperoncini peppers
- Crumbled feta if you tolerate dairy
- Chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
