One pot pastas have been an obsession of mine ever since I saw them pop up on the internet. I’m pretty sure the first one I ever came across was Martha’s, but I never actually got around to making it. Years went by and I finally, finally got around to giving one pot pasta a try and oh my gosh, I can honestly say I do not know why I went all those years without making it.
To be honest, I was a little skeptical of one-pot pastas. I didn’t really understand how everything could come together. I’ve always, always cooked pasta separately – even when I’m making a noodle soup, I’ll cook the noodles on the side and then add them into the broth. So it was with a bit of hesitation that I made this. I went with some super spring-time flavours because the past week has just been absolutely gorgeous. Of course today is incredibly gloomy again – spring isn’t here just yet.
While I’m waiting for those bright and fresh spring days, I’ll be filling up on one-pot meals. This came together quickly and I was really pleased with the silkiness of the sauce. Lots of pasta recipes actually call for a bit of pasta water to bind – the starch that is released when pasta is cooked is similar to the starch released when you make a risotto, so the theory behind one pot pasta is sound. The result: a silky, slightly sticky thick sauce flavoured with garlic, red pepper flakes, much like the classic aglio e olio. I didn’t use any cheese in this recipe and I found that I didn’t miss it at all. Don’t forget the squeeze of lemon at the end – it adds just the right amount of brightness and acid to go with the scallops.
I hope you guys give this recipe a try! And to encourage you even more, I’m hosting a giveaway of the braiser I used to make it! See below for details.
One-Pot Lemon Scallop Pea Spaghetti Recipe inspired by The Faux Martha
serves 3-4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lb small scallops
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 pound spaghetti
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup juice)
- 3/4 cup peas, defrosted
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
- red pepper flakes, to serve
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Pat the scallops dry and season all sides generously with salt and pepper. Heat up a small amount of olive oil over medium high heat and cook the scallops until golden brown on both sides, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is slightly golden, but not brown, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and uncooked pasta. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low. Cover and cook for 8 minutes.
Remove the cover and simmer to reduce the sauce, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the scallops, defrosted peas, lemon juice, lemon zest, and flat leaf parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and enjoy hot!
Giveaway: I’ve paired up with Le Creuset to give away one gorgeous braiser in the winner’s color of choice! I am seriously in love with mine – it’s perfect for making one-pot pastas!
Enter: To enter, leave a comment below with your favorite pasta memory. I want to hear ALL the details! I’ll randomly choose a winner and notify them through email. Open to US residents only. (Sorry international friends!) Also, if you’re feeling so inclined, please vote for me on the Munchies. It won’t get you an extra entry, but it will be bonus karma! Contest ends March 4th at 12pm PST. Good luck!
Update: Congrats Ace! Get ready for the one pot pastas because a braiser is heading your way! Keep your eyes peel for an email from me!
Ooh, I LOVE this post, Stephanie! Your photos are perfection, and one-pot pasta?! Amazingness!!
My favorite pasta memory… hmmm…
When I was around eight or nine years old my family and I went out to this fancy Italian restaurant (I don’t remember the name). I ordered plain pasta with some sort of garlic butter sauce and OMG! It was so good. I just remember having an amazing time with my lil bros, parents, and my cousin. <3
Thank you so much for the give away. My favorite pasta memory is learning for the first time that keeping the pasta water to dilute the sauce makes all the difference! I think in a way that is similar to the one-pot pasta concept in that you are using the starchy juices. A must try!
My first ever pasta memory would have been when I went to a birthday party in my early teens and it was at the Cheesecake Factory. All the girls were RAVING about the four-cheese pasta, so I was extremely intrigued. Upon tasting it, it blew my mind. Especially the soft ricotta. Funny though because ever since they started showcasing their calories, I have never gone back but I will never forget that pasta moment!
It has to be ravioli I ate in Italy. It was a cheese ravioli with a wonderful meat sauce. I’ve never forgotten it.
All the handmade pastas I’ve made with family and friends. And the delicious braised short ribs or lamb to go on top.
My favorite pasta memory is my mom packing a large serving of red sauce spaghetti with a ton of sauteed veggies for lunch. I would open up my thermos and it would still be slightly warm and the thought of what I had for lunch would make me anticipate eating it while in class.
My favorite pasta memory is from when my boyfriend and I took an Italian cooking class together. We are both inexperienced cooks (but not terrible), so it was a lot of fun to learn a recipe and have the chef right there to give us tips!
My mom and grandma make a HK-style macaroni and pork (or beef) kind of noodle soup. They would feed it to us as an after school snack or when we were sick, etc. To this day I still crave the macaroni soup and always feel a little nostalgic and sad when I get sick and realize I’m a grown-up who doesn’t live at home anymore and so must make my own macaroni soup.
my mom makes a town-famous pasta sauce – best part is, the base is prego so i can make it myself even while living across the country from her :)
the le creuset braiser looks beautiful, i was just looking for a braiser this weekend to try smitten kitchen’s braised beef with tomatoes and garlic and would love this one!
My favorite pasta memory is of making ravioli with my grandfather when I was a little girl. I used to pull up a chair to stand on (since I was too short to reach the counter on my own) and help him mix the dough and fill the pasta with cheese or meat. My grandfather would always give me a piece of the dough to create whatever I wanted with it. He truly nurtured my love of food and cooking by letting me be messy and creative in the kitchen. He taught me that food will always taste great if it’s made with love and shared with family and friends.