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!
Seeing the dining room table covered with homemade raviolis that my aunt and grandmother made from scratch–huge ravioli filled with sausage and swiss chard.
Yumm! Can’t wait to try this. I have sooo many great pasta memories, it’s actually hard to choose. My favorite is probably from a few years ago, at my grandparents’ house at the beach. My grandma taught me and my sisters how to make gnocchi – my favorite – from scratch. Something about clearing off a whole table or counter and getting flour all over the place to roll the dough is so much fun. And then we did what we do best- eat!
Angel hair pasta, pan seared scallops in lemon garlic basil sauce. It was the first dish my now husband made me on our first date!
My favorite pasta memory is when I made it with my niece and nephew. It was great seeing a ten and seven year old putting so much effort in making fresh dough and rolling it. The joy on my niece’s face when her spaghetti came out right. I wish I could attach a picture. But I have had some amazing pasta dishes, but one made by such innocence and love always end up tasting well.
My favorite pasta memory is having maccheroni alla mugnaia at Le Virtu in Philadelphia. The entire dish is actually composed of one giant 6ft long noodle! It’s toothy and chewy and delicate with such a delicious buttery flavor. The pasta itself is so flavorful that it only needs a very modest and simple sauce – olive oil, garlic, various hot peppers (plus more on the side served in a cute basket with a pair of scissors, for you to add yourself!), and garnished with parsley and pecorino. It was spicy and simple and delicious! I’m a big proponent of letting quality ingredients speak for themselves, so when something can be executed so simply and flawlessly, I’m sure to remember it for a long time!
Best pasta memory is from growing up in California in an immigrant family and seeing someone on TV make lasagna for the first time. My mom and I decided to make it and went and bought the flat noodles, ricotta cheese, etc, but forgot the basil, so we added whatever herb we had around the house (and some soy sauce to the tomato sauce, for you know, flavor). And covered it with cheese. So fun!
Lasagna is always a go to for me. If I see it, I want it. Just like you, Garfield was my inspiration!
Favorite pasta memory goes back almost 50 years….watching my italian grandmother make home-made pasta in her tiny apartment kitchen. She would lay out clean sheets on any flat suface she could find…beds, tables etc, and and place the pasta to dry. There was spaghetti/fettuccine and ravioli all over the apartment.
My mom was not the greatest cook, in my memory. But somehow her spaghetti was a family favorite, including me and my picky eating habits. I’m pretty sure it was just a can of mushrooms mixed with jar or canned tomato sauce, and maybe a little oregano or something… but we all loved it! I even tried recreating it when I first moved out on my own. Time has passed, mom is gone, and I have become a relatively decent cook in my old age! At least that’s what my family tells me :) Would put that braiser to good use for sure!
My favorite pasta memory was a dish I had in a hole-in-the-wall place in Paris. I wish I could remember the name of that place so that I could go back someday. Anyway, it was fresh, homemade pasta (tagliatelle), dressed in very fruity, delicious olive oil, dusted with Parmesan cheese, and completely covered in thinly shaved black truffles. It was the first time I had fresh truffles and I have been in love ever since. The simplest dishes are the best when working with such high quality ingredients.