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!
the first time I ate cacio e pepe. it reaffirmed that simple pasta is the best pasta.
I don’t have a favorite pasta memory, per se, but I have lots of fun memories–making homemade pasta with my husband for a totally from scratch lasagna is probably one of my favorite memories involving pasta
The first time I had true pasta carbonara is definitely my favorite pasta memory. I was part of an immersive language program in Genoa but took a trip to Rome for the 150th anniversary of the unification. It was a hot summer, the city was packed, and we were starving! but managed to find a tiny place that wasn’t too busy. I wasn’t super confident in my Italian yet so ordering at restaurants was still a little stressful for me but I’m pretty sure all of my language anxieties flew out the window after I started eating the GIANT plate of pasta that they brought me. I had to know how it was made! Peppery and perfectly rich, I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since! And think I’m getting close :)
My fave memory with pasta is eating home-made pasta with my host family in Florence, Italy when I studied abroad in college.
My favorite pasta memory (and there are many) is one where me and my mom cooked our first recipe together: tomato mozzarella rigatoni! It was a very simple recipe, but it was the first one where cooking was a collaboration between us, so it’s ingrained deeply in my mind :)
Thank you
My favorite recent pasta memory, was making your Caramelized Pork Belly Pasta for my brother and Mom last weekend! Three of us with very different likes/dislikes. As everyone dug in, it was sounds of slurping and oh my, oh this is the best, oh this is delicious, when can you make this again… zero leftovers :)
Yum, I’m salivating already. I’ve made a similar dish with clams many times, but scallops are a nice, fresh alternative. Thanks!
I have quite a few, growing up in an Italian house. But my favorite recent pasta memory was on my first trip back to New York after moving to LA. I went to Marea, by myself, on a spur of the moment trip and had a bowl of their amazing spaghetti with sea urchin and crab at the bar with a big glass of wine! It was the perfect meal on a gorgeous fall day as I watched all of the passers-by outside. I still look at the photo I took of that pasta on my phone!
I think my favorite pasta memory is making leftover pasta carbonara patties for breakfast. Read about it in a James Beard book somewhere.
My boyfriend is a catering chef, and one night a few months ago I was really craving carbonara, so I begged him to cook some for me. He insisted on putting in peas, which I thought was all wrong, and he used HALF A GALLON of heavy cream, plus an egg, plus about a pound of fresh Parmesan cheese, in the sauce. Then reduced it to about four or five servings. We ate less than a serving each and felt like we were going to die. It was SO heavy, but so delicious (he brought me around on the peas thing). We haven’t been able to even think about carbonara since then. I think the pot is still in the fridge because neither of us want to face it.