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!
Gnoicchi, lots of chesse and garlic. Yum! It was the night before my marathon and I wanted carbs carbs carbs. It was delicious and provided me with what I needed the next day.
My husband and I were visiting San Cristobál de las Casas in Chiapas Mexico. We had failed to book a hotel room in advance thinking it would be easy to find a room. We were wrong and thought we might have to spend the night in the bus station. Nevertheless, we still needed to eat dinner. We passed a teeny tiny restaurant with just a wooden few tables located in on a nondescript side street and decided to go for it. The cook was a gracious woman who served us an amazing dinner. The main course was delicious pasta with tomatoes and vegetables. The experience turned what could have been a bad travel story into one of my favorite travel memories (and we did find a place to stay in the end).
My favorite pasta memory is having seafood pasta on one of my first dates with my now husband.
I love spaghetti bolognese! I grew up eating it as a kid and now make it for my kids!
I used to make spaghetti for my family when I was growing up from crappy Costco sized jugs of tomato sauce, and added my own seasonings. These seasonings probably did nothing to make the pasta better. Still, my first forays into cooking, so it remains a fond memory.
My favorite pasta memory is pretty hilarious. My Italian friend had us over to her house for a small little get together before I moved out of the country. We had homemade legit Italian cheese ravioli with pesto sauce. The ravioli bits were very large, none of that American small sized ravioli business! I was pretty hungry and as soon as they brought it out I voiced my concern, “I don’t think that’s enough ravioli for all of us…” She said not to worry that we would all fill up and to trust her. About 40 mins later, I looked over to her and I said with a guilty-like conscious, “I sure hope there is more ravioli.” After that, all my friends burst out laughing and I enjoyed another heaping portion of delicious homemade meal :)
My grandma used to make us elbow macaroni with butter and gobs of Locatelli cheese when we visited her as kids. I thought she was genius and for the longest time it was the only way I would eat pasta (and by longest time I mean until I was approximately 16 years old).
My favorite pasta memory is eating spaghetti al fresco in Salzburg on a perfect summer day.
I remember making lasagna from scratch the 1st time. I was fairly nervous as it always seemed kind of intimidating and I’m a self-taught cook, so I just kind of went with it. Thankfully, I seem to be a natural at cooking and it came out incredible! I still love lasagna and love to make it, and try different variations of it. Keep up the great work, I love the site!
My favourite pasta memory is from when I was twelve and my dad and I would cook every Sunday. We particularly loved Italian food and so we decided to make our own tagliatelle and pesto… I never have anything like it without remembering the fun I used to have with my dad and the mess we made that day! A firm favourite of mine and I still make it when I visit my parents! Pasta is always a good memory