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!
Let’s see…I think my favorite pasta memory would be making a Harvest Mushroom Pasta early in my marriage and having both myself and my husband realize how much we love the pairing of dill and mushrooms. I had never thought of that combination and it seriously changed my life. That recipe has been a staple for the past 6 years, especially when we are looking to make a vegetarian meal!
My favorite pasta memory happened pretty recently. After hours of watching cooking shows, I decided to make my own ragu and fresh pasta since everyone makes it sound so easy (It’s just eggs and flour!). So while the ragu simmered for 3 hours, my boyfriend and I made tagliatelle from scratch. It was a lot of upper body strength involved, especially since we didn’t have a pasta machine. I don’t know how Italian grandmothers do it!
Anyway, the tagliatelle turned out horribly, but the sauce was amazing. It sounds like such a fail moment as a novice in the kitchen, but I learned how to make the best out of a bad situation. I also thought it was really sweet the way my SO tried to convince me that it “wasn’t that bad” even though it really was. Plus, the ragu was still amazing.
Spending a semester in Italy in college made me love pasta so much i returned to the US 10 pounds heavier! It was all worth it.
My favorite recent pasta memory was my daughter eating cavatelli with pesto in Rome this summer. Pure. Joy.
I have a strong and abiding love for pasta, and still get really excited when I get to eat it. When I was little, my dad used to always let me test it to see if it was finished. Not a big deal, but for a pasta lover like me it felt like I was winning since I got to eat it before anyone else. Now I also know that my Italian American father wanted to make sure his daughter knew how to tell when pasta was cooked properly.
Favorite pasta memory–I was drunk and sitting in my college’s roommate’s kitchen. Really, it was his mom’s kitchen because our dorm had closed for summer and we were staying the night there. We’d been involved in a super-intense game of quarters because our on-the-spot thinking told us that this might increase the chances of me getting on my morning flight without a hangover. He boiled some pasta, then drained it way too early and handed me a noodle. “Dude,” I told him, “this is not fit for anyone’s mouth.” “That’s what she said,” he responded, and threw the noodles into a white wine tomato cream sauce he had going on the stove. After a couple of minutes, he plated it–the most silky, sauce-attracting pasta I’d ever had. Living in a dorm and eating campus food with someone can disguise their mad culinary skills. Kind of a bro-story, I know, but I still often use the tip I learned (and somehow remembered) from that night: leave pasta way underdone when you drain it, then finish it in sauce.
For the past couple of years my good friends will gather on Sunday nights to cook meals together, drink good wine or a specialty cocktail, and catch up on life. We decide on a meal before and either bring the dishes or cook together. Some of the best meals we’ve created are homemade pastas, especially ravioli. Store-bought ravioli doesn’t compare to rolling out your own dough, creating specialty fillings, and topping it with homemade tomato sauce and fresh parmesan. The time spent with good friends helps, too!
I still remember the first time I made carbonara. Eye opening! So rich and delicious!
My favorite pasta memory is when my dad made a horrible, horrible attempt at homemade lasagna. He is not really a cook and thought it would be sweet to make a home-cooked meal for the family. He had a recipe, but decided to improvise A LOT! He used slices of Kraft American cheese between the noodles. It was disgusting! But oh so hilarious!
My grandmother is from Napoli, Italy. Whenever we didn’t feel well she made us Pastina with butter and a little cheese. I’m 40 years old and I still make this for myself when I am under the weather. Even though it’s simple, it’s never like my grandmas.