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!
My favorite pasta memory is a testament to what parents will do for their kids. I was in 5th grade and really wanted to make dinner for my family, so mom brought out the pasta, meat and jarred sauce (midwestern family, we weren’t fancy) and let me have at it. I learned the hard way that you had to boil the water before tossing the pasta in. Whoops. Mom and Dad ate the ENTIRE helping that I dished up for them and kept telling me that I was a wonderful cook. To this day, if they’re visiting and I make them a meal, I don’t know whether or not to believe them if they compliment my much improved culinary skills.
Favorite pasta moment was when I was a kid wandering into a bulk store and they sold ONLY pasta. All shapes and sizes – PLUS THE COLORS! Then I got to see a paster maker in action! 8 year old me nearly peed myself in excitement and immediately when I got back home I made pasta through a similar looking playdough machine and ate it. All of the playdough. I was not the brightest bulb.
My funniest pasta memory is from childhood when my mom used to make homemade mac n cheese. She would toil over the stove making the special white sauce, waiting for it to thicken. At the time, whenever she would make it we would just complain saying “eww I liked the box stuff better!”. How naive! It wasn’t until later in life that I realized how delicious it was!
I’m definitely trying this lovely springtime one pot pasta dish!
My fav pasta memory has to be me and my younger siblings sneaking the mushrooms in my mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce onto each other’s plates when no one was looking… We were very picky eaters when we were kids!
My favorite pasta memory involves making homemade gnocchi and cavatellin with my Italian American roommates and their cousins in new haven! It was fun and delicious!
I lived in Yunnan, China for two years. On my last night in Yunnan, I went to a wild mushroom hot pot restaurant. First, they cooked wild mushrooms with a whole chicken. You were not allowed to eat the mushrooms for 15 minutes, because the servers said that they were poisonous up until the 15 min. mark. Then, the servers filled your bowl with the mushroom and chicken goodness.. Then, the chef came up and made pulled Chinese noodles 拉面 right in front of us and tossed that in the already amazing mushroom chicken broth. It was epic and arguably the tastiest meal I have ever had.
This is a tough one because there’s so many… But I think my favorite pasta memory was making a giant pan of white cheddar mac and cheese, eating a little bowl with my dad, and then taking the rest to share with the homeless people living near my street. The looks on their faces when they ate a spoon of the hot pasta is something I will never forget.
Favorite pasta memory: making Marcella Hazan’s eggplant pasta for the first time. I never have success with eggplant, but somehow created the most delicious, creamy pasta with this recipe! It was delicious and immediately added to my regular rotation. Ultimate comfort food.
Making spaghetti with my grandmother. Everytime I make her sauce recipe, it brings back memories of playing around with her in the kitchen…
Watching a video of me at four years old having a tantrum because I hated spaghetti and refused to eat it. Now, if I could eat it every day for dinner and get away with it, I would!