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 making spaghetti and meatballs with my mom and grandma. They veered from the traditional ingredients of meatballs in favor of a more Chinese-style, but the exotic taste paired with the spaghetti and sauce (also made from scratch) was amazing. It’s now our tradition!
……my first time having Carbonara with the man I eventually married. My love of Carbonara outlasted the love of the man.
When I was a child, my mom used to hang her homemade pasta over the dining room chairs to dry. Recently, I received a kitchenaid pasta attachment and was incredibly excited to use it for the first time. I spent hours deciding on a recipe, method, and type of pasta to make. So I made my pasta, and hung it over the back of my chairs just like my mom used to. I went to sit down afterwards, and from the other room, I hear a strange smacking sound. Thinking my dog was just cleaning herself or licking her bone, I didn’t think much of it..until I walked into the other room to find my pasta had disappeared and realized my dog was not licking anything, but was actually had decided to eat all of my pasta hanging from the chairs. Maybe not a favorite memory, so to say, but surely a memorable one that I will think of each time I make pasta.
My family has a recipe for Farfalle Leonardo that we made at least once a month when I was a child. As we got older, and healthier, we stopped making it as often. By the time I had children the dish was rarely served. So my middle child was roughly 6 by the time he got to try it. He ate 5 helpings in one sitting and asked for it for weeks afterwards. It’s become his birthday request meal for the last 6 years.
When I made Shrimp Scampi for the first time, it was a revelation. The recipe I made just really had the best butter, white wine and red pepper flakes sauce ever. Add the shrimp and I can eat the entire bowl myself! I always have to seriously try to not eat it all when I make it, haha.
My favorite pasta memory is my dad making burnt butter noodles with parmesan cheese. He says he picked it up from the Greeks: his first marriage when he was very young was a Greek lady. We all still eat it to this day. It’s a great side with steak or just by itself. He makes it the best, just like his burgers and everything else he makes!
My favorite pasta memory is the first time I made drunken noodles. I saw it on a blog I can’t remember the name of right now and I just had to make it. As I was slicing vegetables and sautéing and pouring in the wine, I realized how much I loved to cook.
P.s. I neeeeeed this braiser.
Omg, your photography is seriously so gorgeous. That photo w/ the peas pouring and the little individual water droplets?? Unreal.
Anyway, favorite pasta memory would probably be learning to make pasta from scratch in Italy. I remember at every turn of the gauge, my Italian “mamma” would have me say out loud which number we were on (in Italian since she didn’t speak English.) There were 6 gauges total and to this day I can only count to 6 in Italian. (Better than nothing!) ;)
Best pasta ever: My daughter was 4. she was an adventurous eater (lucky me!) and one day told me she wanted to eat a rainbow. We went to the produce stand and got red tomatoes, yellow peppers, snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, and some angel hair. We sauteed the vegetables with some garlic, them let them simmer n a little broth while the angel hair cooked. Tossed it together, and put a little bit of cheese on it at the table. she christened the recipe “Yummy Noodles” and drew a picture on the paper where we wrote it all down. Now, she’s 18 and we still eat a rainbow for dinner!
My favorite pasta memory is from my trip to Italy and BUCATINI ALL’ AMATRICIANA. I had never had it before and ate it as many times as possible. I have tried many versions at home and am getting closer to the perfection of that trip. It is just a handful of ingredients that marry to a bold and gutsy flavor. YUM!