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 was making a scallop risotto for my mom’s birthday. It was my first time cooking with white wine and I didn’t simmer long enough after pouring the wine in, so upon serving I realized the pasta still tasted like alcohol. But of course my mom finished everything that was on her plate :’)
My pasta memory is taking a pasta making class with my husband. Best part was being able to eat what we created.
My favorite pasta memory is making spaghetti with broccoli and garlic for my son when he was seven years old. He has been a picky eater all his life, even now in college. Part of the reason is that he has many food allergies, he has learned to be careful with what he eats. He loves broccoli, the only vegetable that he willingly eats with joy since childhood. He also loves bacon, I have to say bacon is probably his favorite food since age three. I saw this recipe in the annual church cookbook and it was spaghetti with bacon and broccoli. I made it, it came together in about 30 minutes or so. I remember the smile on his face to this day, the perfect combination of food he loves–noodles, broccoli, garlic, and lots of bacon. Yum! It is something I make now at least twice a month for dinner and I always make it at least once whenever he comes home from college. It is the food of a happy house.
This looks so delicious!! My favorite pasta memory is my mom teaching me how to make my grandmother’s pasta sauce – meaty and almost like chili! So simple, but every time I eat it, it reminds me of my Nini and makes me instantly happy. I took that recipe with me to college and it was the one thing I knew how to make *well* for my roommates. <3
You know the trick “Cooked spaghetti will stick to the ceiling”? When my mom first taught us that trick, my brother and I ended up with more pasta on the ceiling, on the floor and on our heads than in our bellies!
My favorite pasta memory would have to be my sister making pasta for my brother and I when my parents were away. It was plain pasta and jar sauce – it was decent, nothing special. What made it memorable was the three of us eating a boat load because my sister never heard of portion control cooking. Here comes the epic part: we had a plate left over and we each definitely had at least three portions too many. She didn’t want leftovers so she made me eat it. I became violently ill. Now, you wonder why it’s my favorite pasta memory? Because brothers/sisters do stupid things but we laugh about it years later. Every time we have pasta, we whip this story out and we laugh and laugh and laugh. Wasn’t funny then but hilarious now. Imagine laughing…because of pasta. Best memories of food is because of the people you’re sharing it with.
Stuffed shells
My favorite pasta memory is eating rigatoni with a simple red sauce at a Tuscan villa in Florence. Beautiful summer day eating outside in the garden while the cooks brought antipasto, pastas, and desert. The simplicity but freshness and brightness of the tomato sauce was a revelation.
My favorite pasta memory is one of time spent with my grandmother. She used to cook spaghetti pretty frequently and I loved playing with the cold linguine noodles that she would set to the side for me. I enjoyed pretending to be a “little bird” eating my worms.
I loved spaghetti night when I was a kid. My mom would always make the best sauce and the whole house smelled great!