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 the linguini and clams that is part of our once-a-year 7 fishes italian dinner. My grandmother would spend 3 days in the kitchen preparing for the christmas eve feast, and the bowl-as-big-as-you-head of linguini and clams was always the crowning jewel! Since her passing, we have kept the 7 fishes dinner alive, and it is the meal i most look forward to every year!
i loved when my mom would make pasta with home made pesto in the summer .. it was such a summer dish and she would add fresh tomatoes from our garden!
My favorite pasta memory is how my failed pizza making attempt turned into a pasta :) I was baking a pizza from scratch for the second time, but for some reason the crust would not bake. Not wanting to waste a whole pizza, my mom and I just scraped off the toppings of the pizza (cheese, pizza sauce, veggies, etc) and mixed it with some more sauce and plain pasta. Not the tastiest of dishes, but definitely still good! Proves you can transform pasta in a million different ways.
I have a recipe for gnocchi drowned in a tomato broth. It’s so easy to make the gnocchi ahead and freeze. I’ve gotten in the habit of making this dish for friends that are new parents. It’s traditional to bring the new parents some meals to stick in the freezer, but what I love doing is actually coming over and cooking them a decadent meal. I’ve done this for several friends and theses evenings just turn out to be the best. I pre-make the gnocchi at home and put together the broth at my friends’ place. I finish it with some crusty bread and fresh shaved parm. Paired with some red wine and greens makes for a fantastic meal that brings a smile to any tired new parent’s face. It’s so fun to spend some time with friends, and it’s become a great tradition to celebrate new babies!
I’ve been very fortunate to have lived abroad in Europe and to have tasted some seriously amazing pasta, but my “favorite pasta memory” has to be when my boyfriend and I made spaghetti alla carbonara in the apartment. The NY Times’ detailed carbonara recipe was definitely an upgrade from our usual noodles plus sauce-in-a-jar ordeal but it was fun to share the strugs.
To be honest, I hate cheese and unfortunately have never been wooed by a gourmet cheese platter or a warm grilled cheese sandwich. That being said, prior to that night, spending money on parmesan and pecorino for a dinner dish was unheard of in my history with Chase. It’s one of those things that my boyfriend has been doing to me ㅡintroducing me to new experiences beyond my comfort zone. Cheese happens to be one of them. As cheesy as this sounds (get ittt), it was a good time cooking and eating the carbonara together, smiling inconspicuously here and there knowing that he was good for me.
xoxo.
My favorite memory of pasta making was when I made dinner for my then boyfriend/now husband’s family. He was helping me in the kitchen (a carbonara inspired linguine with eggs, cheese, spinach, and prosciutto) and when I asked him to drain the pasta into the colander in the sink, he proceeded to dump the pasta into the colander which turned over with the pressure and all the pasta drained into the garbage disposal. Luckily my guests didn’t mind waiting for me to boil more pasta (thank goodness I had more) and the pasta dish still turned out okay :)
best memory of pasta is the first time i made it for my mom who came to visit me for my graduation :)
My favorite pasta memory is when I was about 2 years old and my mom made this amazing spaghetti that my sister and I decided to get all over our heads. Ther a a picture to prove it.
When I was little, I hated spaghetti with meat sauce, which was (and is) my Dad’s favorite so any time it came up on the dinner menu, my mom would set aside some of the freshly cooked noodles for me before they all got mixed into the sauce and she would season them with butter and soy sauce — simple asian-american fusion way ahead of its time.
I don’t think I’ve had that combination even one since I was I was a kid, but I always look back on my ‘special’ dish fondly.
One of my favorite pasta memories is going to the Spaghetti Warehouse with my Dad when I was younger. At the time, I didn’t particularly like tomato-based sauces, and going there meant I could get Alfredo sauce. :)