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 being about 14 years old and making my first spaghetti carbonado for my family. Everyone loves it except my brother who drowns it in ketchup. Sigh.
My favourite pasta memory was my first time making a pasta dish when I was 13 years old. :) I remember it was a basic tomato sauce one with spaghetti pasta. I still remember being inspired by one of Jamie Oliver’s youtube videos and running straight to the kitchen that afternoon to find some canned tomato sauce. When I got to serve the pasta to my parents, they were extremely happy, although I remember the sauce wasn’t seasoned too well and it was still a bit sour, I was extremely satisfied because that was my first time cooking something for my parents :) It was like finally saying a “Thank You” to them for all those years they have cooked for me and taken care of me.
This pasta sounds amazing! I’ve never tried one-pot pasta yet but this might be the one that pops my cherry ;)
For a favorite pasta memory…I’d have to pick two.
The first is more simple, family based. My family has an amazing macaroni and cheese recipe (with extra sharp cheddar, marinara sauce and bacon on top) and my grandmother used to make it every time my cousins and I would visit for the summer. I remember sitting in their dining room with the fading light from the day streaming into the windows as we all scarfed down our mac and cheese. The key to eating as soon as it arrived on the table without burning your mouth was to take two giant scoops and flattening it all out into a single layer on the plate with a fork!
My second favorite pasta memory was from the Italy Issue from Bon Appetit several years ago, I took the magazine from my hair salon and it changed my life. I learned about making sauces by hand (I used to be a “canned sauce” gal), cooking pasta al dente and finishing it in the sauce. It changed my life and how I look at food as well cooking.
Mine was eating Zio’s fetuccine alfredo with 5 cheeses as a kid. It was probably a 2000 calorie bomb but I finished it every time (I was a chubby middle school kid lol).
Now I tend to avoid it for lighter fare, but it’s hands down one of my favorite restaurant orders.
Whenever I think of pasta I think of spaghetti parties with me and all my little brothers when we were children. It was always really fun and really messy.
My favorite memory was of my and my sis trying to make homemade pasta from scratch. Sadly, it did not go well, but on the bright side, we appreciated good pasta after that.
The one I can most quickly recall was from back in January. A good friend of mine had just gotten promoted, and I had promised to make her cacio e pepe to celebrate. So, she and two other friends came over and we had a lovely little dinner party, complete with the nice china, good silver, flowers, and plenty of wine. I was so nervous that the cacio e pepe wouldn’t turn out; despite the dish being so simple, there are times I’ve made it that it just didn’t taste quite right. Nervous, but wanting to impress the guests, I started the water for the past and grated the parmesan into a huge, soft pile. Then the pasta went in the pot, until it was just done, and I made sure to set aside a measuring cupful of the cloudy, salted water before draining the noodles. A good pour of olive oil into the pot, the noodles back in, toss, water, toss, butter, toss, cheese, toss, pepper, toss, and keep repeating until the creamy sauce clings to the noodles and you remember that the best pleasures are the simplest ones when you can sit with close friends around the table and share a meal.
I first came across one-pot pasta as a little kid with a dish called shorba from my grandma. By no means traditional, it is an extremely spicy broth made primarily with a paprika-garlic paste (pilpelchuma), which then the noodles soak up and the left over broth thickens. It is my go to meal years later, and not a week goes by that i do not make it. Aside from the awesome taste, the memories of being in grandmas kitchen makes it my favorite pasta memory.
A family favorite is a pasta dish (broken into 2 inch pieces, and cooked with clam juice), with little neck clams. Thank you Ferran Adria for a recipe a normal person can prepare – and very much enjoy!
duuude best pasta memory is definitely finding kitchen scraps and pulling together a one pot spaghetti + left over mushrooms + whole tomatoes + lots of garlic delicious dish! Garlic can make anything good!