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!
I love your blog! You have such a great voice – it’s definitely inspiring! My favorite pasta memory is about the time I truly cooked a meal all by myself for my friends in college. I didn’t have any cooking background at the time and I never learned any kitchen skills from my mother (my mistake, not hers), so it was a true undertaking. My mom was kind enough to supply me with her slow simmered pasta sauce recipe and I went about preparing everything that morning so it could cook all day long. I didn’t want to do just regular ol’ spaghetti though – no, no, I had to make lasagna. After spending ALL day in the kitchen, I then put together a 10 lb pan of lasagna for everyone and was terrified at the results. Thankfully, it turned out delicious and everyone raved about it, which ultimately inspired me to learn more about cooking. Now it’s one of my favorite things to do!
Best pasta memory of all time was wild boar pappardelle ragu at a small hole-in-the-wall outside Cavriglia, Italy! The red wine, fresh rosemary, and hand rolled pasta was to die for!!
Learning my Italian grandmothers meatball recipe, it was an amazing day that i hope to share with my children or grandchildren one day.
I love pasta. I love pasta so much that one time I came home from work starving and waited for eons upon eons for water to boil. Then, I proceeded to pour bits and ends of various leftover pasta shapes into the pot of water. I waited and waited for the pasta to finish boiling even though I was starving, starving, starving. Finally, the pasta was ready and I poured the pasta into a colander. A wide, metal colander with holes large enough for pieces of ditalini and penne to fall through. I was starving and mad at my pasta. And I did the whole thing over again just so I could get a bite.
I love making pasta with my grandmother and her old pasta press.
Exciting giveaway! I didn’t grow up with a lot of pasta (hello Midwest), so my favorite pasta memory is actually when I first “perfected” pasta alla vodka (Ina’s recipe)…not only did everyone love it, but I’d done a few trial runs and was comfortable enough making it that I was able to enjoy my company and host (nearly) stress free. Hosting isn’t easy! It was a pretty exciting grown up moment for me. (Love your blog!)
Growing up I would go to my great-grandmothers house and she would always make spagetti with a meat sauce and a simple salad. It was so basic but I loved it.
My favorite pasta memory is from when I was little – and every year for my birthday we would go to a restaurant in downtown Toledo OH called The Spaghetti Warehouse. My brother, sister, and I would go wild over the games they had and they even had a fortune teller there – but what we really went crazy for was the spaghetti and meatballs. It was delicious pasta with GIANT meatballs. It was just great food and a great experience to spend time with and celebrate with the whole family :)
Ah! Eating fresh delicious pasta in the countryside of Tuscany! Doesn’t get much better than that! :)
My favorite pasta memory are those of when I was in middle school. During the summer, I would attend a special church conference that was for young people like myself. During that time, we would stay with Christian families who lived in that area. I remember one summer, the family I stayed with cooked us a delicious spaghetti dinner. I remember how good I thought it was – how tasty and satisfying. I remember thinking toyself that I could eat that everyday! From that time on, I’ve always had a special spot for spaghetti! :)