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 would be the first time my korean mom attempted spaghetti.. used the jarred sauce, but she doctored it up with tons of garlic, onions, shrimp and kielbasa sausage! it was one of the best spaghetti dishes ever. now, she makes it everytime i go home :)
My favorite pasta memory is making spaghetti and red sauce with a friend at age 9 or 10. We thought that adding extra seasonings to a jar of Prego made us such hotshots.
Sunday family gatherings for lasagna dinners at my grandparents house and the first time my husband and I made homemade pasta!
My favorite pasta memory is my mom’s spaghetti. She used to serve it with jarred pasta sauce to which she had added little cubes of firm tofu. When I was a kid, I thought that was how everyone ate their spaghetti!
It’s so hard to choose just one great pasta memory! I’d say it was when I made homemade spaghetti sauce for my whole family on a whim (had to make triple the normal amount) and even the pickiest eaters were wanting the recipe. It was a great feeling! That’s when I fell in love with cooking :)
Best pasta memory: in Montreal, in the middle of the summer, on an adventure with my new not-so boyfriend who is now my fiancé. We went on a day trip with my mom and ended up splitting up to look around. He and I got hungry and dipped into a restaurant to have bruschetta and carbonara to share. I have no idea what the restaurant was called or what street we found it on. But the pasta, oh the pasta, it was heavenly. Creamy, filling, bacony. If only I knew the name of the restaurant, we’d go back next time we are up north!
I would say my most interesting pasta memory is my mother’s lasagna. Growing up my mom would make it about once a month and I always looked forward to it. We are not an Italian family, so her lasagna was definitely an Americanized (is that a word?) version. The truly amazing thing was and is, my mother HATES cheese; she despises it. My mother won’t eat cheese flavored anything and can detect it from a mile away. She swears up and down that it tastes like soap. HA! So, you guessed it, my mom has never even tasted her own lasagna and it’s delicious. I can’t imagine making a dish and NEVER tasting it. Thanks mom, love you!!
I keep seeing pictures of one pot pasta but no one actually saying “Yes I did this and it actually worked as planned”… so thank you!!
Favorite pasta memory is a mushy one – I had had a really off week with the boyfriend, where we argued over some trivial and some not so trivial things but decided to get together anyways. I show up, and he’s made this thick, hearty meat sauce and spaghetti and we just scooped it into bowls and sat together on the couch and it was just this perfect moment of realizing we were gonna be ok. Yeah, I’m that girl. Love via stomach.
My mom’s lasagna, the burnt edges were the best part!
I think my fave pasta memory has to be my very first attempt making from-scratch mac & cheese. A friend had just had her first baby and I knew this cheesy dish would satisfy her craving and provide lots of comfort. It was amazing! The pasta wasn’t mushy and the roux didn’t burn…and my friend was very, very happy.