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 used to always love my friend’s mom’s filipino spaghetti (which is spaghetti with ground meat, hotdogs and lots and lots of ketchup!). I finally decided to make it at home one day after googling different recipes and shopping for the ingredients. I cooked it for my husband (then boyfriend) and several friends..and it was a success! I love to make it when I want some comfort food and don’t feel like making a whole bunch of dishes. The best part about it was that it was a one pot spaghetti!!
P.S. I’ve voted for you on Munchies twice already! :)
My fav pasta memory is my dad’s fresh basil pesto. It’s something I look forward to every summer. He told me if I picked all of the basil leaves, he would make the pesto. Nothing tastes better.
My 7th birthday. My mother gave me the greatest gift of all. The large can of Chef Boyardee meat ravioli, I always knew I wanted to cook and that was the inspiration for me. That was in 1966. I have continued to cook all my life specializing in Italian cooking- now I make my own Ravioli.
My favourite pasta memory was when I worked as a server for an nice restaurant. We had dishes that still make my mouth water, even after I had worked there for over a year… I never tired of the flavour combinations. This particular evening, as I was helping set up for dinner I had to walk to the back of the house and through part of the kitchen to grab more linens. Chef was preparing ravioli and I stopped to watch. He always sounded harsh when he spoke and he turned to say, “Aren’t you busy doing something else?” But this particular evening I responded, “I would rather be doing this,” and I pointed to the food. “Maybe one day when its slow, you can teach me how to make ravioli.” To my surprise, Chef pulled me off the floor that night and I spent the rest of the night learning how to make pasta and cut different noodles. It’s a skill I will always cherish!
We lived in a tiny apartment in NYC with our newborn baby boy. Exhausted to the point of hallucinations, and the stress of unsuccessful nursing had me at a pretty low point. My two best girlfriends brought dinner separately – noodle kugel from one and pappardelle bolognese from the other. From entirely different origins, these pasta meals were hands down, the most nourishing, savored, and appreciated as any I’ve ever had. It truly does take a village!
My favorite pasta memory was the day my sister-in-law made ragout for dinner when they (she and my brother) came to the States for vacation. She is Italian and grew up in Vicenza, Italy, so the ragout she made is Northern Italian. It had hints of clove and cinnamon and it was like no sauce I had ever tasted. Prior to that, I was accustomed to Italian-American red sauce (which I now know is similar to Sicilian or southern Italian sauce). She gave me her recipe and showed me how she makes it and now it’s the only red pasta sauce I ever make. So now I’m the one who gets to introduce friends, family, and coworkers to “real” pasta sauce.
The first time I made stuffed shells and ragu from scratch was. a. dream. I’ve never met a pasta I didn’t love, but didn’t experience the joy of making my own stuffed shells until about a year ago. I’ve since embarked on a homemade pasta love affair and cannot wait to make this lemon scallop pea pasta this week! (so thanks for the recipe!)
My family grew up eating a lot of pasta and for the longest time I only wanted butter on my pasta. I remember when I finally opened up to tomato sauce and other sauces on pasta, I was allowed to put more cheese on my pasta… and really what’s better than too much parmesan on pasta.
My favorite pasta memory has to do with my grandmother. My parents were not ones to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking. Fortunately, my grandmother exposed me to quality cooking early on. I specifically recall being repelled by her pasta sauce when I was very young because it wasn’t like the stuff I was used to eating. Within a year of having it served for several Sunday dinners with the family, I found it to be far superior to what my parents usually gave us with big chunks of veggies and meat. She made the whole thing from scratch which was an unknown possibility to me until that time.
My mom’s spaghetti pie. It sounds weird and it is truly lowbrow, but it’s my childhood and my mama and all that stuff in my memory. Plus, crispy spaghetti edges.