Lemon Angel Hair with Scallops and Vegetables
Lemon Angel Hair with Scallops and Vegetables was a beautiful accident. This pescatarian Mediterranean Diet feast is so good, I am dreaming of it while writing. But, this recipe was not planned. Last week was crazy busy and my planned-for-menu did not occur as scheduled. One weeknight I came home very late, what was planned was not going to happen. Instead I made a favorite dish of famed chef Giada de Laurentiis – Lemon Spaghetti. I did not have any spaghetti on hand and subbed in angel hair. It was tasty, but for my taste, I needed more – veggies, seafood, SOMETHING!
The recipe yielded a HUGE amount of pasta. My sweetheart and I enjoyed our dinner. It was a huge portion. Not one to waste food, I saved it for leftovers. The next day, I used a small side for my infamous bento boxes lunches and still had pasta left over. The next night, I decided to do a refrigerator clean out, using my left-over lemon hair pasta. Voilà! Lemon Angel Hair with Scallops and Vegetables was born. WOWZER. It is truly one of the best pasta dishes I have ever made.
Pasta can be super easy to make. This recipe takes a couple of (albeit simple) steps. It is certainly a second step to first make Giada’s recipe. Lemon Angel Hair with Scallops and Vegetables will still be tasty with just regular angel hair pasta. I do suggest you start with the entire recipe as I outline it below or you will lose the lemon flavor. The acidity of the lemon and sweet basil is incredibly refreshing. Pairing the lemony pasta with the buttery, almost nutty, taste of the salted and caramelized onions is divine. Adding the sauteed-garlic mushrooms, Kalamata olives and roasted broccoli and you will understand why it is my new favorite.
Lemon Angel Hair with Scallops and Vegetables
It is hard to believe that this was just a casual weeknight dinner for my Sweetheart. I already have it back in the rotation for this week. Full disclosure, I did drizzle it with my favorite extra virgin olive oil from my favorite vineyard in Tuscany, Tenuta Torciano Winery. The particular oil I drizzled on this pasta is a lemon-infused olive oil. I am a lucky girl. If you do not have access to this oil, do not despair, a quality olive oil with or without the lemon, will add the subtle richness to perfect your dish. If you have read Olive Sunshine, you know how I value a quality olive oil for good health.
I love that pasta is allowed on the Mediterranean Diet. The perfect thing about this accidental Lemon Angel Hair with Scallops and Vegetables was I did not have much of the Lemon Angel Hair left. In Italy, my Sweetheart and I noticed that our meals had much smaller amounts of pasta. The same is true with this recipe. A smaller amount of pasta is not only more appropriate for the Mediterranean Diet plate but allows the scallops and vegetables to stand out. I know you will love this pasta. My friends often tell me I should open a restaurant. This dish would certainly be a mainstay if that unlikely event were to ever happen.
Olive Sunshine’s version of Lemon Spaghetti is a smaller portion with a few little tweaks. There are a few steps that make it more complex than it looks, but those steps are the reason this is such a tasty dish. Lemon Angel Hair with Scallops and Vegetables makes me smile. I hope you try it and enjoy it as well.
Ingredients
Lemon Pasta
Scallops and Vegetables
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
While the oven is preheating, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. The pasta should be al dente (firm and chewy).
While the pasta is cooking, combine the extra virgin olive oil, pecorino, and lemon juice.
Drain the angel hair pasta. Pour the lemon juice dressing over the pasta coating the pasta completely. Toss the lemon zest and basil throughout. Cover and set aside.
Liberally coat the broccoli and onions in olive oil and lightly salt with sea salt and place on a baking sheet in the preheated oven. Roast the broccoli until soft and just browning, about 15 minutes. The onions will have a caramelized look.
While the vegetables are roasting. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and lightly season with table salt. Liberally coat the scallops with freshly ground black pepper. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Carefully spread it around the hot pan. Add the scallops making sure they do not touch. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Do not stir or move the scallops around. The scallops should be golden with a light crisp before flipping. Remove each scallop carefully and place on a paper towel.
To the same hot pan used to cook the scallops (without wiping) add another drizzle of olive oil, and the sliced mushrooms. Salt the mushrooms lightly with sea salt. Cook 5-7 minutes until browned, stirring frequently.
Approximately one minute before the mushrooms are finished, add the tablespoon of minced garlic and the sliced Kalamata olives. Cook together stirring constantly. Turn the heat to low.
To the pan with the mushrooms and olives, add the broccoli and onions from the oven and the lemon angel hair making sure to add all the dressing to the skillet. Stir until combined. Turn off the heat.
Top the angel hair pasta and vegetables with the scallops. Serve immediately.
I have a one skillet Spaghetti dinner that I will be trying very soon. All the right stuff should make it a wonderful meal.