Amazing Bay Scallops Pasta

You will feel like a 5-star Italian chef when you make this bay scallops recipe! Parmesan Bay Scallops served with a decadent tomato butter pasta. 

Feelings. I have them. And you know what I do with unwanted feelings? I eat them. If you find me in the kitchen cooking Italian food, like this bay scallops pasta recipe, you can be certain I’m working through some powerful emotion. 

You know what’s good for helping you deal with unwanted feelings? Pasta. Lots and lots of it, drenched in a tomato sauce from one of the best Italian cooks in history! I got the inspiration for the SAUCE for this bay scallops recipe from one of my favorite old cookbooks. 

I’m a bit of a weirdo in that I’m obsessed with vintage cookbooks. I don’t want today’s Better Homes and Garden’s cookbook; I want the vintage edition with the Jello mold salads and rack of lamb with mint jelly.

A few years ago, I spotted an old copy Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking in a thrift store. I snatched it up! It’s since become one of my favorites, as evidenced by the sauce splattered pages.

Marcella is famous for her Tomato, Butter and Onion Sauce and it has become one of my favorite pasta sauces! And this famous sauce is the sauce I use on this bay scallop recipe today.

Putting butter in tomato sauce sounds a bit strange perhaps. But what it does for the tomatoes is pure magic. It makes the canned tomatoes taste fresh, somehow. The sauce comes out velvety and rich. It’s incredible!

I considered a protein to top this pasta and landed on scallops. This cookbook also sold me on the appeal of bay scallops. Realistically, we can’t afford to eat sea scallops very often, but sweet little bay scallops help us scratch our “scallop itch” are so easy to cook!

Where do you buy bay scallops? I find mine in the freezer section at ALDI. For real! 

The cook time on these scallops is less than two minutes total! Get your sauce and pasta started, then cook the scallops right before you’re ready to eat. They’re best when they are piping hot, so don’t let them sit too long.

Recipe Substitutions

Of course, there are always tweaks you can make to this original recipe to make it your own! Since this recipe uses simple ingredients, it’s easy to dress up a bit.

Here are some suggestions:

• I skipped a fresh herb garnish, but if you’d like to add one, I recommend torn flat-leaf parsley or fresh basil. 
• Add a handful of fresh spinach to the sauce a few minutes before it’s done for extra veg. Mushrooms are also a welcome addition. 
• To add garlic flavor to the sauce, smash 4-5 cloves garlic and add them along with the onions. 
• Can’t find bay scallops? You can substitute small shrimp. But you will need to add 2 minutes to the cook time.
• Add some heat by adding a hefty pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce. 
• Make the sauce creamy by adding a splash of heavy cream to the sauce right before serving.

Serving Suggestions

I think this scallop pasta recipe is perfect is perfect for a special dinner when served with an Italian side salad, garlic bread and a crisp glass of pinot grigio!

Saving Leftover Scallop Pasta

Leftover pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 minutes. I recommend reheating gently in a skillet rather than using the microwave, otherwise the scallops may get tough.

I hope you love this bay scallop pasta as much as I do! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below.

Bay Scallops Pasta Recipe with Tomato Butter Sauce

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Author: Michelle Goth

Your family will love this bay scallop pasta recipe! It's dressed with a simple homemade tomato sauce, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

4.86 from 7 ratings

Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

 

½x1x2x

• ▢ 1.5 pounds spaghetti, or angel hair pasta

For the sauce:

• ▢ 28 ounces canned whole tomatoes, peeled
• ▢ 5 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1/2 onion, yellow, small, skin removed

For the scallops:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 pound bay scallops, thawed
• ▢ 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
• ▢ 2 teaspoons parsley, dried
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

 

• Cook spaghetti according to package instructions in a large pot of lightly salted water. Once al dente, strain and lightly dress the pasta in olive oil to keep noodles from sticking together.
• While the pasta cooks, start the sauce. In a medium saucepan, add tomatoes. Rough crush the tomatoes with your hands. Add butter and onion. Set to simmer on low heat for 30-45 minutes, stir occasionally. Before straining the pasta, add 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the tomato sauce. The starchy water will help thicken the sauce.
• About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, start the scallops. Rinse the scallops, then pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Make the scallops: In a large skillet (oven safe), add olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until it gets fragrant.
• Add scallops to skillet in a single layer. Sear for 20-30 seconds (seriously, that's it), Remove skillet from heat.
• Turn your oven broiler to high. Add breadcrumbs, parsley and parmesan to the scallop skillet, and stir to combine. Add the skillet to the top rack of the oven and broil for a little less than one minute. This will help toast the breadcrumbs and finish cooking the scallops.
• Finally, finish the sauce. Remove the onion pieces out of the sauce and discard.
• Dress noodles with tomato butter sauce, then top with a scoopful of the scallop mixture.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs (optional). Serve warm.

Serving: 1, Calories: 986kcal, Carbohydrates: 147g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 967mg, Potassium: 1044mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 707IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 177mg, Iron: 5mg

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a review or share a photo on Instagram.

Like this Parmesan Scallops with Tomato Butter Spaghetti recipe? I think that you’d also love my Crab Linguine Carbonara or Walnut Bourbon Pork Tenderloin.

If you love this bay scallops recipe, I think you’ll also enjoy this Easy Scallop Scampi and my Pan Seared Scallops in Vermouth Cream Sauce!