Creamy Scallop Baked Pasta

Scallop baked pasta is one of my favorite dishes. It is simple to make and its creaminess makes it wonderful comfort food. I love scallops. In fact, I love all kinds of seafood! This is also a dish my husband enjoys whenever I made it. He loves baked scallops over pasta too.

The fact that this contains scallops makes it a gourmet baked pasta dish. Every time I make creamy scallop baked pasta, I make it slightly differently, so I offer different options in the recipe so you can tailor it to your own palate.

I like to add spinach or bell pepper, both for color and for nutrients and added flavor. I use frozen scallops because I don’t have much option where I live. I like to thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then pat them dry using plenty of paper towels.

I would not serve these by themselves but they are wonderful in a pasta dish or you could use them in a chowder or similar.

Scallop Baked Pasta: The Versatility of Scallops

Something else I like to do with scallops is combine them with shrimp, mussels and other shellfish and then toss with sesame oil, lemon juice and garlic to make an Asian salad, and that is really good too. But when we are in the mood for comfort food nothing beats this scallop baked pasta.

I made this creamy scallop baked pasta for some family members when they came over. I cooked the components of the dish beforehand and then spooned everything into a baking dish and topped it with cheese. I planned to keep it chilled then bake it, but the family were hungry so the dish went straight into the oven to get nice and hot!

Use any kind of pasta shapes – penne, twisty pasta, wheels, shells, anything you like. You can choose from whole wheat or white pasta too. The same goes for the veggies.

Throw in anything you want to use up. Just bear in mind the dish only goes into the oven to melt the cheese on top and heat it through. So if you are taking this dish directly from the stovetop to the oven, it will need far less time than if you want to make it and chill it for cooking 6 hours later, for example.

Creamy Scallop Baked Pasta is A Nice Dish to Make

Don’t be put off when you see 4 pots on the stove, because managing all of these at once is easy and you can drain and cover the pasta, keeping it warm until needed, or let anything else sit. As long as you combine everything and bake the dish for the right amount of time, it will come out perfectly.

I invented this creamy scallop baked pasta dish because I love pasta, I love scallops, and I had some of each to use up, and I was really pleased with the result and decided it didn’t need any tweaks, although of course you may tweak it if you wish.

And you might also like to discover how to make a white wine pasta sauce that’s easily as good as any restaurant sauce.

Victoria Haneveer

Pesto Spaghetti with Easy Baked Meatballs

Baked meatballs are healthier than fried ones, and these are delicious. Served on a bed of pesto-coated spaghetti, this makes a delicious and authentic Italian dinner which the whole family will love.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

 

• 8 oz (230g) dried spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
• 4 sprigs of fresh basil, for garnish (optional)

For the Meatballs

• 1 lb (450g) ground beef or pork
• 1 lightly beaten large egg
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• ½ minced small onion
• 2 tablespoons marinara or tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh rosemary, chopped fresh parsley and chopped fresh basil
• ½ cup (65g) regular or Italian breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup (25g) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix.
4. Take care not to over-mix unless you like tough meatballs.
5. Divide the mixture in half then repeat until you have 16 equal-sized meatballs.
6. It is best to do this with wet hands so you can shape them better without having them cracking.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
8. While they are baking, cook the spaghetti following the instructions on the package.
9. Drain off the water then toss the hot cooked spaghetti with the pesto sauce.
10. You might want to add a little more pesto sauce - just use your judgement.
11. Divide the pesto spaghetti between 4 warmed serving plates.
12. Add 4 meatballs to each one and garnish with fresh basil.
13. Serve right away.

Notes

• Feel free to make any changes you like to the meatballs recipe, perhaps swapping the herbs for others or even adding some red pepper for spice.
• Some people like to toss the meatballs with the spaghetti while others serve the meatballs on top - this is up to you of course.
• Serve some shredded parmesan cheese on the side if you like - fresh parmesan of course, to keep it authentic and delicious!

Victoria Haneveer

Creamy Baked Scallop Pasta

Scallops, vegetables, cream and more combine in this gourmet comfort food style dish. Add cheese on top and bake to perfection. This is so satisfying and warming.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 505

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

 

• 1/2 pound (230g) dried pasta shapes
• 12 fresh or frozen scallops
• 1 tablespoon butter or oil, for sauteeing
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• Handful of vegetables (mushrooms, bell pepper or zucchini perhaps)
• 14 ounce (400g) jar creamy mushroom pasta sauce (or similar)
• Handful of grated mozzarella, cheddar or your favorite cheese
• Few fresh basil leaves (optional)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

 

1. Cook the pasta until al dente (cooked but not too soft).
2. Ensure the scallops are very dry (especially if you thawed them) and then saute them in butter or oil until just done.
3. Cut them in half or quarters.
4. Saute the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, then add the veggies and cook until tender.
5. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
6. Stir in the scallops, veggies, creamy pasta sauce, and a grinding each of salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and add some torn, fresh basil leaves if liked.
8. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake until the cheese has melted.
9. If you are making this ahead, it will need about 40 minutes to heat through.

Notes

You can serve this with a tossed green salad if you like.
I sometimes serve this with garlic bread for a real carb-feast!
Use any kind of pasta sauce you want, a tomato-based one would work too.
Throw in some chopped cooked bacon too if you like, or some walnut halves.
You might also like to add a pinch of mixed dried herbs to the pasta and scallop mixture.

If you want other scallop recipe ideas though, or you want to know how to cook scallops in other ways, try these scallop recipes for size.