Make this creamy, garlicky, and silky pasta with scallops and bacon for a special occasion or just because you want an easy and elegant dinner on the table in 30 minutes. It's like Italian pasta carbonara but with pan-seared scallops!
Scallops have always felt like a fancy ingredient to me. But scallops are not just for special occasions! They are a great source of protein and are usually quite affordable.
In this pasta with scallops recipe, bacon provides smoky saltiness and the white wine and tomatoes add acidity, keeping the dish light. It's pasta carbonara with a fancy twist!
Make it for your next special occasion, or when you want to make an easy meal that feels a bit more indulgent.
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⭐️ Why This Recipe Works
- Creamy, crunchy, silky, rich, garlicky, and smoky
- Elegant enough for a special occasion or holiday, but simple and easy enough for a weeknight meal
- Ready in just 30 minutes
- Sophisticated version of pasta carbonara with pan-seared scallops!
🥓 Ingredient Notes
- Bacon - Adds smoky saltiness.
- Garlic - I highly recommend using fresh garlic for optimal flavor.
- White wine - We want a bright and acidic white wine, like pino grigio or sauvignon blanc.
- Linguine pasta - Spaghetti or fettuccine noodles would also work for this recipe.
- Scallops - Large scallops or smaller bay scallops will both work great. (See below instructions on how to get a golden crust on your scallops.)
- Lemon juice - Using freshly-squeezed lemon juice adds bright, citrus notes.
- Fresh parsley - Adds earthy, aromatic herbyness.
The key to getting a beautiful golden crust on your scallops:
- Pat dry with a paper towel before cooking
- Sear over high heat
- Don't touch scallops while cooking until you are ready to flip them over
📝 Variations and Substitutions
- Pancetta can used in place of bacon.
- Noodles. Substitute the linguine with spaghetti, fettuccine, or even zucchini noodles.
- Make dairy-free: Substitute plant-based/vegan cream and butter.
- Use (whole) milk. If you don't have heavy cream on hand, you can use milk. However, because milk has more water than cream, you won't need as much pasta water to thin out the sauce. Just add water a little at a time to get your desired consistency.
- Onions. Red onion or a few small shallots would work in place of yellow onion.
- Spicy: Add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes for a pop of heat.
- Add veggies. Add 1 cup of chopped veggies for added nutrition. Asparagus, mushrooms, or peas would all work well.
🔪 How To Make It
Over high heat, bring a large pot of (salted) water to a boil.
While water comes to a boil, fry the bacon over medium-low heat in a large skillet, turning occasionally until crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, but leave bacon fat in the pan.
Add onion to pan with bacon fat, and cook over medium-low heat until translucent, around 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Pour in white wine and cook until liquid has reduced by half, around 3-4 minutes.
When water has come to a boil, add linguine and cook for one minute less than the package suggests. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Drain pasta and set aside.
Reduce skillet heat to low and add heavy cream and pasta water to onion mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add butter and stir until melted and incorporated. Add cooked pasta, bacon, and tomatoes, and stir to combine.
Pat scallops dry with a paper towel (this will ensure a nice crust on the scallops). Season with salt and pepper. Add oil to a medium-sized skillet and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Place scallops in pan, spaced out evenly. Sear for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Distribute pasta evenly over 4 plates and place scallops on top (divided evenly as well). Sprinkle fresh lemon juice over pasta and garnish with fresh parsley.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Storage: Place in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- How to reheat: Place leftovers in a medium skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of water, and heat on medium-low for 5-10 minutes, until heated through.
- You can use large scallops or smaller bay scallops. Either size works just fine.
- Cook bacon until well done. We want a crispy texture to add contrast to the silky texture of the pasta. If you skip the bacon, I recommend adding more salt to the dish, as bacon provides saltiness.
- Salt your pasta water. As the water is absorbed into the noodles, the salt is absorbed along with it, giving it flavor.
- Reserve pasta water. Be sure to reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. It contains starch, which helps to thicken our sauce and ensures that it sticks to the pasta.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Because scallops are a lean protein, they need to be cooked with some form of fat, like oil or butter. They should be cooked fairly quickly at a high heat, which prevents them from turning rubbery, and creates a beautiful golden crust on the outside.
Because this is a richer dish, it would be excellent paired with a side salad, like citrus fennel slaw or harvest apple salad; with a vegetable side, like roasted brussels sprouts with garlic or cumin roasted carrots with yogurt sauce; or with a piece of sourdough rosemary focaccia.
Pat scallops dry with a paper towel (this will ensure a nice crust on the scallops). Season with salt and pepper. Add oil to a medium-sized skillet and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Place scallops in pan, spaced out evenly. Sear for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
🍝 Related Recipes
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Creamy Pasta with Scallops and Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup white wine
- 12 ounces linguine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 (15-ounce can) diced tomatoes, drained (or 1 tomato, diced)
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound scallops
- salt and black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped (garnish)
Instructions
- Over high heat, bring a large pot of (salted) water to a boil.
- While water comes to a boil, fry the bacon over medium-low heat in a large skillet, turning occasionally until crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, but leave bacon fat in the pan.
- Add onion to pan with bacon fat, and cook over medium-low heat until translucent, around 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Pour in white wine and cook until liquid has reduced by half, around 3-4 minutes.
- When water has come to a boil, add linguine and cook for one minute less than the package suggests. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Reduce skillet heat to low and add heavy cream and pasta water to onion mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add butter and stir until melted and incorporated. Add cooked pasta, bacon, and tomatoes, and stir to combine.
- Pat scallops dry with a paper towel (this will ensure a nice crust on the scallops). Season with salt and pepper. Add oil to a medium-sized skillet and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Place scallops in pan, spaced out evenly. Sear for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Distribute pasta evenly over 4 plates and place scallops on top (divided evenly as well). Sprinkle fresh lemon juice over pasta and garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Pat dry with a paper towel before cooking
- Sear over high heat
- Don't touch scallops while cooking until you are ready to flip them over
- Storage: Place in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- How to reheat: Place leftovers in a medium skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of water, and heat on medium-low for 5-10 minutes, until heated through.
- You can use large scallops or smaller bay scallops. Either size works just fine.
- Cook bacon until well done. We want a crispy texture to add contrast to the silky texture of the pasta. If you skip the bacon, I recommend adding more salt to the dish, as bacon provides saltiness.
- Salt your pasta water. As the water is absorbed into the noodles, the salt is absorbed along with it, giving it flavor.
- Reserve pasta water. Be sure to reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. It contains starch, which helps to thicken our sauce and ensures that it sticks to the pasta.
Sarah
I love scallops and linguine, so I will be trying this!
Gastronotherapy
Fantastic! Let me know how it turns out, Sarah!
Carrie Wilkens
It was very good and easy. I like the variation options as i almost never have all the ingredients on hand.
MaryAnne
Thanks so much, Carrie!