Easy and Fast Pasta Recipe: Seafood Pasta
I love pasta- in all forms and in different preparations. I make it all the time, I especially love the one pot meals I come up with. They are so easy to put together and great to serve to a big crowd- all the prep work is done- all you have to do is stick it in the oven. View some of these one pot meals I have made in the past- healthy mac and cheese, penne with tomatoes, spinach and sausage, and a baked vegetable pasta. My all time favorite pasta is the one I make with broccoli rabe and sausage – I make with lots of lemon zest and garlic- it has no marinara sauce. Now, every time I make this pasta, my husband asks, “is there any marinara sauce “? I get very annoyed at the question since I feel the pasta has so much flavor that we don’t really need a ‘sauce’. Also, there are delicious pastas to be had without marinara sauce! – but he loves the red sauce so much that he wants it in every pasta preparation. So, when I made a big batch of marinara sauce last weekend, I made sure to save some for a pasta preparation. I used the rest in the grilled pizzas I made.
School is done and my daughter is home this week before camp starts. We had plans to go into New York City for lunch. We had a great lunch, went to a kid’s bookstore and came back around 3:30. While we were on the train coming home, I started to wonder what I was going to make for dinner. I had the marinara sauce in the fridge and some bucatini in the pantry. I love using bucatini- it is thicker than spaghetti and it is hollow inside. It’s a lot of fun to eat. I decided to stop at the fish store and buy some shrimp and scallops to make a seafood pasta. Once we got home, my daughter insisted on going to the pool- so we did- even though it was supposed to rain- and it did! We got home around 5:30 and that is when I started making dinner. Luckily it was going to be a quick one. I boiled the pasta; started the anchovies in another pan and added the marinara sauce. It took all of 15 minutes to make this dish and it was delicious! My daughter really enjoyed it.
I realize most Italians don’t add any cheese on seafood dishes- but I really like cheese on mine. I added some Pecorino Romano– it was really yummy! I served it with a green salad and a Malbec. My husband was a happy man- he finally got his pasta with marinara sauce!
- ½ pound scallops, bay scallops or sea scallops. If using sea scallops- slice then in half
- ¼ pound jumbo shrimp, cut into 3 pieces
- ½ pound bucatini pasta- cooked al dente
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 2 cups home made or store bought marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup shredded basil
- ½ cup shredded pecorino romano
In a wide frying pan, heat the anchovy fillets and the olive oil on medium heat. Add the marinara sauce and sauté for a minute or till the sauce is heated through. Add the chopped shrimp and scallops. Mix well and add the cooked pasta, cook for 2-3 minutes- careful not to overcook the seafood. Add salt and check for seasonings. Top with shredded basil and cheese.
