Creamy Tuscan Spaghetti with Jumbo Scallops is one of our favorite ways to cook scallops! Skip the restaurant and make this seafood dinner right at home!
We love making seafood recipes at home! Check out this Quick Shrimp Stir Fry or this Asian BBQ Salmon, one of our kids favorites)! You can’t stop dipping in this Garlic Shrimp Scampi sauce…make sure to have a lot of bread!
A Restaurant Quality Dinner At Home
Do you guys make scallops a lot at home? Before we made this Creamy Tuscan Spaghetti with Jumbo Scallops recipe, I can definitely say we did not.
I really don’t know why, either. We both love scallops, they’re really easy to make and a healthy dinner on top of it! What’s not to love…
Scallops can be seasoned, seared and served as is with rice or pasta on the side or a salad if you are keeping things low carb. So just a few minutes in a skillet is all you need for a delicious seafood dinner.
Scallops can be a little on the pricey side so watch for them when they go on sale, grab a bunch and freeze what you don’t need. We grab fresh scallops whenever we can but frozen are great too!
How To Sear Scallops
Searing scallops the correct way is crucial to making any scallop recipe. There’s a fine line between a perfectly seared scallop and a tough, overcooked scallop so knowing when to quit is key.
What you need to do is dry the scallops off really, really well with paper towels so the surface of the scallops are completely dry. Next get your skillet fairly hot, a cast iron skillet works great here. Drizzle oil in the pan so the scallops don’t stick and place them in.
Don’t move them around once you get them in the skillet. Leave them for a few minutes until a nice crust forms and they’re ready to turn, just like in the picture above.
If the scallops are still sticking to the pan when you go to turn them they aren’t done. Leave them another minute or two, they’ll release when the crust is formed. Also make sure you’ve gotten enough oil in your pan to keep the scallops from sticking, because they will also stick if there isn’t enough oil coating the bottom of the pan.
How Do I Make Creamy Tuscan Spaghetti with Jumbo Scallops?
Start a large pot of water to boil for the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti just a minute or so shy of the package directions, as the pasta will cook a little more in the sauce.
While the pasta is cooking you can sear the scallops, set them aside covered to keep warm and start the pan sauce.
Add butter to the same skillet to melt, then add onions and garlic. Deglaze the pan with white wine, reduce then pour in chicken broth and cream. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then add a cornstarch mixture to thicken. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add sun dried tomatoes and spinach. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Once the sauce is finished, place the scallops back into the sauce and gently simmer for a few minutes. Doing this flavors the sauce with the scallops and also flavors the scallops with the sauce.
Once the scallops have simmered back in the sauce, remove them again to a plate so that you can toss the sauce with the spaghetti. If you do this with the scallops in the sauce they might break apart.
Serve the spaghetti and sauce in big bowls with a few of the scallops on top.
Garnish this scallop recipe with fresh chopped parsley and fresh black pepper. Don’t forget to serve this spaghetti with big pieces of bread for sopping up all that delicious, creamy sauce!
Craving More Pasta Recipes?
- CHICKEN MARSALA FETTUCCINI ALFREDO
- CLASSIC BEEF LASAGNA
- LEFTOVER TURKEY TETRAZZINI
- BEEFY STUFFED SHELLS
- EASY PENNE VODKA
- PASTA CARBONARA
Creamy Tuscan Spaghetti with Jumbo Scallops
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis scallop recipe is a knock out seafood dinner you can make right at home!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds jumbo scallops
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper for seasoning the scallops
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 (7 ounce) jar sliced sun dried tomatoes, drained
- 1 pound spaghetti
- Fresh black pepper and chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of water to boil for the spaghetti. Once boiling, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions and drain.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter together with the olive oil in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper generously on both sides, then add them to the skillet.
- Cook the scallops on one side for 3-4 minutes until they form a brown crust. If the scallops are sticking to the pan they aren’t ready to turn yet, just give them another minute or two. Then turn the scallops over and let cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side until browned. Remove the scallops to a plate and cover with foil.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, stir and cook for a minute longer and pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan.
- Let the wine cook down until it is reduced by half (about 2 minutes) then pour in the chicken broth and cream and bring to a simmer.
- Mix the cornstarch and water together and pour into the simmering sauce. Whisk the sauce and bring it back to a simmer, cooking for 5 minutes until the sauce is reduced and thickened.
- Add the spinach and the sun dried tomatoes to the sauce, stirring the spinach into the sauce to wilt. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste if needed.
- Place the scallops back into the sauce, turning to coat. Cover the skillet and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, then remove the scallops from the sauce and place back on the plate, covered.
- Toss the sauce with the spaghetti and add to a serving bowl. Place the scallops on top or add to individual bowls when serving.
- Garnish with fresh black pepper and chopped parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes
If your skillet is on the smaller side, you can put the cooked spaghetti in a large bowl and then pour the sauce and scallops over the top and toss.
- Category: pasta
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Amazing recipe, the deglazing and sun dried tomatoes add a robust punch to a creamy pasta dish worthy of a family get together.
This was delicious!! I’ll definitely be making again !My only change was not putting the cooked scallops back into the sauce then removing, I put them in as I put in the spinach and sun dried tomatoes ( I was concerned it would overcook the scallops) I let the spinach wilt , and poured the sauce with the scallops still in over the spaghetti and tossed. So good with a nice glass of Viognier! Thank you!
Have you tried this recipe substituting half and half for the heavy cream?
I haven’t, I’m sure it would be fine, just a bit thinner.
With all the recipes I’ve tried and really liked this is the first time I’ve ever rated one. THIS recipe is sooooooooo good I had to rate it 5+ stars, unbelivable good. Made it exactly as posted. I’ve also used shrimp with scallops both are excellent. Worried about today, going to use up some of my cherry tomatoes. Oh I hope I don’t a fantastic dish. Wish me luck!
So good and delicious definitely making again thank you for the recipe
So good and easy to prepare! Definitely a make again!
Easy and delicious!