Garlic Herb Butter–Basted Scallops
with Spaghetti & Burst Grape Tomatoes
- Wheat
- Shellfish
- Milk
Searing tender scallops in herby browned butter is just one of the ways you’ll elevate this impressive pasta bowl. Juicy burst grape tomatoes add sunny verve to spaghetti in a rich, garlicky cream sauce. You’ll finish it all with a squeeze of lemon, then sprinkle with umami-rich Parmesan cheese and fresh, verdant parsley just before serving for a meal that flawlessly balances rich and fresh flavors.
Ingredients
¼ ounce
Parsley
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Spaghetti
(Contains: Wheat)
8 ounce
Scallops
(Contains: Shellfish)
2 tablespoon
Garlic Herb Butter
(Contains: Milk)
4 ounce
Grape Tomatoes
4 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Veggie Stock Concentrate
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Quarter lemon. Roughly chop parsley.
• Once water is boiling, add spaghetti to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• While pasta cooks, pat scallops* dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. • Heat a drizzle of oil and half the garlic herb butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. • Remove from heat; transfer scallops (with pan drippings) to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Wipe out pan.
• Once pasta is drained, heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for scallops over medium heat. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to burst, 3-5 minutes. TIP: If tomatoes haven’t burst, gently press them with a spatula to help them along. • Reduce heat to low; whisk in cream cheese, stock concentrate, remaining garlic herb butter, ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4 servings), and juice from half the lemon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cream cheese is thoroughly incorporated, 1-2 minutes.
• To pan with sauce, carefully add drained spaghetti and scallops with any resting juices; cook, tossing and adding splashes of reserved pasta cooking water as needed, until spaghetti is thoroughly coated in sauce, 1-2 minutes. (For 4 servings, if you need more room, toss spaghetti mixture in pot used to cook pasta instead.) • Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Divide pasta and scallops between bowls; top with Parmesan, parsley, and as many chili flakes as you like. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Scallops are fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The garlic herb butter and burst tomato cream sauce pair beautifully with the scallops, though some found the sauce a little mild and added extra garlic or a splash of white wine to deepen the flavor 🍲.
- Ease of prep: The recipe is straightforward and easy to follow, but watch the scallops closely — several reviewers found 3–5 minutes per side too long and recommend 90 seconds to 2 minutes per side for tender results.
- Suggestions: Cook the scallops last so they don't sit and overcook while the sauce comes together; also, skip wiping out the pan after searing — the drippings add great flavor to the sauce.
- Leftovers: Scallops don't reheat well, so this dish is best enjoyed fresh the same night.
- Scallops: Many felt the number of scallops was too few for a premium-priced meal; if possible, supplement with a few extra scallops or add shrimp to make it more substantial.
- Sauce: Add more pasta water gradually if the sauce seems thin or dry, and consider doubling the cream cheese for a richer, more coating consistency.
Reviews from our home cooks
Wow! The scallops basted in butter with this pasta were so delicious. And the sauce was light enough that it did not overpower the scallops. Very tasty!
This recipe had me feeling like a chef. Once again a very easy recipe to follow and the scallops, spaghetti and tomato was delicious
Cooking instructions need tweaking. Don't wipe out pan after scallops. Acid of tomatoes will help deglaze pan along with later added pasta water. Adds extra flavor. 1/2 cup pasta water not enough. Add chili flakes while sauce simmering to soften flakes and better infuse subtle heat
The size of the scallops was wonderful. For us, we thought it needed more garlic and instead of parsley maybe do basil.
Great flavor. I did season the scallops with salt and pepper the night before. They cooked up perfectly. Easy to prepare and delicious flavors.
We would not have thought to put Scallops in pasta with a red sauce. The sauce was so light and refreshing with the lemon and herbs.
Not enough scallops or sauce. I added 4 extra scallops total. Doubled the sauce (doubled: cream cheese, veggie concentrate, garlic herbed butter, etc.).
The quality of the scallops was incredible. I would have bought more! Bursting the tomatoes gives them a different taste/texture. Will order this again!
Sauce for the pasta was amazing and paired well with the scallops. This was primarily for my husband but I did eat the pasta and sauce and that was delicious.
I did find I needed to fry the scallops slightly less than the recipe called for but everything was very simple and tasty.
