Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti with Bacon. Updated to add recipe video! Ready in well under 30 minutes, this in one quick & easy meal that’s sure to impress. It easily adapts to serve just two as well, making it an ideal choice for a romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day or at any time of the year you want to pamper your sweetheart.
Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti with Bacon.
As we get ready to usher in February, I begin to get messages from folks who are looking for easy ways to cook a special dinner at home for their sweetheart.
My suggestions for those occasions usually fall into 2 categories. Those are slow cooked dishes that are ready to serve from the oven, or quick and easy which can take only a few minutes on the kitchen to prepare.
This recipe definitely comes under the quick and easy category but delivers great flavour in minimum time. The key here of course is preparation, which speeds up the process even more.
Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti with Bacon.
Prepping the Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti with Bacon.
A great idea for this recipe is to prepare everything you need in advance. You can then spend as little as 15 minutes to get this delicious dish on the table.
Precook the bacon, chop the garlic and have a pot of salted water on the stove ready to boil for the pasta. Basically, do anything you can think of that can be done in advance.
One great tip is to prep all the ingredients individually, place them in small dessert dishes or ramekins. Place all of them on a tray which gets completely covered with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge.
Always use the freshest scallops when you can but thawed frozen scallops are often used around here as well.
When the time comes to do the actual cooking, you won’t be searching around the fridge for ingredients. You’ll just pull out the tray, pull off the plastic and set to work.
Think of it like preparing for a cooking show. Most of the time the reason that the cooking looks so easy on these shows and also goes so flawlessly, is because everything the chef needs is at hand.
This is a great habit to get into no matter what you are cooking.However, when time is of the essence, it’s even more important, especially when romance awaits.
If you liked this recipe you may also want to try this Seafood Shells and Cheese recipe:
Like this Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti recipe?
Find plenty of other ideas to please you Sweetheart in our Valentine’s Day Recipes Category or in our Quick & Easy Meals Category.
To keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes plus daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals, be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram.
Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti with Bacon
Ingredients
- ¾ pound dry spaghetti
- 4 slices crisp cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 pound medium sized scallops
- Salt and pepper to season
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup low sodium seafood stock, or chicken stock
- 1½ cups whipping cream
- 2 large tomatoes, center pulp removed and diced small.
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the dry spaghetti to al dente in salted water and drain.
- Crisp cook the bacon in a large sauté pan and roughly chop it. Set aside.
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper and pan sear them in the bacon fat for only about 1½ to 2 minutes per side and set aside with the bacon.
- Drain the bacon fat from the pan and add the olive oil and garlic; cook for only a minute to slightly soften the garlic.
- Add the white wine and seafood stock and simmer quickly for a few minutes until the liquid has reduced by about ⅓. Add the cream and simmer for an additional 2 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper if needed, then add the bacon, tomatoes and the scallops to the sauce. Simmer for only a minute or two to warm the scallops through before adding the cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese.
- Toss together the pasta and sauce very well before serving.
Notes
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Amount Per Serving Calories 992 Saturated Fat 27g Cholesterol 175mg Sodium 1019mg Carbohydrates 75g Fiber 3g Sugar 4g Protein 36g
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Liz
January 26, 2015 at 8:45 pmSounds wonderful. Thank you Barry.
Pat
October 4, 2017 at 12:15 pmWe normally don’t serve a dish to dinner guests without trying it ourselves first. But we served this last night for dinner guests and it went over so well that everyone wanted the recipe. Some people did not like scallops so we roasted a chicken and they had the sauce over the pasta and chicken. Absolutely delicious and easy recipe
Catherine
February 4, 2015 at 9:12 pmWhat a beautiful looking dish. It is true classic comfort.
Emilia Legacy
February 5, 2015 at 6:50 pmLove the recipes
Emilia Legacy
February 5, 2015 at 6:55 pmEnjoy all the recipes try a few and enjoy them
juliette
March 2, 2015 at 11:28 pmWanting to make this!! It appears one doesn’t use the roe on the scallops; is that correct? Thanks!
Barry C. Parsons
March 25, 2015 at 4:55 pmyou can if you like. They are not commonly sold that way here.
Rob
March 21, 2015 at 6:34 amGreat recipe. tastes awesome. 1 1/2 – 2 minutes each side seems a little long though especially as they will keep cooking when you add them to the pasta. 40 second each side in a hot pan is better for the scallop,
Barry C. Parsons
March 25, 2015 at 4:44 pmDepends on the size and how cold they are. But yes, I agree most get overcooked.
Carol
September 13, 2015 at 7:45 pmThis looks like a recipe I have been looking for except for the tomatoes. Could you use sun-dried tomatoes instead?
Barry C. Parsons
October 5, 2015 at 4:34 pmYes, I’d use the oil packed variety.
Lynne
September 14, 2015 at 6:16 amThank you for all your recipes! You are my go to guide always when cooking or baking! I have made this with smoked salmon added, always a hit!! Thank you!
Jennifer
September 28, 2015 at 6:25 pmThe sauce was very thin and, unfortunately, not very creamy. Is there any way to thicken it up so that it coats the pasta better?
Barry C. Parsons
October 5, 2015 at 4:16 pmSounds like you are not reducing the sauce enough. Simmer it a little longer. A tsp of cornstarch dissolved in an ounce of cold water will do in a pinch as well.
Mike Wasson
October 1, 2015 at 8:12 pmHas anyone tried this recipe using shrimp instead of scallops?
Barry C. Parsons
October 5, 2015 at 4:10 pmYes, still very good!
Rob
April 17, 2017 at 4:45 amI also do this recipe with assorted mushrooms. The best are the more exotic earthy ones
Kayla
October 27, 2015 at 3:59 pmMade this for my boyfriend. Quick and easy. Tasted SOOO good!
Danielle
January 16, 2016 at 8:12 pmOMG so good. Made this with gluten free pasta and used 18% cream. Used a bit of corn starch to thicken the sauce since I got impatient. This is a keeper for a recipe.
Chris
September 1, 2016 at 12:44 pmI made this with shrimp and it was delicious. I think I will add clams and mussels next time.
Tiffany
September 23, 2016 at 12:15 amLiterally JUST made this for dinner and it was A-MAZ-ING!! I honestly didn’t expect it to be THAT good! So glad we gave it a chance, just added another regular entree to the house menu!!
Thanks for the recipe, keep up the good work!!!!
Chrissy
December 3, 2016 at 3:47 pmWhat kind of white wine would work best?
Barry C. Parsons
December 4, 2016 at 12:01 pmI’m never too fussy as long as it’s relatively dry. Chardonnay is what is usually around at my house.
Peaches
February 14, 2017 at 9:19 pmThis creamy garlic was delicious
Malcolm McQuattie
March 12, 2017 at 7:29 amMAGIC 👫
Vonn
April 27, 2017 at 11:16 pmMy mouth is watering reading this . Can’t wait to try it.
Geraldine
May 24, 2017 at 11:42 pmI hate wine and I am wondering if you can taste ut at all. Would it be ok to omit it do you think?
Barry C. Parsons
June 14, 2017 at 10:30 amYes, you can add stock instead.
Janet Black
January 28, 2018 at 1:09 pmThe best recipe that I’ve tried. Quick, easy and sooo good! Restaurant worthy. Will definitely try more of your recipes based on this one.
April
February 15, 2018 at 3:05 amYour instructions state to use whipping cream? I assume you mean heavy cream and not whipped cream? Thanks.
Barry C. Parsons
March 13, 2018 at 9:58 amWhipping cream, or any liquid cream at approximately 35% MF.
Bea Abbott
April 26, 2018 at 8:51 amWas wondering if I could use a pasta sauce instead of cream as my husband doesn’t like cream sauces.
Barry C. Parsons
May 2, 2018 at 1:06 pmGo ahead. I do a similar thing with chicken.
Gail
May 1, 2018 at 7:53 pmMade this tonight. Seems like company arrives when my “Rock Recipes” are on the menu. This turned out fantastic and I did add some shrimp (but used the shrimp shells to make the seafood broth). If you left the pasta in the hot sauce in the pan, it would thicken more on its own before serving on a piping hot stoneware plate and hear the sizzle. I garnished with green onions and more parmesan. Five stars.
Raf
May 13, 2018 at 1:09 pmI have swapped bacon for chorizo sausage and it’s genius.
Barry C. Parsons
May 17, 2018 at 4:37 pmSounds great!
Lilah
June 16, 2018 at 4:37 amI made this with scallops and it turned out great. I am going to try it with shrimp. Wondering if I should skip the searing step with shrimp and just add directly to the sauce for 4 minutes or till pink before adding the tomatoes and bacon Thanks
Barry C. Parsons
July 2, 2018 at 10:58 amI think that would be fine.
Dawn
July 17, 2018 at 7:26 pmI have made this twice! Soooooo good! Thanks Barry love your recipes!
TANYA
July 28, 2018 at 8:02 amThis was amazing!!! Thanks for sharing. I used mushrooms instead of tomato, and also added peas. Then squeezed lemon over with chopped parsley. The best meal I have ever made! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Melanie
October 1, 2018 at 12:54 pmMy family and I went scalloping in Crystal River, Fl this year and I was looking for a good recipe to make for our catch, I came across this one and decided to give it a whirl because the picture looked yummy. The first bite, I was in heaven! My husband said to save this recipe for every scallop dish we make! So delicious! Thank you!
Michele Sweet
October 17, 2018 at 10:38 amThis recipe looks wonderful. My only problem is with the high fat whipping cream. Any lower fat substitutions? Would half and half work, whole milk and a little butter???
Love your recipes, Barry, keep up the good work!
Barry C. Parsons
October 24, 2018 at 1:01 pmThe fat is what thickens the sauce. Your sauce may be runnier without it but let me know if you experiment with it.
Simone Babineau
December 28, 2018 at 3:11 pmI love the scallop and bacon spaghetti dinner. Was wondering how I could make the sauce a bit thicker while keeping the great taste. I find it a bit runny (cream).
Thank you!
Barry C. Parsons
January 6, 2019 at 11:29 amBoil the cream mixture a little longer or slightly undercook the pasta and finish simmering it in the sauce.
SANDRA M BROWN
January 27, 2019 at 7:50 amThis recipe was delicious. My only change would be to sprinkle the crisp bacon over the top of the finished dish instead of folding it in; otherwise, the bacon loses its crispness.
Stacey
February 27, 2019 at 8:51 pmMy husband and I liked it. The kids did not. The scallops were expensive.