Creamy Mozzarella Scallop Pasta is one of the best pasta recipes you'll ever try! Finger-licking good, easy-to-make, and your scallops will have the perfect texture!
My favorite way to cook scallops is to sear them in olive oil or butter on the stovetop in the skillet. What you get are beautifully pan-seared scallops with a golden crust and a soft texture. This is exactly what I've done in this scallop pasta recipe. I seared the scallops to perfection and served them with pasta.
Scallops always go really well with a cream sauce so I combined my favorite cream sauce (made with Mozzarella cheese, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and red pepper flakes) with scallops and penne pasta! This scallop pasta makes a delicious weeknight dinner that's easy to make but looks like a dish from a high-end restaurant!
If you love seafood, I have 2 other scallop recipes that you might want to try: seared scallops with bacon in lemon butter sauce and seared scallops with lemon-caper sauce.
Is it best to use frozen or thawed scallops?
I found that it doesn't matter. If you find fresh scallops - it's great, they are delicious! But I've used frozen scallops so many times and they taste so good, I now almost always use frozen ones. Just be sure to thaw them properly.
How to prepare scallops:
- If using frozen scallops, make sure the scallops are thawed completely. I thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
- Blot each scallop with paper towels to remove extra water.
- Bring scallops to room temperature before cooking, by allowing them to sit on a plate on the counter for 30 minutes before cooking. In this pasta dish, I cook scallops last (after making the pasta and the sauce).
How to cook scallops:
- Season with salt by sprinkling each scallop with a dash of salt.
- Use a large, non-stick skillet (I used stainless steel skillet which works well for me as non-stick). Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in this non-stick skillet on high heat until hot but not smoking. Oil should not be smoking, just rolling easily around the skillet.
- Add scallops without overcrowding the pan.
- Sear on one side for about 3-4 minutes until the bottom is a nice golden color. Don't move the scallops around the pan in the beginning.
- Turn the scallops to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer the scallops to the plate immediately. Don't let the scallops sit in the hot skillet, off heat, because they will start to steam, lose their crust and harden up.
Cooking Tips
- Don't cook the scallops first. Cook them last. Note that I cook the pasta and the cream sauce first before I cook the scallops. This ensures that scallops are not over-cooked and that they don't taste rubbery (which often happens if you overcook them).
- And that's the rule you should follow not only when you're serving scallop pasta. Whenever you cook scallops in general, cook all the side dishes first. Cook the scallops last, right before you're ready to serve.
What to serve with scallops?
In this recipe, I combine pan-seared scallops with the creamy pasta to create a completely different scallop recipe from the ones I published previously. This recipe is all about the scallops and the creamy pasta made with the Mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes.
I use penne pasta that goes great with scallops. Penne is a short pasta, so the cream sauce coats every bite. You can also use spaghetti, fettuccine, or angel hair pasta.
If you want something other than pasta, seared scallops go great with mashed potatoes, rice, roasted asparagus, and other roasted veggies.
I hope you will enjoy this delicious scallop pasta!
Creamy Mozzarella Scallop Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 oz penne pasta (for gluten free version, use gluten free brown rice pasta)
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes , without oil
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded (do not use fresh Mozzarella, use pre-shredded Mozzarella)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil , if using fresh basil you can add more
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes , crushed, add more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup reserved cooked pasta water or more
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare scallops:
- If using frozen scallops, make sure the scallops are thawed completely.
- Blot each scallop with paper towels to remove extra water. Set them aside on a plate while you prepare the pasta and the sauce. You will cook scallops last to make sure they are not over-cooked.
Pasta:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain the pasta.
Sauce:
- Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil (you can use the reserved olive oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar, or use regular olive oil) in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil and sliced into smaller chunks, if needed) and minced garlic, and saute on medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. The skillet should be hot.
- Add half and half to the hot skillet with sun-dried tomatoes and bring to boil. Add shredded cheese to the skillet, and stir in while boiling. Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all the cheese melts and the creamy sauce forms. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of half and half or reserved cooked pasta water. Add basil, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika. Stir.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of salt gradually, stirring on low heat and tasting (you might need slightly less than ¼ teaspoon).
- Add cooked pasta to the sauce, and reheat gently on medium heat. Taste, and add more salt, if needed. Add a small amount of half and half or reserved cooked pasta water, if the sauce is too thick. Let everything simmer on low heat for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
Cook scallops:
- Season with salt by sprinkling each scallop with a dash of salt.
- Use a large, non-stick skillet (I used stainless steel skillet which works well for me as non-stick). Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in this non-stick skillet on high heat until hot but not smoking. Oil should not be smoking, just rolling easily around the skillet.
- Add scallops without overcrowding the pan. Sear on one side for about 3-4 minutes until the bottom is nice golden color. Don't move the scallops around the pan in the beginning.
- Turn the scallops to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the scallops to the plate immediately. Don't let the scallops sit in the hot skillet, off heat, because they will start to steam, lose their crust and harden up.
- Add cooked scallops to the pasta and the cream sauce and reheat gently. Serve.
- Note: Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
Video
Notes
- What is half-and-half? To make 1 cup of half and half do this: combine ½ cup milk and ½ cup heavy, or whipping cream.
- Do not use fresh Mozzarella. Fresh Mozzarella is usually sold as a large ball or small balls in a brine or water solution. Do not shred fresh Mozzarella. Use Part-Skim, Low-Moisture Mozzarella cheese sold in blocks or pre-shredded.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Wonderful recipe. I he some scallops ready to go. Do you think this recipe could be frozen
Adele, I do not recommend freezing this at all, as the cheese-based creamy sauces don't keep their texture well after being frozen and thawed.
Just made this for Christmas Eve lunch. It was a hit and I used oat milk and smoked shredded goat cheese. It was delicious! Thank you!
Patty, thank you for sharing that oat milk worked great here instead of half-and-half! Smoked goat cheese sounds so good - great flavor! ❤️
This recipe is freaking awesome. So tasty and is a keeper in our house...as a matter of fact, I'm going to be making it again this weekend but maybe with shrimp this time. The scallops we have access to are not the greatest. Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe!
Do you think there is a good dairy-free substitute for the half and half?
Judith, unsweetened coconut milk works great.
Made this for my grandkids and they absolutely devoured it! Will definitely make again!
Sharon, I am glad you gave this recipe a try and that everyone enjoyed it, even the kids!
Easy recipe to follow very delicious sauce. I eyeballed seasonings and added more to taste. I used cast iron skillet for scallops. Will definitely make again!
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a positive comment and the 5-star rating! 🙂
Tried your recipe and my family loved it!!! Will definitely add this to my pasta recipes!
Crizzy, I am so happy to hear your family loves it! Thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment!
I cook for the American Legion in my home town. I was asked to make a valentine's day dinner for our customers. I made two entrees and this was one of them. Making this for 50 in 2 1/2 hours was a challenge. I used linguine and added shrimp to go with the scallops. It was a challenge but looked as if everyone was licking their plates. Great recipe. Got lots of great raves from customers. Thank you!
Cheryl, it's very impressive that you successfully made this recipe for 50 people in 2.5 hours. WOW! Especially a recipe like this that is not necessarily that easy. Adding shrimp is a great idea to add more volume and protein, especially when feeding the crowd. Again, WOW!
So yummy 🙂
Glad the recipe was enjoyed! 🙂
Excellent recipe…I also added shrimp it was awesome!!
Adding shrimp is delicious, for sure!
I made with shrimp and scallops, it was amazing.
The shrimp is a great addition!
Yum! Thank you’
You're very welcome!
Such a good recipe! Love it!