Pesto Linguine with Scallops & Roasted Tomatoes

The Man decided to have a boy's night out so I decided to indulge myself with some delicious seafood pasta! The best part is that it takes about 15 minutes to make! This is a gluten free version, but you can use regular pasta, too.

Serves 2

Pesto

• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 oz pine nuts, lightly toasted
• ¼ c parmesan cheese, grated
• 1-2 roasted garlic cloves, minced
• ⅛ c olive oil
• Salt and pepper (optional)

Put all the ingredients into a food processor except the olive oil. Blend until paste forms, then slowly add the olive oil until a sauce forms. Add salt and pepper if desired and pulse to mix.

Linguine, Scallops and Tomatoes

• 5 oz of linguine (gluten free or regular) cooked per package instructions.
• 15-20 bay scallops 
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Cherry tomatoes, 12-15 (poke each one with a fork, so they will not explode when you cook them!)
• 1 roasted garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

As the linguine cooks per package instructions, heat a skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil to the pan. Salt and pepper the scallops, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Remove from skillet.

Add more olive oil if needed, then put the tomatoes into the skillet, let them cook for 5-6 minutes. Tossing them ever 2 minutes. Remove from skillet.

Add the scallops back into the pan and stir them about to heat them back up, approx 1 minute.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 tsp of liquid. Add 1-2 TBSP of pesto to the pasta and liquid; toss to coat. Use a two-prong carving fork to plate the pasta, and then add 1 tsp of pesto to the scallops, toss to coat. Arrange the scallops and tomatoes around the pasta. Yum!

You'll have left over pesto so you can make pesto chicken or more pasta later! Or freeze it and use it later. It thaws out pretty quickly and still tastes amazing!

Enjoy!