It has the perfect balance of savory (hello pesto) with a hint of sweetness.

I’ve literally made five variations of it in the past several weeks, sharing it with friends & family along the way.

Rave reviews from all of my taste-testers!

For anyone following a gluten free diet, or looking to incorporate more veggies into their meals, or just loves sweet potatoes as much as I do….this is your new secret weapon!

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, mineral rich (particularly potassium) and packed with vitamins (particularly immunity boosting Vitamin A / beta-carotene), which has anti-inflammatory properties – that’s music to my ears!

Sweet Potato crust is genius!

I first saw it in a Cooking Light post and instantly knew I would recreate it at home.

The Sweet Potato Crust Method

Because the crust is pre-baked before filling, causing the sweet potatoes to shrink, it’s important to overlap them a good bit and to be sure the diameter of the slices are large enough to stand above the edge of your quiche pan.

I’ve practiced several times now and believe I’ve found the right combination of slice thickness (1/8-inch), diameter (1-inch larger than the height of the pan), and spacing (overlap at least half of each slice).

Using a mandolin set at 1/8-inch thickness makes the slicing a breeze, but you can certainly cut the sweet potatoes by hand.

I found one large sweet potato will do the trick, but buy two just in case. The crust is baked at 375 degrees F. for 20 minutes before adding the fillings.

For the Veggie Quiche Filling

For this Veggie & Pesto Quiche I chose steamed broccoli, asparagus, and zucchini for my veggies, Basil Pesto, and feta and parmesan cheese.

The custard consists of 6 large eggs, 1 cup of heavy cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Place the quiche on a baking sheet then bake a 350 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes, until the center is just firm to the touch.

Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

The result is a perfectly cooked sweet potato crust, with a delicious savory veggie filling.

The feta cheese and basil pesto really bring wonderful flavors to this dish and the ratio of custard to filling is perfect.

Not too ‘eggy’ as my husband would say.

Sweet Potato Crust Veggie & Pesto Quiche is easily one of my new favorite quiches.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Sweet Potato Crust Veggie & Pesto Quiche

This quiche has a perfectly cooked sweet potato crust, with a delicious savory veggie filling. The feta cheese and basil pesto really bring wonderful flavors to this dish and the ratio of custard to filling is perfect.

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Entree, Lunch

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Prebake Sweet Potato Crust 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1-2 large sweet potatoes, peeled sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 2 1/2 cups steamed veggies (such as broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, yellow squash)
• 1/4 cup basil pesto recipe link in post
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream or half & half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Peel and slice sweet potato(s) into 1/8-inch slices. Spray pie plate or quiche pan with cooking spray, then line with sweet potato slices. Slices should be 1-inch taller than sides of pie plate and should be overlapped by half. Place pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, steam veggies and prepare pesto, reserve. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Remove prebaked sweet potato crust from oven. Lower oven temperature to 350° F. Arrange veggies in crust. Sprinkle with pesto and cheeses. Slowly pour custard over filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until center is set and just firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Delicious served warm or at room temperature.

Previous versions of sweet potato crust quiches. All delicious, but you’ll notice the crust is a bit wimpy. This is where using thicker and larger diameter sweet potato slices comes into play. Go big!

The post Sweet Potato Crust Veggie & Pesto Quiche appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

When I looked into the eyes of my beautiful new fridge I saw shelves and drawers overflowing with ingredients that begged for a chance to play nicely together.

The result of nonstop cooking for a week straight.

Have you seen our March Meatball Madness posts??!

When I studied the contents it became blatantly obvious that my fridge and my well-being needed a big pot of soup!

I’m going to make this a relatively wordless Wednesday post. After all we are just making soup! Even if this Spring Thyme Green Minestrone soup is extra special in my humble opinion. The recipe below is more of a guide, there is plenty of room for making this your own between the fresh veggie choices, the type of herbs and seasonings, the beans and pasta, even what you swirl into your bowl.

Fresh Basil Pesto and/or grated parmesan cheese swirled into this veggie packed soup is delicious and boosts the green factor.

This Spring Thyme Green Minestrone soup is packed with nutrients making this a healthy choice for any meal. It also makes a giant batch so it’s the perfect way to Share the Love with your friends and neighbors.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Spring Thyme Green Minestrone

This Spring Thyme Minestrone Soup is packed with nutrients making this a healthy choice for any meal. It also makes a giant batch so it's the perfect way to Share the Love with your friends and neighbors.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

Veggies

• 8-10 cups fresh veggies, diced or sliced such as: carrot, onion, celery, leek, fennel, shallot, jalapeno, spinach, kale, asparagus, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cans white beans, drained & rinsed such as: butter beans, great nothern beans, cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs, fine chopped such as: parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil, cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound ditalini pasta cooked al dente and reserved
• 1/2 cup basil pesto optional, to swirl in soup for serving
• freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to grate onto soup for serving

Instructions

• In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in your 'hard' vegetables, like carrots, onion, celery, garlic, fennel, leeks, shallot, jalapeno. Saute until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Then add in your 'soft' vegetables, like spinach, kale, asparagus, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli. Continue to saute for another 5-7 minutes.
• Add vegetable broth, beans, and fresh herbs. Bring to a light simmer then add the ginger, lemon juice and seasonings. Adjust to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.
• Meanwhile prepare ditalini (or other favorite small pasta) al dente. Reserve.
• To serve. Place some cooked pasta in bowls. Ladle in hot soup. Swirl with basil pesto and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy! Don't forget to Share the Love!

The post Spring Thyme Green Minestrone appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The ingredients are layered lasagna style and every bite delivers wonderful flavor.

There are three kinds of cheese in this recipe which adds layers of flavor.

Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce and Basil Pesto add richness.

Combined, it’s those ingredients that make this lightened up recipe all kinds of comfortable.

If this recipe looks good, you might also enjoy our Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash served in a Parmesan Crisp Bowl!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Spaghetti {Squash} Pie with Basil Pesto Chicken

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 2 Tbl. butter
• salt & pepper
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. garlic & herb seasoning
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 2 cups cooked chicken cubed
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cut spaghetti squash in half length-wise. Scoop out seeds. Rub flesh with olive oil and place flesh side down on a shallow baking sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a fork pierces the skin easily and the flesh can be easily pulled into strands with a fork. Allow to cool slightly, then using a fork scrape squash into a bowl. Season with butter, salt & pepper.
• In a small bowl combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg and garlic & herb seasoning.
• In a small bowl combine cooked chicken cubes with pesto sauce.
• In a 2 quart casserole or baking dish, layer ingredients lasagna style. Cover bottom of pan with 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Top with 1/4 of the spaghetti squash. Top that with half of the ricotta mixture and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Top with 1/2 cup marinara sauce, 1/4 spaghetti squash, 1/2 pesto chicken, sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with marinara, squash, ricotta, mozzarella, marinara, squash, pesto chicken, mozzarella.
• Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving to allow the juices to soak up.

The post Spaghetti Squash Pie with Basil Pesto Chicken appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We brought 7-Layer Hot Italian Dip along with a bottle of red and white Italian wines to a happy-hour party recently. We stepped outside the comfort zone on the wines, perhaps this is a chance to discover a new favorite.

And about this dip.  Oh my.  I knew when I first read this recipe from Eat at Home Cooks that we’d have a new favorite.  Boy was I right.  As it turns out, when we delivered 7-Layer Hot Italian Dip straight from the oven, we walked into a happy-hour party already in progress.  All in attendance who sampled this new recipe loved it.  I think you will as well.

Let’s break down these seven layers of Italian flavor love.

Layer #1 ~ Cream Cheese

Layer #2 ~ Basil Pesto

Layer #3 ~ Roasted Red Peppers

Layer #4 ~ Parmesan Cheese

Layer #5 ~ Artichoke Hearts

Layer #6 ~ Sun Dried Tomatoes

Layer #7 ~ Mozzarella Cheese

7-Layer Hot Italian Dip is that easy and ready to be served in less than 30-minutes.  Be sure to keep these key ingredients on hand for your next happy-hour or game day party.  We served this yummy appetizer with Cheddar-Parmesan Savory Biscotti.  The flavor combinations were wonderful together.

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7-Layer Hot Italian Dip

7-Layer Hot Italian Dip is that easy and ready to be served in less than 30-minutes.  Be sure to keep these key ingredients on hand for your next happy-hour or game day party. 

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup basil pesto
• 1/3 cup roasted red peppers chopped
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts drained & chopped
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Layer ingredients in order listed in a 1-quart oven-safe casserole dish.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbly.
• Serve hot with savory biscotti, pita chips or crackers.

The post 7-Layer Hot Italian Dip appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

All my favorite soups begin the same way….with a classic Mirepoix (onion, carrot and celery).  For our Cream of Tomato Soup, the mirepoix is primarily a flavor enhancer.  In the end it’s pureed, but I couldn’t help but leave some texture in our creamy bowl of comfort. 

With all this ice, snow and cold weather blanketing much of the US, comfort food seemed like the right way to go.  And who doesn’t love a creamy bowl of tomato soup, with a swirl of Basil Pesto and a side of….cheese?!  Fresh Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks baby.  I’m working on this post as we speak.

Because we talk.  Or at least I talk to you :)

There’s a reason we combine tomatoes, basil and mozzarella in dishes.  Every bite of this soup reminded of this fabulous combination.  The richness of basil pesto delivered a bit of sinful savory to an otherwise  flavorful low fat, low calorie soup.   Cream of Tomato Soup delivers…

Comfort
Tomato love
Fresh flavor
Familiar warmth.

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Cream of Tomato Soup {with Basil Pesto & Mozzarella Dunkers}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 1 carrot peeled & finely diced
• 1 celery stalk finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 Tbl. all-purpose flour
• 8 Roma tomatoes peeled & diced, or one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 Tbl. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 cups chicken broth use vegetable broth for vegetarian version
• 1/2 cup cream
• salt & pepper to taste
• Fresh Basil Pesto see recipe link in post
• Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks see recipe link in post

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrot and celery until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté an additional minute.
• Dust veggie mixture with flour and stir to combine.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sugar and broth. Bring soup to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender or working in batches, puree the soup leaving some texture. Stir in the milk and reheat on low without allowing to boil.
• Serve in soup bowls with a swirl of fresh basil pesto and a side of mozzarella dunkers.

Notes

Total time for Mozzarella Dunkers is 1 hour 30 minutes, but can be prepared ahead and baked just before serving.

The post Cream of Tomato Soup {with Basil Pesto & Mozzarella Dunkers} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Arancini {with Basil Pesto & Marinara Sauce}

I was the girl who grew up eating my spaghetti with butter and parmesan cheese.  No red sauce for this kid.  I even scraped the sauce off pizza before eating it.  

Over time I fell in love with Alfredo Sauce but still avoided tomato based sauces for the most part.  It was all about white sauce in our home, with lasagna and occasionally meatballs being an exception.  This all changed on Christmas Day.

Our annual family Christmas dinner has evolved over the years into a vast array of appetizers and heavy hors d’oeuvres.  Each family brings a couple different dishes to share. 

This past Christmas I made Arancini, deep fried mozzarella stuffed risotto balls served with homemade basil pesto and store bought marinara sauce. 

We’ll get back to the marinara sauce in a minute. 

The risotto balls were a hit, definitely a recipe worth sharing.  Yet with the hustle and bustle of the holidays no pictures were taken until now.

THE Marinara Sauce

When the party was over nearly a full jar of marinara sauce remained in our refrigerator.  I decided to make those occasional Italian Meatballs and serve them with the marinara sauce. 

Rao’s Marinara Sauce.  

Oh my word. 

Rrrrao. 

No, no…really, unless you’ve had Rao’s you won’t appreciate when I say, it changed our lives.  

Little did I know when I selected it off the super market shelf that this sauce had achieved award winning status.  We are full-in believers now.  Rrrrrao. 

If you want to hear your family roar like tigers you’ll want to pick up a jar.  Spaghetti & Meatballs with Rao’s Marinara have become a weekly staple for us.  We are working on our own copycat version of Rao’s but for now I’m keeping an eye on the sale flyers and stocking up.

The Arancini

So now back to what you came for.  Arancini begins with a Basic Risotto Recipe that is then chilled for about an hour.  A beaten egg and fresh basil are stirred in before forming the risotto into 1 1/2-inch balls.  A cube of mozzarella cheese is inserted into the center of each ball which is then sealed around it.

The cheese stuffed rice balls are then breaded.  Each ball is dipped into flour, then beaten egg, then dry Italian bread crumbs; coating well.

Working in small batches, the Arancini are fried in oil until nicely browned on all sides.  The outside will become crispy while the cheese center is nice and gooey.  Serve the Arancini with Basil Pesto & Marinara Sauce, for twice the dipping pleasure.

Arancini {with Basil Pesto & Marinara Sauce} is a fabulous appetizer that can be prepared at home, just allow yourself enough time to prepare the basic risotto recipe first, including time to chill it.  Your family and guests will love and appreciate this classic Italian dish.

All my best,
xo Libby

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Arancini {with Basil Pesto & Marinara Sauce}

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• Basic Risotto Recipe recipe link in post
• 3 eggs
• 2 Tbl. fresh basil chopped
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cubed
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup dry Italian bread crumbs
• Peanut oil for deep-frying
• Basil pesto
• Marinara sauce

Instructions

• Prepare Basic Risotto Recipe according to instructions. Chill for 1 hour. Stir in 1 beaten egg and fresh basil. Form into 1 1/2-inch diameter balls. Press mozzarella cube into the center of each ball and seal by rolling into a smooth ball.
• Set up three bowls for the breading. One for flour, one for two beaten eggs, one for the Italian bread crumbs. Dip each risotto ball into flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs; coating each one well.
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a large saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reads 370 degrees. Fry the balls in small batches until they are well browned on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with basil pesto and warm marinara sauce. Yield = 16 Arancini

The post Arancini {with Basil Pesto & Marinara Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I have a treasured folder where I keep paper copies of recipes.  Some jotted down on scratch paper, others torn from magazines, and lots printed from the pages of fellow bloggers I admire.  This morning I found this Italian White Bean Dip recipe that I had torn from a Weight Watchers hand out….months ago.  Time to revisit.

This recipe was also an excuse to break out my Vitamix that has not been used as often as I’d hoped.  Shame on me.  What a dream machine it is.

There are three components to this dip.  The base of white beans infused with fresh lemon flavor.  Next comes the Basil Pesto, which was a wonderful way to use the fresh basil that is thriving in our Aero-Garden right now.  Lastly comes diced ripe tomato rounding out the Italian flavors.

When it came time to serve this dip, there wasn’t a chip or cracker or even a hunk of bread to be found.  I’ve been wanting to try my hand at Homemade Pita Bread.  There was no time like the present to give it a go.

I found this step-by-step recipe over at The Kitchn.  Do you love this site as much as I do?? I feel like I’m getting free cooking lessons every time I log in.  Back to the Pita Bread.  It’s delicious.  However, after my first attempt (and there will be many more) my bread was more like Naan than Pita.  We had no pockets, just some cute air bubbles (see tips from The Kitchn on how to correct this).

Here’s my little step-by-step summary.  Until perfected I’ll have you refer to The Kitchn’s page for the recipe.

A quick & easy 5-ingredient dough comes together with minimal elbow grease (about 5-7 minutes of kneading).

The dough then rises for 1-2 hours.  By this time it was 6:30 pm, the heavenly Italian White Bean Dip was calling me.  I went with an hour, probably should have given it more time.

Lesson #1 ~ Good things come to those who wait.

The dough is then cut into 8 pcs. that get rolled out into thin disks.

Get your cast iron skillet good and hot and coat it with a little oil.  My first two batches were a bit oil sogged. 

Lesson #2 ~ Less is more.

The directions said to cook for 1-2 minutes per side.  That seemed like a long time.

Refer back to Lesson #1.

The end result yielded 6 out of 8…pretty darn good looking Pita Breads.  No we didn’t have “pockets” for stuffing, but these flat breads would be fantastic with our Lamb Gyros or cut up and served with Shelby’s Yummus Hummus or turned into Flat Bread Pizzas.

As for our Italian White Bean Dip, I delivered it to my office today to Share the Love.  They looooved the dip with it’s hummus-like texture and fresh lemony pop.  And they loved the homemade pita bread as well.  A great Healthy Choices recipe weighing in at only 3 WW Pts+ per serving.  I can dig it.

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Italian White Bean Dip

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 1 can 13.5-ounce white northern beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice or less to taste
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1 Tbl. water
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup basil pesto see recipe link in post
• 1 plum tomato diced
• Homemade Pita Bread recipe link in post

Instructions

• Put beans, lemon juice, lemon zest, water, salt & pepper in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.
• Scrape dip into a serving dish; swirl in basil pesto. Chill 30 minutes then top with diced tomato.
• WW Pts+ per serving.
• Serve with Homemade Pita Bread. WW Pts+ not calculated.

Notes

For gluten-free version serve with corn chips or veggie sticks.

The post Italian White Bean Dip {with Homemade Pita Bread} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Baked Potato {with Tomatoes, Basil Pesto & Fresh Mozzarella}.

Fresh Basil Pesto might as well be classified as butter.  Because when you spoon it onto a piping hot potato, it melts into amazing.  Now add fresh diced tomato and shredded mozzarella.  This might just be as good to me as say Pizza Margherita with a Perfectly Baked Potato crust. 

The post Baked Potato {with Tomatoes, Basil Pesto & Fresh Mozzarella} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

When life gives you basil, make pesto.  When life gives you a whole roaster chicken and pesto…bingo. 

Get happy. 

Our fresh Basil Pesto Recipe yields about 2 cups of pesto, which I used all of to generously coat the entire 6 lb. chicken, including under the skin. 

The oil in the pesto served to self-baste the chicken, keeping it so moist.  I also spooned the pan drippings over the breasts a couple times during the cooking period.

Once the chicken was done and had rested, the result was one beautiful bird, that required no other seasonings. 

Under the crispy skin was a layer of pesto love. 

We removed one breast and sliced it, then served it on a bed of cooked pasta with a spoonful of pan drippings lightly drizzled over top.  What a fabulous flavor combination.

While we enjoyed our Whole Roasted Basil Pesto Chicken dinner, we couldn’t help but envision the amazing broth and soup that was in our future.  Very near future.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Whole Roast Basil Pesto Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 5-6 lb. whole oven roaster chicken
• 2 cups basil pesto

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Rinse and dry chicken.
• Prepare basil pesto according to recipe link in post.
• Rub pesto all over chicken, top and bottom, including under the skin.
• Place on rack in roasting pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Baste chicken with broth from pan. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and loosely tent chicken with foil. Continue baking for an additional hour or until chicken is done (juices run clear and thermometer inserted into the inner thigh registers 165 degrees). If your chicken comes with a pop-up timer trust it.
• Allow chicken to rest at least 15 minutes before carving, preferably 30 minutes.

You might also enjoy Basil Chicken Soup with Orzo.

The post Whole Roasted Basil Pesto Chicken appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Basil Pesto Pasta.

Fill my pasta bowl with capellini tossed in fresh Basil Pesto and I am one happy camper.  Top it with pan seared scallops and I’m liable to do a back flip.  Something I’d regret in the morning.

We bought 8 gorgeous sea scallops and decided to prepare them two ways and share.  First, in an Asian direction with stir fried udon noodles and a spicy marinade ~ we creatively called this Asian Noodles with Seared Sea Scallops :)  The cover of this month’s Bon Appétit whispered, “can you do that?”  Can I do that?!  Pfff.  I got this and sprung into action.

Recipe note:  we are blessed with basil right now.  Our Aero-Garden is still thriving and we have three varieties that need harvesting every other day or so.  One of these varieties happens to be Lemon Basil.  It was a beautiful addition to our basil pesto.  If you are making fresh basil pesto for this dish and can get your hands on lemon basil I highly recommend working it in, if not a little squeeze of lemon juice would be nice.

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Pan Seared Sea Scallops {with Basil Pesto Pasta}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. capellini pasta
• 1/2 cup fresh basil pesto see recipe link in post
• 8 sea scallops
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves
• salt & pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and toss with basil pesto sauce.
• Meanwhile, rinse and pat dry sea scallops. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to skillet and heat to medium-high. Sear scallops untouched for 2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan.
• Add pasta and fresh basil leaves to pan. Gently toss pasta until warmed through. Divide pesto pasta evenly between two pasta bowls, top each with sea scallops and grated Parmesan cheese.

The post Pan Seared Sea Scallops {with Basil Pesto Pasta} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.