Lemon-Garlic Fettuccine with Vegan Scallops

New favorite alert! This lemon-garlic pasta, with vegan scallops, won over my heart. It’s so simple yet exquisite, bursting with flavors. Plus, the sauteed vegan scallops add the perfect meaty texture. The best part is it only takes a few Ingredients to make. Great for a nice at home dinner-date!

I went m.i.a. last on social media last week, I was really busy working, finishing off some classes & being sick as hell. After a week of fighting off a throat infection, it feels nice to enjoy food again without being in so much pain. I’m still fighting it, but it’s waaaay better now. Today I was finally able to go to the doctor & also prepare this recipe, hence this blog post.

Drum roll, please! Lemon-Garlic Fettuccine with Vegan Scallops.

It has been a while since I’ve prepared a really elaborated dish for the blog, and also pasta; the last one was my Cashew Carbonara back in February. Plus I’ve been loving creating summer dishes for the blog; they’re always so refreshing and mouthwatering. But it seems like everyone has insane schedules these days (or are we just growing up?), so quick and easy recipes are a key to getting everyone’s attention. In less than 30 minutes you can have this Lemon-Garlic Fettuccine with Vegan Scallops ready and served, as a weeknight dinner or as a night-in dinner date.

This pasta was inspired by one of my favorite veggies: garlic!

I love garlic, I put it in everything. The lemon & herbs marry perfectly together in this dish to create a flavor combination I can’t get enough of, it’s just amazing. Garlic is packed with Manganese, Vitamin C and Calcium, which are great for combatting sickness (maybe I should have eaten more garlic, *insert eye roll here*).

Now for the scallops, I used the stems of mushrooms and cut them into medallions. King oyster mushrooms work best for this recipe, but I just decided to prepare this with the ones that I had on hand.

Why make this dish? It’s

• Simple
• Light, yet satisfying
• Savory
• Loaded with herbs
• Quick-but-healthy full meal

Notes & Tips:

• Want an even healthier version of this? Try using zucchini noodles.
• Be sure to save about 1 cup of pasta water before draining the noodles. The starch from the pasta will help the sauce come together perfectly.
• Want a bolder flavor? Roast the garlic!
• One thing that really kicks the flavor of this dish up a notch is lightly toasting the herbs & lemon zest in olive oil along with the garlic.

My favorite thing about pasta? Leftovers are always a dream. If you’re anything like me, leftover pasta is a welcome midday treat when on lunch break. So be sure to make extra to pack for lunches during the week.

Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Fettuccine with Vegan Scallops

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 mushroom
• Water & apple cider vinegar, equal parts
• 1 pkg fettuccine, of your choice
• 3 tbsp olive oil (for cooking the scallops)
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 cup pasta water (reserved from cooking noodles)
• ½ cup dry white wine
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• Dry parsley, thyme & oregano
• Fresh basil & rosemary
• Salt & pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Start boiling pasta water with 1 tsp sea salt, and cook the fettuccine until al dente.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Cut the stems into 1 inch thick medallions, and save the top parts for another recipe.
3. In a bowl, combine equal parts of hot water with apple cider vinegar, and submerge the scallops in the mixture while the pasta is cooking.
4. Reserve 1 cup of water for the sauce, drain the pasta and let it sit in a colander until the scallops and sauce are done.
5. Heat a large pan to medium with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Place the mushroom medallions in the pan and brown on each side for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the scallops from the pan and place in a plate on the side.
6. In the same pan, turn the heat to low-med, add another 1 tbsp olive oil along with garlic, zest, dry parsley, thyme, and oregano. Sauté this for 2-3 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently being sure not to burn the garlic. Add the scallops back into the pan.
7. Add in the reserved pasta water with the dry white wine, and the lemon juice. Bring the heat back up to medium to simmer, and stir frequently for 10-12 minutes until the sauce reduces.
8. Add in the fresh basil and rosemary, lemon slices, along with salt & pepper to taste, near the end.
9. Reduce the heat to low and toss the cooked fettuccine in the sauce for 1-2 minutes until evenly coated and most of the sauce is absorbed.
10. Serve & enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

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