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Simple and delicious Browned Butter Scallops and Burst Tomato Basil Pasta. This quick-cooking pasta is like summer in a bowl. Crisp pan-seared scallops tossed with a golden, browned butter cherry tomato pan sauce, with white wine, caramelized corn, and plenty of basil. Serve topped with creamy burrata cheese, fresh, basil, and lemon. This is the perfect summer dinner, all made using summery seafood and garden produce. Simple yet so delectable, and ready in under an hour. Most importantly…every twirl of pasta is mouth-wateringly delicious.
Here’s the deal, you can make tomato basil pasta just about any time of the year. But I always find it best this time of year, when the gardens are bursting with fresh basil and the tomatoes are just beginning to turn ripe enough to eat. Our local farmstand, Uncle John’s, has just started filling their delivery trucks full of sweet cherry tomatoes, homegrown in Colorado. They’re the best, sweetest little cherry tomatoes.
We love them.
And if you’ve been following along all summer, you know we are growing plenty of fresh herbs this year. Our basil and thyme are currently taking over the garden and I could not be happier about it. Basil is by far one of my very favorite herbs, probably my favorite. But I hate to choose solid favorites when it comes to food because my favorites really do change with the seasons.
Funny enough, this is a pasta I made many summers ago. But I love making it every year once the cherry tomatoes arrive towards the end of July. It’s the quickest pasta dinner to create. It would be amazing as a special Friday or Saturday night meal with your favorite glass of wine, yet it’s simple enough for any weeknight too.
It’s light and summery, but yet also a bit indulgent and very satisfying. An all-around completely delicious meal.
Here are the details for this summery scallop pasta.
Like a lot of my summer recipes, this pasta is simple. I used angel hair pasta because it’s what I had in my pantry. Well, wait, I have almost every kind of pasta in my pantry. Because you know I love a good pasta dinner and I love keeping the pantry well-stocked. But truth is, I love angel hair the most. My mom ingrained this into me at a very young age and I think it will always be my favorite. You can, of course, use any long cut pasta you love, but angel hair is my go-to.
The added bonus when it comes to using angle hair? It takes almost no time at all to cook up.
Sear the scallops and finish things up.
Once you have the pasta boiling, get to work on the scallops. I pan-seared them simply with salt, pepper, and olive oil. The key to a good pan-seared scallop is making sure you’ve patted the scallops very dry before searing. This will ensure your scallops brown evenly on the outside, but stay soft and buttery toward the center.
Once the scallops are seared, get them out of the skillet and finish up this pasta.
To that same skillet, add those cherry tomatoes, some garlic, herbs, corn, and butter. Let the butter get a little brown and toasty, and then add a splash of wine. Yes, wine on a weekday, and it’s the best thing ever. Obviously.
Toss in the pasta, parmesan, basil, and seared scallops. And that’s it.
Well almost…the plating is very important and should go as follows:
Pasta, room temperature burrata, a sprinkle of lemon, and then lots of fresh basil.
Seems really fancy, right? But it’s actually so simple and is made entirely in one pan (ok, two including the pasta cooking pan). And all in under an hour.
This one is as close to perfect as a summer pasta can get.
Pour yourself a glass of wine, fix up a big plate of seafood pasta, and relax out on the patio or deck…the perfect summer night dinner! Sounds pretty darn good. Lovin’ the easy summer living.
And nothing’s better than buttery, herby, seafood pasta, sweet tomatoes and corn, cheese, and wine…all together in one dish. Happiest Thursday!
PS. I’ve decided that everything in the summer months is better with burrata and fresh basil…everything!
Looking for other summer seafood recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Cajun Pepper Shrimp with Creamed Corn Orzo
Garden Herb Shrimp Scampi Linguine
Lemon Parmesan Salmon with Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad
Lastly, if you make this Browned Butter Scallops and Burst Tomato Basil Pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Browned Butter Scallops and Burst Tomato Basil Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 629 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound angel hair or linguine
- 1 pound large scallops, patted dry
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob
- 1/3 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 1 ball burrata cheese, at room temperature (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta.2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. When the oil shimmers, add the scallops and sear on both sides until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the scallops from the skillet to a plate. 3. To the same skillet, add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to pop, about 4-5 minutes. Add the butter and corn, cook until just browned, another 2-3 minutes. Pour in the wine and lemon juice, simmer 2-3 minutes. Add the pasta, parmesan, basil, and scallops, gently toss to combine. If needed, thin the sauce with a little of the pasta cooking water. 5. Divide the pasta among plates and top with burrata cheese, basil, and lemon. Enjoy!
Mine’s never as pretty as yours, but it was sure tasty!
I am sure it looked amazing! But thank you for trying all of these recipe, D’Ann! xTieghan
I have been LOVING all these tomato recipes!!!! The only problem is, the tomatoes in my garden aren’t quite ready. I’ve been bookmarking them all and CANNOT wait to start trying all of them. Please keep up with the garden veggie recipes- summer squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc. Summer veggie season is my absolute favorite and I’m always looking for more things to make with my garden harvest.
I am so glad you have been loving these, Emmaline! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
Stems and leaves left on the tomatoes are a total turn-off for me. They do nothing for the mouthfeel of the sauce and contribute only bitterness to the taste.
Hi Kristene! I think they look great in the presentation, but I do not eat them.. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with! xTieghan
This was absolutely amazing!!! I ate it in the middle of January. Like summer on my plate. I can’t wait to try this with fresh summer corn, tomatoes, and basil. It’s definitely going in the repeat file.
So happy to hear that this turned out so well for you Amanda! Thank you!! xTieghan
That was seriously delicious. Finding burrata and good scallops was surprisingly tricky, but so worth it. The only change I made was using spiralized zucchini instead of angel hair pasta, because that’s what I’m doing these days – absolutely scrumptious. And it came together quickly, too. Thanks for another memorable meal!!
Thank you so much Taralyn! xTieghan
It was 8 degrees here the other day and I thought, I miss summer. So I made this recipe. I did sub canned Del Monte gold and white corn for the fresh. Also, I didn’t have burrata but I used small balls of fresh mozzarella. (I know it doesn’t hold a candle to the burrata but I just had a baby and the grocery delivery service doesn’t offer it! Haha) Anyway I have always been intimidated to make scallops but they came out great and were definitely the star of the dish. Cast iron was key as per usual. Hubby filled up on them and neglected the pasta; my 2 y/o filled up on the pasta; and I ate everything all together. Delicious!!! Definitely will make again for company sometime. Thank you!
Yes, totally have those days too! I am really glad you liked this recipe, Kristen! Thank you!!
Those scallops are perfection, love this summery pasta!
They were too fun!! Thanks Laura!
Carbs, butter, cheese, and wine? Yes, please!
EXACTLY what I was thinking!!
Love the acidity of tomatoes with the richness of browned butter and scallops!!! Such a great idea! I love scallops but often find them way too rich!
Thanks so much! They can be quite rich sometimes!!
This is seriously BURSTING with summer flavors! Your tomatoes always look so magical. What do they put in that CO soil?! Ha! Great Pasta!
Ah thank you so much Elizabeth! I wish I knew but I do love them!
Saw burst tomatoes and was instantly hooked. Looks marvelous! Thanks for the inspiration!
– MAK
Ah in love with burst tomatoes! Too good, thanks Margaret Ann!
Wow this pasta looks divine! So summery!
Thanks Sara so happy you like it (:
OBVIOUSLY it needs burrata. And I’d love to come take some of that basil off your hands 🙂
ALWAYS needs burrata!! Yes! Loving all the basil.
Angel hair pasta is my moms absolute favourite, so will have to make her this next time she’s visiting!!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Yes!! Its the best, hope you guys love it!
Yes, I’ll have one of these, please!!!
https://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
Coming right up! Haha!