Weeknight Spaghetti with Lemon Pesto Scallop Skewers

An easy mixture of pesto, lemon, and garlic does double duty as a grilling mop for super-quick grilled scallop skewers and a delicious no-cook sauce for this spaghetti, spinach, and fresh tomato side dish.

Prep time:

5 minutes
Cook time:

12 minutes
Makes:

4 servings

Ingredients

375 g uncooked spaghetti
1 large lemon
½ cup (125 mL) basil or sundried tomato pesto
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
450 g frozen jumbo Canadian sea scallops (approx. 20), thawed and patted dry
4 cups (1 L) lightly packed baby spinach
2 cups (500 mL) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
¼ cup (60 mL) pitted black olives (optional)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Using a side burner or on a stove, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente; drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Return pasta to pot.
Meanwhile, zest lemon to make ½ tsp (2 mL); cut in half and squeeze out juice to make 3 tbsp. In a small bowl, mix pesto with lemon zest, juice and garlic. Set ¼ of the mixture aside in a small bowl for scallops.
Skewer scallops onto 4 soaked wooden or metal skewers; brush both sides with reserved pesto mixture. Place on hot, greased grill; cook, turning once, until grill-marked, firm and opaque, about 2 minutes per side.
Add remaining pesto mixture to pasta and enough of the pasta cooking liquid to coat pasta evenly. Add spinach, tomatoes and olives (if using); toss lightly. Serve scallops over spaghetti mixture.

Tip: If you like spice, add ½ tsp (2 mL) crushed red pepper flakes to the pesto mixture.

Tip: Although pesto already contains cheese, cheese lovers can add extra Parmesan to their pasta to taste.