Three-Green Pasta with Scallops & Pesto Sauce

This is spring-produce pasta at its most efficient: asparagus, green beans, and peas join fettuccine and quartered sea scallops in a creamy pesto sauce. The three greens are where the dish earns its name, all cooked just to crisp-tender so they hold their color and bite against the rich pesto cream.

The smart move is blanching the asparagus and green beans right in the pasta water before the fettuccine goes in. Same pot, same salted water, perfect seasoning. They come out, the pasta goes in, and the cooking stays efficient.

The scallops get their own one-minute turn in butter while the pasta finishes. Quartering them gives you small, bite-sized pieces that distribute evenly through the pasta. One minute is all they need, longer and they tighten up and turn rubbery.

Pesto, heavy cream, and a squeeze of lemon come together off the heat so the pesto’s basil stays bright green instead of oxidizing dark olive.

Pro Tips

• Dry the scallops thoroughly before they hit the butter. Wet scallops steam and turn gray instead of taking on a golden sear.
• Cook the pasta one minute short of the package time. The final toss in the sauce finishes it.
• Add the pesto off direct heat. High heat dulls fresh basil flavor and turns the sauce army-green.
• Save a cup of pasta water before draining. If the finished sauce feels tight, a splash loosens it without diluting flavor.
• Season scallops lightly. They’ve already been in salted water when blanching your veg, and pesto and cheese bring more salt.

Variations

• Swap scallops for seared shrimp or flaked grilled salmon for a different seafood angle.
• Use trofie or linguine if fettuccine feels too heavy for the vegetable-forward sauce.
• Stir in a handful of toasted pine nuts and torn basil leaves just before serving for extra texture.