This scallop alfredo with pumpkin is made with creamy, delicious pumpkin and Parmesan pasta sauce, fettuccine noodles, and seared sea scallops.
Welcome to October!
Here at Champagne Tastes, October is exciting!
Why?
It's National Seafood Month!
Hooray!
This month, I'll be embracing the fishy side of this website.
What does Seafood Month mean for you? It means... whatever you want it to mean.
If you've been trying to include more seafood in your diet, October is a fabulous time to start!
If you already eat seafood on a regular basis, October is a perfect time to look at the quality of your seafood, as well as at how sustainable it is.
To start things off, let's talk sea scallops!
This scallop alfredo with pumpkin is made with high-quality, sustainably-sourced sea scallops, seasonal pumpkin, and an easy, from-scratch pasta sauce!
This recipe uses canned pumpkin, but try swapping homemade pumpkin purée for canned! Make this Instant Pot Pumpkin Purée or use your oven for Roasted Pumpkin Purée!
Buying Sea Scallops
When you're shopping for scallops, you'll see different types.
For this recipe, skip the tiny bay scallops, and look for larger sea scallops.
Bay scallops are small and hard to sear.
Looking for more sea scallop recipes? Try seared seared sea scallops with wine sauce, grilled scallops with bourbon sauce, pumpkin scallop gratin, and scallop fra diavolo.
How Many Sea Scallops Should I Serve Per Person?
Sea scallops can be pricey, but a little goes a long way.
When you're shopping for sea scallops, keep in mind that a serving size is 4oz.
Depending on the size of the scallops, that's only 3-5 sea scallops per person.
This is especially true when you're serving the scallops with a starchy dish like pasta.
Can This Scallop Alfredo Be Gluten-Free?
The only part of this pasta dish that contains gluten is, well, the pasta.
There's no flour in the sauce.
To make this gluten-free, simply swap the alfredo for a gluten-free pasta.
How to Make Scallop Alfredo with Pumpkin
First off, let me apologize, and tell you that this is not a one-pot meal, and it's not even a two-pot meal.
You'll need two pans AND a pot-- which is a lot more clean-up than I normally like to have.
Trust me though, and make this anyway!
First, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
In the meantime, heat the butter in a large pan, and when it melts, begin whisking in the milk, cream, and finally the cheese.
When everything has melted together, add the pumpkin and whisk again.
Culinary Tip: If we were feeling fancy, we could call this a 'pumpkin and butter roux,' instead of a traditional flour-butter roux, because the pumpkin will thicken up the mixture just like flour would.
In another pan, preferably a heavy pan, sauté your bell pepper.
Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook it until it is ALMOST, but not quite, finished cooking.
Then, pull the pasta straight from the hot water and add it to the pumpkin sauce.
Toss it together until the sauce coats the pasta, and then add the bell pepper. Cover the pasta, and set it aside.
Turn up the heat on the pan you used for the bell pepper.
Add a little butter, and wait for the butter to melt.
Pat your scallops dry, season them lightly with salt and cayenne, and then set them carefully into the hot pan.
Sear them for about two minutes per side, and then serve the pasta and scallops together immediately!
Need more help? Check out this tutorial on How to Pan-Sear Fish.
Looking for more high-end shellfish recipes? Try grilled lobster tails with bourbon, crab Louie salad, Dungeness crab egg Benedict, king crab salad with avocado dressing, and crab fries.
Scallop Alfredo with Pumpkin
Ingredients
Pasta:
- 4 ounces fettuccine
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shaved
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sweet bell pepper, julienned
Scallops:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 7 ounces sea scallops (3-5 per person, depending on the size of scallops)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne Double for spicier scallops
- pinch salt
- 6-8 leaves fresh basil, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook fettuccine about two minutes LESS than the package directions call for.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or wok, heat butter over medium heat until it melts. Then, whisk in the milk and cream. Next, add the Parmesan, and continue to whisk until it melts. Add the pumpkin, and stir again.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pan (like a cast iron pan), heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add bell peppers and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened. Set peppers aside. (You'll use the same pan to cook the scallops.)
- About 2 minutes before the fettuccine is al dente (or, 1-2 minutes before it's perfectly cooked), remove the pasta from the water with a pasta spoon, shake off excess water, and drop the pasta straight into the pumpkin sauce. Toss the pasta into the sauce to coat the pasta. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little of the pasta water (a tablespoon at a time), until the sauce will evenly coat the pasta.
- Add the reserved bell peppers to the pasta, and toss to incorporate. Remove pasta from heat, and cover to keep it warm.
- In the heavy-bottom pan used to sauté the bell pepper, add 1 TB butter, and raise heat to medium-high. If the butter begins to smoke, lower the heat slightly.
- Pat the scallops dry, sprinkle lightly with salt and cayenne. Add scallops to the pan, and let them sit on one side for 2 minutes per side, until each side is golden brown.
- Divide pasta between two plates, and then divide the scallops between the dishes (3-5 per plate). Garnish with fresh basil if desired. Serve immediately.
Meg | Meg is Well
So many helpful tips here! I can't wait to see what else you come up with this month!
champagne-tastes
Thanks Meg!!!
Ginny
My sister has been looking for a recipe like this. Fettuccine Alfredo is so delicious and you turned it autumnal. Thansk so much and I'll make sure she gets this.
champagne-tastes
Aw.. thanks for passing it on!
Emily
Pumpkin fettuccine is one of my favorite Fall dishes... I love the addition of scallops!
champagne-tastes
Thanks Emily!
Brian Jones
Oh man what an indulgence that would be, I love scallops but they are all but impossible to find here 🙁 What could I use instead?
champagne-tastes
Aw man! Well, the flavor wouldn't be the exact same, but I think this would also be delicious with shrimp 🙂
Shashi at Savory Spin
I didn't know October was seafood month - seeing scallops are one of my seafood favs, I'm definitely going to have to indulge in them this month - and what better way than in your gloriously exquisite Pumpkin Fettuccine! Such a wonderful intermingling of flavors - comfort food for sure!
champagne-tastes
Yup it sure is!!! It's time to eat all the fishies! Lol. And thanks!!!
Diana
Oh I love the sound of a creamy pumpkin Alfredo! I always make the plain classic fettuccine Alfredo and now I'm intrigued
champagne-tastes
It's so good!!! Let me know if you try it!
Lisa|Garlic & Zest
i'm giving you props, Sarah. I was skeptical that any frozen scallop could achieve a good sear, but these did! Beautiful. I live 1 mile from the beach, so seafood is not an issue for us - and when I source my scallops I always look for "dry scallops" that haven't been soaked in that solution - specifically so I can get that gorgeous sear -- otherwise, what's the point? I love the sound of the pumpkin roux in this dish... It feels fall-ish and definitely looks perfect for date night.
champagne-tastes
Aw thanks Lisa! Yup- frozen or fresh doesn't matter so much as if they're dry packed or wet packed! (But these Orca Bay ones sear Soooooo well!!!)
Amanda
I still remember the first time I had dry-packed scallops and saw the huge difference in quality as compared to wet-packed. I'll have to try Orca Bay's scallops. They look luscious and you got such a great sear on them. Loving the fall twist on Fettuccine Alfredo, too! Savory pumpkin dishes are so good!