Healthy Tuscan inspired creamy sauce for scallops! An indulgent blend of sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, basil, garlic and mushrooms in a lite cream sauce, ready in 30 minutes, made in one-pan and makes you feel like you are eating at a fancy restaurant!
Raise your hand if you like a good cream sauce but feel a little guilty or bloated after indulging in it? Me! Guess what? This creamy sauce for scallops does not do that at all! It is made with healthy ingredients, including plant-based milk, vegetable broth, and a small amount of sour cream to give it its “creamy” flavor. You can also substitute the ingredient for dairy-free sour cream for a dairy-free dinner.
Scallop recipes are our favorite! Including this Shrimp and Scallop Pasta in Cajun Garlic Cream Sauce recipe that was inspired by a trip to the beach and a dish my husband ordered at a seafood restaurant. That recipe uses a cream cheese based sauce and has lots of Cajun spices. I wanted this seafood recipe to incorporate scallops and cream with Italian flavors and less dairy.
It took a couple of rounds to get here, like all great recipes do. This creamy sauce for scallops is awesome especially for being a healthy and lite!
Here’s the scoop. When I first made this scallop recipe, I used all basil and half the amount of sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms and it was epic, in my opinion. But for a recipe to be winning it must pass more mouths than mine😊. My husband and I loved every moment and every bite of it, until the end. He was mind blown at the rich flavors this Tuscan creamy sauce and scallops recipe encompasses, but noticed a tad bitter flavor after eating. I realized it was from incorporating too much basil leaves into it. Rolling over to round two, I ramped up the amount of sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms, added spinach in place of the basil and just a couple of tablespoons of fresh basil leaves to enhance the flavor (not overpower it). Don’t worry, I will teach you how to make what I am explaining so you too can achieve a perfectly Tuscan garlic mushroom creamy sauce for scallops (or any meat)!
How to make this Tuscan creamy garlic mushroom sauce for scallops
Step 1 includes searing the scallops. You can use frozen or fresh scallops for the recipe, just make sure they are fully thawed before cooking. Pat dry the thawed sea scallops with a paper towel to remove any extra liquid. In a skillet or cast iron pan skillet add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and jumbo sea scallops and cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the scallops from the pan and set them aside while you make the sauce.
Step 2 is making the sauce. Add vegetable broth, cashew milk, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sour cream (or dairy-free sour cream) and corn starch and whisk together on low heat until smooth. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and basil leaves and keep stirring on medium heat until the spinach is wilted. Turn the heat to low, add the scallops and serve!
The sauce gets thicker as it heats. So, if you make this in advance and heat it later the sauce will be very thick as the liquid has evaporated slightly. You can always add more sour cream and broth to thin it down if needed.
What to serve with seared scallops
My wonderful neighbor asked me this question after I made it. We like to eat light dinners and I already though to myself “this meal has meat, vegetables and a bit of fat”, how about salad for crunch. It was a great question because, what do you serve with seared scallops or top this creamy sauce for scallops to?
- Serve sea scallops with a side salad.
- Served this creamy sauce over zucchini pasta noodles, sweet potato noodles or baked spaghetti squash noodles for a low carb meal!
- Serve it with a favorite baked sweet potato or golden potato seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Serve it with oven roasted brussels sprouts or your favorite roasted vegetables.
- Perhaps add a 3-Ingredient, Whole30 brownie for dessert? Because chocolate is sooo good any time!
Overall, creamy Tuscan garlic mushroom scallops is so delicious, and this sauce is great for all Tuscan inspired meats and seafood! I can’t wait for you to try it!
If you like this post you may like these other healthy seafood recipes
- Baked Cod in Foil With Grape Tomatoes
- Best Ceviche Recipe
- Teriyaki Salmon
- Shrimp and Scallop Pasta in Cajun Garlic Cream Sauce
- Cod Fish Tacos With Southwest Sauce
PIN IT!
Creamy Tuscan Garlic Mushroom Sauce For Scallops
Ingredients
- 1 pound scallops
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 tablespoons basil fresh, chopped
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup cashew milk unsweetened and original flavor (this milk has a great thick consistency)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (optional to use dairy-free sour cream)
- 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch (or arrowroot starch for grain-free)
- 1 lemon
Instructions
Seared Scallops
- Pat dry fresh or thawed sea scallops with a paper towel to remove any extra liquid. In a skillet or cast iron pan skillet add olive oil and jumbo sea scallops and cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the scallops from the pan and set them aside while you make the sauce.
Creamy Sauce For Scallops
- In the same pan, add vegetable broth, cashew milk, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sour cream (or dairy-free sour cream) and corn starch and whisk together on low heat until smooth. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and basil leaves and keep stirring on medium heat until the spinach is wilted. Turn the heat to low, add the scallops and serve with a squeeze of juice from the lemon!
- Serve with a side salad or over your favorite pasta noodles or vegetable noodles.
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