Seared Scallops over Spinach and Cannellini Beans

If you follow me on Instagram (AdaBishop), you know I've made this before. I decided to make it again because it is delicious, easy, and photographs oh so beautifully.

The trick here is to dry the scallops thoroughly so that you achieve a picture perfect sear. Another suggestion would be to use FRESH scallops. Whole Foods carries a one pound bag of jumbo scallops that work fine, but please use fresh if you can find them at your fish market.

The recipe came from Women's Health, but I found it on Pinterest (naturally). Last time I made this, I followed the recipe pretty closely, but tonight I took some "culinary liberties."

Seared Scallops over Cannellini Beans and Spinach

Ingredients

Serves:  Prep:  7min |Cook: 11min |Total: 18min
              

• 2 strips bacon, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cans white beans (14 oz each), rinsed and drained
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 lb large sea scallops
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp butter
• juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1.

Heat a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook the bacon until it has begun to crisp. Add the onion and garlic; saute until the onion is soft and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the white beans and spinach and simmer until the beans are hot and the spinach is wilted. Keep warm.

2.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Blot the scallops dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the butter and the scallops to the pan and sear the scallops for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deeply caramelized.

3.

Before serving, add the lemon juice to the beans. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the beans among 4 warm bowls or plates and top with scallops.

Recipe Tips

There are a lot of different types of white beans sold in cans. All will work, but cannellini beans are best

Recipe Notes

Feel free to kill the bacon, but for about 18 calories per serving, it adds a ton of flavor to the overall dish. .

Nutritional Facts per serving

CALORIES

266 CAL

FAT

6.4 G

SATURATED FAT

2.5 G

CHOLESTEROL

49.5 MG

SODIUM

392.9 MG

CARBOHYDRATES

24.9 G

TOTAL SUGARS

2.1 G

DIETARY FIBER

6.4 G

PROTEIN

27.3 G

NOTES:
I used about FIVE slices of bacon (gasp) and loved every bit of it!