Scallops & Red Pepper Parsley Butternut Rice {GF, Low Cal, Paleo}

Paleo Scallops & Red Pepper Parsley Butternut Rice! An easy 30 minute veggie packed meal bursting with warm, comforting flavors that pairs with any protein. Gluten Free + Low Calorie + Paleo

I am officially in L-O-V-E with butternut rice. I know it sounds like an unimaginable thing to eat for some of you, but believe me, it took me a lot of years to grow a fondness for the squash family. In fact, it took me a lot of years to become a veggie lover.

It's not something that happens overnight, and I think that's what a lot of people do wrong is believing they can immediately start eating veggies and love them. You have to give yourself time to adapt to them which is why healthy food usually tastes bad when you first start eating it.

For me, it's been a several years of progressing my taste buds to get to a point where I crave real whole foods. More recently, I've noticed I crave less grains and would rather have a veggie based rice like cauliflower or butternut in its place. So no, you're not weird and neither am I.

Everyone is just at different places and that's neither right or wrong. It's just a matter of recognizing where you are RIGHT NOW and knowing without a doubt that you will get there.

For those of you who aren't ready to dive into butternut squash rice, remember it's all about baby steps. In this Scallops & Red Pepper Parsley Butternut Rice you can easily substitute the butternut with brown rice. The bell pepper and spices easily adapt to brown rice and it will still taste amazing! P.S. even quinoa would be amazing in this! Just a thought.

That said, if you are butternut squash lover then you can't go wrong with this Scallops & Red Pepper Parsley Butternut Rice. It's packed with intricate flavors that are warm and comforting. Perfect for a fall or winter dinner!

The real start of the show are the scallops. I seared mine in some garlic and extra virgin olive oil. The key to getting them just right is not touching them. Seriously, all you need is to flip them once and they are chewy perfection.

I got my scallops at Sizzlefish, delivered freezer cold right to my door. I can't find scallops at any of the stores near me so having them conveniently shipped to me helps me stay on track with my eating. Not to mention, they're pre-portioned so I don't have to worry about measuring servings and I can always count on the high quality of their fish.

This Scallops & Red Pepper Parsley Butternut Rice is incredibly versatile. Any protein would pair well here. But the best part? This meal is ridiculously simple. I bought the butternut squash already cubed (Walmart has them) so all I had to do was pulse it in a blender to rice it, chop an onion and bell pepper and cook. Simple and easy! How can you go wrong with that?

Scallops & Red Pepper Parsley Butternut Rice

Megan Olson

Paleo Scallops & Red Pepper Parsley Butternut Rice! An easy 30 minute veggie packed meal bursting with warm, comforting flavors that pairs with any protein. Gluten Free + Low Calorie + Paleo

4 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 186 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 16 scallops
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper diced
• ▢ 1 cup white onion diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 3 cups butternut squash riced*
• ▢ 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Place butternut squash cubes in a blender or food processor and pulse until it becomes a rice like consistency, do not over process.
• Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil, onion, garlic, bell pepper and red pepper flakes. Sauté 4-5 minutes.
• While veggies are sautéing, heat a skillet over medium heat with a little cooking spray. Place dry scallops in pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 7 minutes on each side. Only flip once.
• To the vegetables, add broth, butternut squash rice, salt, pepper, chili powder and paprika. Stir to combine the juices with all ingredients. Allow the mixture to simmer until the squash softens and scallops are finished. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and parsley to finish.
• Remove both from the heat and assemble by placing butternut rice in a bowl topped with 4 scallops for each person. Sprinkle with more parsley as desired.

Notes

• *To rice butternut squash, simple chop it into rough chunks and pulse several times in a food processor or blender until it becomes rice like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 186kcalCarbohydrates: 21.6gProtein: 16.4gFat: 4.6gSaturated Fat: 0.6gCholesterol: 26.3mgSodium: 314.1mgFiber: 3.9gSugar: 6.1g

Tried this Recipe? Let me know!Let us know how it was!

About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.