Recipe: Sea Scallops and Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes

From Peace Meals, by the Junior League of HoustonServes 4

I've made this recipe twice and it's is so good!  Jason loves it too.  Very impressive for a dinner party, but ridiculously quick and easy.

Ingredients:
-  1 cup dry orzo pasta
-  2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-  3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
-  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided (I used way more than that)
-  1 pound sea scallops (about 8 large scallops equals one pound).  When I made this for 4 people I bought about 1.5 pounds of scallops, but kept all other ingredients the same. 
-  1 cup chopped sweet onion
-  4 cloves garlic, minced
-  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
-  2 cups cherry, grape or cherub tomatoes, halved
-  2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
-  1/3 cup fresh basil chiffonade

Directions:
1.  Cook the orzo according to package directions.
2.  While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high.
3.  Sprinkle half of the salt and half of the pepper evenly over the scallops.
4.  Add the scallops to the skillet and saute for 3 minutes each side or until done.  Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside.
5.  Drain excess liquid from the pan and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 
6.  Add the onions, garlic and red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
7.  Stir in the pasta and scallops and continue to cook for 1 minute or until heated through. 
8.  Remove from heat, season with remaining salt, pepper, and stir in the tomatoes, cheese and basil. 

Perfect meal all by itself, in my opinion!