Smoked Salmon Pasta
This Smoked Salmon Pasta recipe is an elegant yet effortless meal (less than 20 minutes!) that makes any night feel like a romantic feast. The flavor-packed dish will impress guests or make for the perfect treat-yourself dinner, featuring a silky lemon cream sauce, perfectly al dente pasta, and flakey smoked salmon.
Ingredients
- 8 oz small-shaped pasta such as gemelli, bucatini corti, rotini, or orecchiette
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup milk 2% or whole
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- juice from ½ lemon about 1 ½ tablespoons
- ½ cup cream cheese cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups chopped baby spinach
- 8 oz smoked salmon flaked
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Grated or shaved parmesan cheese and/or dill sprigs to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions in well-salted water. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks: make the cream cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly, it smells lightly nutty.
- Whisk in the milk and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking regularly until the sauce has thickened.
- Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice, cream cheese, dried dill, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking regularly until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Gently stir in the chopped baby spinach, flaked smoked salmon, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and cook for 2 minutes until the spinach is lightly wilted.
- Stir in the drained pasta and gently stir to combine, adding extra pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce and make it extra creamy. Season the pasta with cracked black pepper. Serve bowls of pasta hot, garnished with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage Directions
- Refrigerating: Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing smoked salmon recipes.
- Reheating: Warm gently over low heat on the stovetop, adding a splash of milk to loosen the sauce. Avoid microwaving on high heat, as it may dry out the sauce.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Aim for an al dente texture. I usually cook for 1 minute less than the minimal cooking time recommended on the pasta package. The pasta will continue cooking when added to the sauce, so drain the noodles while slightly firm to avoid a mushy texture.
- Prep the sauce ingredients ahead of time. Zest and juice the lemon, flake the salmon, measure the herbs, and chop the spinach before beginning. The cooking time goes quickly, so having the ingredients ready ensures a smooth process.
- Salt the pasta water. Use 1 tablespoon of salt per 2 quarts of water for perfectly seasoned pasta.
- Loosen the sauce with pasta water. The starch in the leftover pasta water helps make the sauce spreadable and loose, giving it a velvety texture that helps the pasta cling to it.
Nutrition
Calories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 16gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 628mgPotassium: 223mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 494IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 1mg
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