Creamy Salmon Pasta Recipe

This Creamy Salmon Pasta recipe is a great way to show off what a “home chef” you are. Simple yet impressive, this is a perfect recipe for a date night at home.

Whenever my parents or my husband’s (well, boyfriend at the time) parents would take us out to dinner when we were in college, my order was always either a steak, or seafood pasta. Living in the dorms, it’s not like the cafeterias were known for their stellar New York strip steaks or seared Chilean sea bass. And let’s face it: the pasta was ALWAYS overcooked. So when I had a chance to go out to a restaurant, I was sure to order one of these things.

Even now, seafood pasta is one of my top “luxury” meals, whether it’s at a restaurant or eaten at home. It always seems like a decadent indulgence, even when I’m sneaking a whole box of spinach into it.

About this Creamy Salmon Pasta:

This Creamy Salmon Pasta with Spinach recipe is perfect for a “date night” at home (we’ll often make some version of this for Valentine’s Day). It seems pretty fancy, but trust me, it’s just cooking pasta + making a simple cream sauce + roasting a piece of salmon.

The ingredients for this Linguine with Cream Sauce and Salmon are easy to find:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• salmon fillets
• salt and pepper
• linguine
• butter
• garlic
• heavy cream
• white wine
• lemon
• spinach
• capers

Tips for Making this pasta with salmon recipe successful:

• So, you’re going to be cooking three things at once (fish, pasta, sauce) in this recipe, but trust me: you can do this. I promise.
• First, get your salmon into the oven. All you’re doing here is putting the fish on a pan, seasoning it, and popping it into the oven. Set a timer and forget about it for awhile.
• Next, get your pasta going: dump some linguine into a pot of boiling, salted water, and again: set it and forget it (well, maybe give it a stir or two if you remember).
• The “home chef” part comes in with your sauce. You’ll start by cooking some garlic in butter, and then adding cream, white wine, lemon zest, salt and pepper. You’ll cook this mixture about 5 minutes or until it thickens into a, well, sauce.
• By now, your pasta should be done cooking. Drain it well, pour it into the skillet with the sauce, add some capers and spinach, and give everything a good stir until the spinach is wilted.
• By now, your salmon should be done cooking, too! Take that out of the oven, break it into big chunks and put it on top of your pasta.
• Grab a fork – it’s time to eatttttttt!

Can pasta with salmon be reheated or frozen?

While I love recipes where leftovers can be reheated for lunch the next day, this recipe is one that is best eaten immediately. Seafood never reheats well, and cream sauce tends to break when reheating. I also don’t recommend freezing this. So, while this recipe as written below would serve a family of four (or a double date at home!), if you’re serving just two people for date night, I’d recommend cutting the recipe in half.

Yield: 4 servings

Creamy Salmon Pasta with Spinach

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This Creamy Salmon Pasta recipe is a great way to show off what a "home chef" you are. Simple yet impressive, this is a perfect recipe for a date night at home.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 27 minutes

Total Time 42 minutes

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 salmon fillets (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more for pasta water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 12 ounces linguine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 box (5 ounces) baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons capers
• Lemon wedges, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray small rimmed baking pan with nonstick spray. Place salmon, skin side down, on prepared pan and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake 12 minutes or until salmon is almost opaque throughout and internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
2. Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook linguine according to package instructions.
3. Meanwhile, heat butter in large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add cream, wine, lemon zest and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook 5 to 6 minutes or until mixture is thickened to a thin sauce consistency, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low.
4. Drain linguine and add to skillet. Stir in spinach and capers and cook over low heat 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is just wilted.
5. Remove salmon from oven. Slip spatula between salmon skin and flesh to remove skin; break into large chunks over linguine. Serve garnished with lemon wedges, if desired.

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• 
  High-Sided Skillet
• 
  Small Rimmed Baking Pan
• 
  Fish Spatula

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 759 Total Fat: 48g Saturated Fat: 24g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 20g Cholesterol: 171mg Sodium: 732mg Carbohydrates: 42g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 4g Protein: 35g

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• One Pan Sausage & Tortellini – my family eats this on repeat all winter!
• Garlicky Greek Yogurt Pasta with Sautéed Lentils & Chickpeas – great for Meatless Monday.
• Minestrone Pasta Sauté with Ricotta – perfect for a cold winter night.
• Creamy Roasted Autumn Vegetable Pasta – for the butternut squash lovers!
• Asparagus & Parmesan Pasta with a Fried Egg – bookmark this for asparagus season.
• 20-Minute Tomato Pesto Pasta from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
• Italian Sausage Rigatoni with Spicy Cream Sauce from Spicy Southern Kitchen