Smoked Salmon Pasta Recipe

When you need to throw together a one-pot meal in a hurry, what's your go-to dish? Do you scramble up some eggs with cheese and ham, or maybe throw a bunch of cans together in a pot in some approximation of the Pioneer Woman's famous (or infamous) seven-can soup? Do you just give up and go for a bowl of cereal and milk? That might do if you're dining solo (and are a fan of soggy cereal), but if you want a meal that you can serve to a special guest, you're going to have to up your game a bit.

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating recommends her super-simple smoked salmon pasta. "This is such an easy and delicious dinner," she tells us, with the best part being that you can have it table-ready in only 20 minutes. As for the taste, she says "it's full of amazing flavor from the lemon, chili and garlic that go perfectly with the fresh fish." She suggests serving it with a fresh green salad or some summer veggies for a lovely weekday lunch or dinner. This recipe makes enough for two (or one hungry solo diner), so you're going to have to double or triple it if you've got a whole family to feed.

This dish starts with spaghetti, of course, though Brookes, who is always sensitive to food allergies, notes that you can use the gluten-free kind if you like.  Actually, any kind of long, thin noodle will do, such as fettuccini, linguine, or angel hair — Brookes tells us that "any of those pastas will work great — tagliatelle too!" You'll also need smoked salmon, a small red chili pepper, olive oil, crushed garlic, a lemon, and some cherry tomatoes. You may also want some salt and pepper on hand, which you can add to taste, and you can also garnish this dish with some optional fresh chives. 

Begin by de-stemming and seeding the pepper and removing the white "ribs" and other parts before chopping it fairly fine. Slice each cherry tomato in half, as well. Crush the garlic clove and slip that peel right off, then chop the garlic, too. Finally, take a zester or the small side of a box grater and grate enough of the lemon to get 1 teaspoon of the zest. Once the lemon is zested, cut it in half and squeeze out all of the juice.

Now, cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. You might want to undercook it slightly, or else make sure that it's no more than al dente. The cooked pasta will be re-heated with the sauce at a later stage in the recipe, so you don't want it to be too soft lest it turn to mush at that point.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sauté the garlic along with the peppers. These veggies will need to cook for about one minute until they are slightly softened and fragrant. Once that's done, turn the stove off while you mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Drain the pasta (once it's finished cooking, of course), then add it to the pan. Mix in the lemon juice and the zest along with the salmon, tomatoes, and remaining olive oil. Stir everything up, then turn the stove burner back on and set it at medium. Cook the salmon pasta for five minutes, stirring all the while. The great thing about using smoked salmon in this recipe is that you don't have to cook the salmon beforehand, making for such an easy dish!

Once the five minutes is up, your salmon pasta is ready to be served. If you would like to add a teensy bit more flavor and color, you can finish the dish off with a sprinkling of chopped chives. You could serve it with extra lemon wedges, as well, and maybe even some fresh grated parmesan for those who feel that pasta without cheese is like cake without frosting. "For some extra veggies on the side you could go for green beans or asparagus. Or it would be nice with a fresh crispy salad too," Brookes adds. No matter how you serve this dish, you will relish in the fresh flavors and quick cook time!