Looking for easy dinner ideas? Here’s one to add to your regular rotation: try this baked Salmon Pasta recipe! This recipe is bursting with flavor, from tender flakes of salmon, zingy lemon and capers, and mix of Mediterranean-style vegetables. Salty feta cheese crumbles are baked right along with the salmon, and when you mix it all together it’s a true symphony of flavor. This one is a huge hit in our household: our 5 year old especially gobbles it down. Here’s what to know!
Ingredients in this salmon pasta recipe
There are lots of ways to make a salmon pasta. A typical recipe you’d need to cook salmon, make a sauce, and boil the pasta. We wanted to simplify things a bit, so we had an idea. Why not roast everything for the salmon and sauce up in one pan? Then it’s easy to toss with the cooked pasta to finish the meal. Turns out, this is one delicious way to make salmon pasta! Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
Salmon filletsPenne pastaCherry tomatoesShallotGarlicCapersFeta cheeseDried oreganoOlive oilLemon juice
Making the baked salmon
This salmon pasta recipe is basically two recipes in one: one for baked salmon with vegetables, and one for the pasta! Because first, you’ll simply make a big pan of roasted salmon and veggies. The method is inspired by our popular Baked Fish and Baked Tilapia recipes (and slightly on that viral TikTok baked feta pasta). See the photo for a visual! Here’s what you’ll do:
Add the chopped vegetables to the bottom of the pan. Then toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir in feta cheese. You can use crumbles or crumble in part of a solid block.Place the salmon fillets directly on top. Season with dried oregano, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 425°F, until the salmon is tender and flaky. Measure the internal temperature with a food thermometer, and pull it out when it is 130°F.
Cook the pasta to al dente
The only other thing to keep in mind with this salmon pasta? Cook your pasta to al dente! This means “to the bite” in Italian: ideally when it’s tender with a small white speck inside when you bite into a piece. There’s nothing worse than soft, rubbery pasta. Here are a few tips for getting that perfect al dente state:
Boil the pasta a few minutes less than the package instructions indicate. Often package instructions make for overcooked pasta. Start taste testing early! Start taste testing and pull the pasta when it’s just tender but you can still see a small white speck inside.
Tips for buying good salmon
The quality of salmon you find at the store varies greatly. Lower quality salmon can taste very fishy and have a mushy texture, or have a lot of that white stuff when it’s cooked. Other salmon roasts up beautifully! Here are some things to think about when buying salmon for this salmon pasta recipe:
Look for wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. (There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.) Tend toward fresh salmon. Buying salmon fresh from the fish counter usually has the best flavor. But frozen can work too. Just try to find higher quality frozen salmon and not a big economy-sized bag (we’ve found this type can taste very fishy). Know your types of salmon. We tend to like Coho salmon for its mild flavor: it’s a good middle of the road option in terms of price. Of course, King salmon is incredible but it’s on the expensive end. Atlantic salmon is typically farmed, but can be a sustainable option. Ask about its source at the fish counter.
Sides for salmon pasta
Once you’ve roasted up your salmon and tossed it with your pasta: time to eat! This is perfect as an easy dinner idea, served with a salad or bread as sides. Here are a few simple salads to whip up while the salmon roasts:
Easy Arugula Salad or Goat Cheese Salad with ArugulaCrisp Apple SaladWatercress Salad with Apple & ParmesanFavorite Chopped Salad
And that’s it! Let us know if you try this salmon pasta in the comments below: we hope your family loves it as much as ours does!
More salmon recipes
Love salmon? Here are some of our favorite salmon recipes that make a great meal:
Go for Salmon Tacos with Avocado SauceTry a Salmon Sandwich with Dill Sauce or Salmon BurgersOpt for simple and tasty Salmon Caesar SaladMake Oven Baked Salmon, Maple Glazed Salmon or Blackened SalmonGo for Pesto Salmon or Lemon Dill Salmon
This salmon pasta recipe is…
Pescatarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta. For dairy-free, omit the feta cheese and add more salt to taste (or use a dairy-free cheese alternative). 5 from 2 reviews
