Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach - quick and easy dinner made in 30 minutes! Pan-seared salmon is combined with the delicious penne in a flavorful, restaurant-quality cream sauce.
Salmon is a great fish to cook with! It's flavorful, flaky and packed with omega-3 fatty acids. My favorite salmon recipes include cilantro lime honey garlic salmon and Tuscan salmon. In this elegant dish, I combined pan-seared salmon together with the most amazing cream sauce and pasta.
It's a comfort food that a whole family will love! Salmon pasta is also great for using up any leftover cooked salmon you might have.
The cream sauce is made with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, red pepper flakes, and heavy cream. And, when you add freshly wilted spinach to the mix, you get the best salmon pasta you'll ever try! Even if you have overcooked salmon - the cream sauce will fix that and make salmon taste moist and tender!
Salmon pasta: easy and flexible recipe
- Pan-seared or roasted salmon. Cook the salmon any way you like for this recipe! Pan sear salmon in a skillet or roast it in the oven. It's up to you!
- Use any type of pasta. Short pasta, such as penne, bow tie or ziti will work great. Long strand pasta, such as spaghetti or fettuccine, will work equally well.
- Perfect for leftovers. Have leftover cooked salmon? Add it to this creamy pasta! The cream sauce will make leftover salmon taste amazing, even if the salmon is overcooked.
- The cream sauce is what makes this pasta really special. This sauce is full of flavor, made with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, paprika, and spinach.
Substitutions
- What other fish can you use? This recipe will work great with either salmon or trout.
- Make this salmon pasta gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta!
- What other veggies will work? You can use Swiss chard, kale or arugula instead of spinach.
Tips and tricks
- Use skin-on salmon fillets. Do not remove the skin. It's much easier to cook salmon with skin still on. It also helps prevent salmon from drying out during cooking. And, it's much easier to remove the skin, once the salmon is cooked. Just slide the spoon between the skin and the flesh of cooked salmon to remove the skin.
- Use sun-dried tomatoes in oil.
- Use paprika generously. It adds lots of flavor as well as beautiful color to your salmon pasta.
What to serve with salmon pasta
- Simple green salad, such as spinach or arugula salad tossed with olive oil and lemon juice.
- Garlic bread or baguette.
How to make salmon pasta
- First, pan-sear salmon seasoned with salt in olive oil in a large skillet. Sear salmon fillets for about 4-5 minutes on each side on medium-high heat until salmon is flaky.
- Remove salmon from the skillet.
- Remove skin from the salmon. Slice salmon into big chunks.
- Next, make the cream sauce. In the same skillet, cook chopped sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic. Add spinach and cook until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes.
- Then, add 1 cup of heavy cream, paprika, red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 1 minute, stirring.
- Cook penne pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
- Finally, assemble the dish. Add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce.
- Then, add salmon chunks to the creamy pasta.
- Season with salt, if needed.
Other salmon recipes
- Cilantro Lime Honey Garlic Salmon (baked in foil)
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon with Spinach and Artichokes
- Garlic Parmesan Crusted Salmon and Asparagus
Other pasta dishes that you can serve with salmon
- Farfalle with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions
- Fusilli with Spinach, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Linguine with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach
Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach - quick and easy dinner made in 30 minutes! Pan-seared salmon is combined with the delicious penne in a flavorful, restaurant-quality cream sauce.
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound salmon fillets
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cream Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
- 5 oz spinach fresh
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pasta
- 8 oz penne
Instructions
How to sear salmon
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Season salmon fillets with salt.
- When the oil is hot, add salmon fillets flesh side down (skin side up). Sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Flip the salmon fillets to the other side (skin side down). Sear for another 4 or 5 minutes on medium heat until salmon is flaky.
- Remove salmon from the skillet.
How to make a cream sauce
- To the same, now empty, skillet, add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add fresh spinach, and continue cooking and stirring until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes.
- To the skillet with sautéed vegetables, add 1 cup of heavy cream, paprika, red pepper flakes. Bring to simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute, stirring. Season with salt. Add more paprika, if you like.
Pasta
- Cook penne according to package instructions. Drain.
Assembly
- Add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce. Stir in.
- Remove skin from the salmon by sliding the fork between the salmon fillet and the skin.
- Slice salmon into large chunks.
- Add salmon chunks to the creamy pasta. Stir to combine. Simmer for a minute or more, until the salmon is warmed up and cooked through. The salmon should be flaky.
- Season with salt, if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach
Amount per Serving
Calories
637
% Daily Value*
Fat
33
g
51
%
Saturated Fat
15
g
94
%
Cholesterol
143
mg
48
%
Sodium
267
mg
12
%
Potassium
1169
mg
33
%
Carbohydrates
49
g
16
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
4
g
4
%
Protein
33
g
66
%
Vitamin A
4385
IU
88
%
Vitamin C
13.7
mg
17
%
Calcium
111
mg
11
%
Iron
3.2
mg
18
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
Loving the look of all your recipes but as there is only me could this be frozen in portions for future use?
Hi Pat! Personally, I am not a fan of freezing cream-based sauces, as they are more than likely to separate when thawed. In theory, you can freeze these leftovers if you don't care that the texture will be off - it will still be delicious!
If you do freeze this, thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it on low heat on the stovetop to prevent separation.
Loved this easy dish! I only had half and half so I added a tablespoon of cream cheese to help the sauce thicken. Plated beautifully and served with homemade kalamata and rosemary bread.
Thank you for another great recipe. A few suggestions: after adding the spinach you need to also add about a ladle full of pasta water. Also instead of a full cup of heavy cream I did half cup of cream with half cup of and broth.also initial searing of salmon should be only 3 minutes per side. Overall this was a huge success a huge success.
I love all your tips, Harriet, thank you for sharing! So helpful to me and other readers!
Very easy and delicious. I felt like something was missing tho…next time I think I’ll add some pine nuts or more spice….