Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pesto Pasta

Creamy Salmon Pesto Pasta loaded with asparagus, pesto, and cherry tomatoes is my new favorite spring time meal. Whip it up on a busy weeknight and shake off every last thought of winter!

Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pesto Pasta is the perfect 30 minute spring meal!

Seafood pasta has always been one of my favorite dishes. My first love was Red Lobster’s Seafood Alfredo, but over the years I’ve also enjoyed my fair share of Lobster Mac and Cheese and Angel Hair with Shrimp. Still, despite my affection for this classic combination, I’ve never once tried a pasta with fish.

This thought rocketed through my head as I scarfed down this Creamy Salmon Pesto Pasta. With each bite I wondered, WHY HAVE I NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE? Creamy pesto bowties are the perfect compliment for firm Sockeye Salmon. All those years wasted on pasta with grilled chicken when I could’ve been eating pasta with salmon. Pasta with salmon beats all other kinds of pasta.

Creamy Salmon Pesto Pasta via NeighborFoodblog.com

I feel like fish kind of gets a bad rap for being finicky or difficult to cook. I know I thought that for years. In reality, fish is one of the easiest and fastest proteins you can cook, not to mention it’s chock full of good-for-you vitamins, minerals, and oils.

Case in point: this entire pasta dish comes together in just 30 minutes. With a healthy bunch of asparagus and cherry tomatoes thrown in, this quickly becomes a one pot meal. I like salmon cooked every which way, but I’ve found one method that really sends it over the top: bacon grease. That’s right, bacon strikes again! I like to cook a small amount of bacon to use as a garnish then cook the salmon in the leftover bacon grease. In less than 10 minutes, the salmon will be tender, flaky, and crazy flavorful.

Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pesto Pasta via NeighborFoodBlog.com

This dish would be a great way to incorporate fish into your kid’s diets. If a naked salmon filet on their plates isn’t doing the trick, tossing the salmon with a creamy pasta might be just the thing you need to make them believers!

The sockeye salmon for this dish comes straight from Alaska, which produces five species of salmon, several varieties of whitefish, and numerous shellfish species which are available fresh, frozen, or canned year round. Alaska’s cold water provides the ideal environment for seafood with lean flesh, firm texture, and superior flavor, and because their fishing methods are grounded in strict conservation practices, you can be sure when you choose Alaska seafood it’s sustainably sourced.

Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pasta from NeighborFoodBlog.com

Don’t go one more minute without some Salmon Pasta in your life. This easy spring meal will knock your winter socks off!

Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pasta from NeighborFoodBlog.com

Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pesto Pasta

Yield: 5
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Celebrate the flavors of Spring with this Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pasta. This one pot meal comes together in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces bowtie pasta
  • 1/2 lb. asparagus, woody ends trimmed, remainder chopped into 3 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 3 Tablespoons basil pesto
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 frozen sockeye salmon filets, thawed
  • 4 strips bacon
  • 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When there are 4 minutes left in the cooking time, add the asparagus to the boiling water with the pasta. When pasta and asparagus are both tender, drain and put back in the pot. Stir in evaporated milk, Parmesan cheese, and pesto until smooth.
  2. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain. Remove all but 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan. Add the salmon to the pan and cook until golden on the bottom (about 4 minutes). Flip the salmon and cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily. Remove from the skillet and cut into bite sized hunks. Add the salmon to the pasta. Stir in grape tomatoes and serve warm with crumbled bacon on top.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 362Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 498mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 31g

Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review, or head over to Instagram and share a photo! Tag your projects with #neighborfoodies!


 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

10 Comments

  1. Sounds fabulous! Wondering how much 3 filets of Salmon weighs, approximately? I bet this would be good with grilled chicken too.

  2. Lori’s comment just made me snort with laughter. I love love love creamy sea food-y pastas and this would totally hit the spot for dinner (or breakfastโ€ฆlunchโ€ฆsnack timeโ€ฆ). The more bacon the better too!

  3. OK so (Monday), upon first glance, I thought the title of this post was “Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pesto BROWNIES.” I was like “Courtney must be having some REALLY weird cravings, because this just does not sound good to me at all.”

    Ummmm so yeah. THIS actual recipe sounds great to me. I love salmon, but the mister is iffy about it. It pretty much has to be doused in sauce, part of a big salad, or otherwise disguised. I’ve never thought to do a salmon pasta, but this will work out great in my house, too!

    1. Ewww…thankfully my pregnancy cravings haven’t been THAT weird. I like my fish and my chocolate to remain on different plates, thank you very much. This pasta is definitely for those who are a little iffy about fish. Creamy sauce is a miracle worker for anything. ๐Ÿ™‚

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.