This salmon pasta recipe is bursting with flavor! Roast the salmon with veggies then toss them together for a tasty, easy dinner.
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 fillets
- Penne pasta
- Cherry tomatoes
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Capers
- Feta cheese
- Dried oregano
- Olive oil
- Lemon 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 Arugula
- Crisp Apple Salad
- Watercress Salad with Apple & Parmesan
- Favorite 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 Sauce
- Try a Salmon Sandwich with Dill Sauce or Salmon Burgers
- Opt for simple and tasty Salmon Caesar Salad
- Make Oven Baked Salmon, Maple Glazed Salmon or Blackened Salmon
- Go 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).
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Baked Salmon Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This salmon pasta recipe is bursting with flavor! Roast the salmon with veggies then toss them together for a tasty, easy dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon fillets
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 4 ounce block feta cheese (or 1 cup crumbles)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 8 ounces penne pasta (or other short pasta)
- Chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish (or fresh dill)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the fish to stand at room temperature while prepping the vegetables. Chop the tomatoes, shallot and garlic, as noted above.
- Place the chopped vegetables and drained capers in the bottom of a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Mix with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Crumble the feta cheese into rough chunks (if not crumbled already) and add it to the pan, tossing gently to combine.
- Pat the fish dry. Rub it with 1 drizzle of olive oil and ½ teaspoon kosher salt, split between the filets. Sprinkle with the dried oregano and a few grinds black pepper. Place the fillets on top of the vegetables in the baking dish, then gently drizzle with the lemon juice.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish; check at 15 minutes for very thin fillets), until the fish is flaky and the internal temperature is at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a food thermometer.
- Meanwhile, start a large pot of salted water to boil. Boil the penne until al dente, then drain. Return to the pan and toss with a small drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- When the salmon is done, remove it to a plate. Flake it into chunks with a fork.
- Pour the pasta into the baking dish with the vegetables and stir to combine with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Add the salmon and gently stir to combine. Serve immediately. Leftovers last 2 days refrigerated.
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Salmon pasta, salmon pasta recipe, pasta with salmon, salmon with pasta
So yummy!!! I’m eating it cold as leftovers for lunch as we speak – and it’s delicious!!! I have a question – if I wanted to make this with shrimp instead (as a variation), would I just give the tomatoes a head start before throwing the shrimp in to cook? I’m definitely making this again!!! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
This was incredible! Will definitely be making again
★★★★★