Pasta Alla Salmone is a quick, easy, and incredibly flavorful dish. Penne pasta and salmon are tossed in a rich and decadent cream sauce; made with shallots, white wine, and heavy cream. Penne alla salmon comes together in under 30 minutes, making it a perfect afternoon or weeknight meal.
If you love a good creamy pasta recipe, this Pasta Al Salmone dish is for you! It’s a quick and easy recipe that is oh-so delicious. While this salmon pasta recipe is simple to prepare, it is also fancy enough to serve at a dinner party or for a romantic date night.
You can either bake your salmon in the oven or use my easy Grilled Salmon recipe.
For my fellow pasta lovers, check out my Linguine Bolognese, Cottage Cheese Alfredo, Easy Meatball Recipe, Gluten-Free Lasagna, and Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta With Steak. If you are looking for more seafood, check out my Traeger Smoked Salmon, Oven Baked Lobster Cakes, or Gluten-Free Crab Cakes.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick And Easy: This creamy salmon pasta only requires a few ingredients and it comes together so quickly! Keep it in your back pocket as it's perfect to serve for a special occasion or a busy weeknight dinner.
- Packed With Flavor: The white cream sauce is full of aromatic herbs that pair so well with the rich flavors of salmon.
- Hearty And Comforting: You won't leave the dinner table hungry. This dish is filling and comforting!
Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I love the combination of Olive Oil and butter in this recipe, however, you can omit the EVOO and only use butter.
- Butter: The butter in this recipe adds a lot of richness and flavor to this dish. If you don’t do well with butter, you can either use Ghee or simply stick with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Shallot: I love shallots for this dish as they are milder than onion, but still add a lot of flavor to the sauce. If you don't have shallots you can use half of a small white onion instead.
- Garlic: You want to use fresh minced garlic, not the stuff from the jar
- Thyme: Fresh thyme if you have it. If not, dried will also work.
- Gluten-Free Flour: If you are not worried about gluten, you can certainly use regular flour.
- White Wine: You will want to use a dry white wine that you would enjoy drinking. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or a Muscadet would all be good choices.
- Half & Half: Don’t skimp on the half & half, here. It’s tempting to use low-fat milk, but the dish won’t taste the same. This is meant to be a decadent dish, so go all in. If you don’t have half & half, you can use heavy cream instead.
- Sea Salt: You can also use kosher salt.
- Black Pepper
- Pasta: For this recipe, I used Gluten-Free Penne, however, if you can handle gluten, use any penne or longer cut noodle that you like.
- Fresh Salmon: Any variety of salmon will work for this dish. I used wild Sockeye salmon since that’s what we had in the freezer. However coho or Alaskan are tasty alternatives. You can certainly use smoked salmon or leftover cooked salmon as well. If you’re in a pinch, you could use wild-caught canned salmon too, just expect the taste and texture to be a little different. Since salmon is the star of this dish, do your best to use good quality wild salmon.
- Parmesan Cheese: Fresh grated; none of that pre-shredded stuff. Taking a few minutes to shred your cheese, you’ll really taste the difference. If you don’t have parmesan cheese, feel free to use pecorino Romano. Pecorino Romano is a sheep's milk cheese that has a nuttier, earthier flavor than Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Fresh Parsley or Basil: For topping the dish.
- Lemon Juice: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end brings this dish to life! The lemon adds a brightness to the recipe, while also helping to cut through the heaviness of the dish. You will want to use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not the stuff out of the bottle, trust me on this! Meyer lemons are a plus.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Pasta Shape: In this recipe, I use penne noodles, however, you can use any longer-cut noodle that you like. Tagalattle, fettuccine or pappardelle are also fantastic options.
- Diary-Free: You can make this creamy sauce dairy-free by using full-fat coconut milk or oat milk along with dairy-free parmesan cheese. You will also want to swap the butter out and replace it with more olive oil.
- Salmon: You can use smoked salmon for this recipe, which will be just lovely. In a pinch, you could use wild canned salmon as well, but the texture and flavor will be a bit different.
- Fresh Herbs & Spicy: Play around with the herbs used in this tasty cream sauce. You can swap any fresh herbs you like. You can even add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat!
- Alcohol-Free: If you don’t have white wine or don’t want to use wine at all, you can substitute it with chicken broth.
How To Make Pasta Alla Salmone
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1. Prepare Your Salmon: If you don’t have cooked salmon on hand, you can quickly grill salmon by using my Traeger Grilled Salmon recipe. You can also cook a filet in the oven.
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Step 2. Cook The Pasta: In a large stock pot, bring salted water to a boil then add the noodles. Cook the penne noodles according to package instructions, until al dente. Once the noodles are cooked, reserve 1 cup of salted pasta water, then drain the remaining water and set the noodles aside.
Step 3. Prepare The Sauce: While cooking the noodles, begin to prepare your sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots and cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Be sure to stir consistently so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Step 4. Make The Roux: Sprinkle in the gluten-free flour and cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, while stirring. Pour in the wine and bring it to a low boil over medium-high heat. Continue stirring. Allow the mixture to cook until the wine reduces by half.
Step 5. Make The Cream Sauce: Reduce the heat to low and gently pour in the half & half, then add the salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to cook on low heat for 3-5 minutes while stirring.
Step 6. Add The Salmon: Once the sauce starts to thicken, gently fold in the flaked salmon.
Step 7. Toss And Combine: Once the pasta is al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and then drain the noodles; add it directly to the cream sauce along with the parmesan cheese. Gently toss the cooked noodles in the salmon cream sauce, until everything is combined. If your sauce is too thick, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water until you achieve your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Step 8. Finish And Serve: Top the Penne Alla Salmon with fresh basil and more freshly grated parmesan cheese (if you choose), along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Expert Tips And Notes
- Reserve The Pasta Water: You will want to be sure to reserve some of the starchy salt water before draining your pasta. You can use this water to help thin out your sauce if needed. Additionally, the salty pasta water will help the sauce adhere to the noodle.
- Cook Your Pasta To Al Dente: It’s important to cook your noodles to al dente (which translates as “to the tooth” in Italian). The noodles will continue to cook in the sauce, and you don’t want to end up with super chewy pasta.
- Use Fresh Organic Ingredients: This recipe only requires a handful of basic ingredients, so it’s very important that you use good quality, fresh ingredients.
- Sauce Thickness: The sauce may appear a bit loose at first, but not to fret, it will thicken up once it’s removed from the heat.
What To Serve With Pasta Alla Salmone
- Garlic Bread
- Grilled Peach And Burrata Salad
- Smoked Asparagus
- Sautéed Spinach
- Grilled Zucchini
- Caprese Salad
- Bruschetta
- Steamed Broccoli
- Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus Bundles
- White Wine: Chardonnay, Pino Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
Storage And Reheating
- Storage: If you happen to have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Add to a large frying pan and cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes. You may want to add a splash of heavy cream to thin the sauce out.
- Freezing: I would not recommend freezing this meal.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can certainly use cream instead of half & half. Any full-fat milk will work. For best results, I would recommend avoiding low-fat or skim milk as the sauce won't be as thick.
If you don’t care for penne pasta, you can use different pasta shapes. I also love using Tagalattle, pappardelle, or fettuccine for this recipe.
More Pasta Recipes
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Pasta Alla Salmone
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 1 Shallot minced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Thyme fresh
- 1 teaspoon Gluten-Free Flour
- ¾ cup White Wine
- 1 cup Half & Half
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 6 oz Penne Pasta gluten-free
- 8 oz Wild Salmon
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Basil
- Lemon Juice to taste
Instructions
- Prepare Your Salmon: If you don’t have cooked salmon on hand, you can quickly grill salmon by using my Traeger Grilled Salmon recipe. You can also cook a filet in the oven.
- Cook The Pasta: In a large stock pot, bring salted water to a boil then add the pasta. Cook the penne pasta according to package instructions, until al dente. Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of salted pasta water, then drain the remaining water and set the pasta aside.
- Prepare The Sauce: While cooking the noodles, begin to prepare your sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots and cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Be sure to stir consistently so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Make The Roux: Sprinkle in the gluten-free flour and cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, while stirring. Pour in the wine and bring it to a low boil over medium-high heat. Continue stirring. Allow the mixture to cook until the wine reduces by half.
- Make The Cream Sauce: Reduce the heat to low and gently pour in the half & half, then add the salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to cook on low heat for 3-5 minutes while stirring.
- Add The Salmon: Once the sauce starts to thicken, gently fold in the flaked salmon.
- Toss And Combine: Once the pasta is al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and then drain the pasta; add it directly to the cream sauce along with the parmesan cheese. Gently toss the cooked noodles in the salmon cream sauce, until everything is combined. If your sauce is too thick, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water until you achieve your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
- Finish And Serve: Top the Pasta Alla Salmon with fresh basil and more freshly grated parmesan cheese (if you choose), along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Notes
-
- Reserve The Pasta Water: You will want to be sure to reserve some of the starchy salt water before draining your pasta. You can use this water to help thin out your sauce if needed. Additionally, the salty pasta water will help the sauce adhere to the noodle.
- Cook Your Pasta To Al Dente: It’s important to cook your noodles to al dente (which translates as “to the tooth” in Italian). The noodles will continue to cook in the sauce, and you don’t want to end up with super chewy pasta.
- Use Fresh Organic Ingredients: This recipe only requires a handful of basic ingredients, so it’s very important that you use good quality, fresh ingredients.
- Sauce Thickness: The sauce may appear a bit loose at first, but not to fret, it will thicken up once it’s removed from the heat.
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