Creamy Salmon Pasta with Garlic, Capers, and Spinach
By Emma Collins
Ready in 25 minutes, this creamy salmon pasta puts baked salmon and pappardelle on the table without a long sauce simmer. Heavy cream, garlic, dry white wine, lemon zest, capers, and spinach create a rich, tangy sauce that clings well to the pasta.
Bake the seasoned salmon while the pasta cooks, then build the sauce in a medium pot with butter and minced garlic. Pappardelle is the stated choice because its wide ribbons hold the cream sauce, though the recipe allows any pasta. White wine and lemon zest brighten the heavy cream, while capers bring a briny edge and baby spinach folds in at the end.
The sauce should look slightly thicker after its brief cook with cream, wine, and lemon zest, rather than reduced into a heavy coating before the pasta goes in. Garlic is the part most likely to go wrong if rushed: cook it in melted butter only until fragrant. Once salmon, pasta, spinach, and capers are added, mix gently so the fish stays in tender pieces.
Serve the pasta hot, with garlic bread or crazy bread if desired for scooping up the sauce. The source suggests reheating leftovers in a skillet over medium heat with a dash of olive oil, stirring constantly until warmed through. The recipe makes four servings and can be doubled or tripled for a larger dinner.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Gets dinner moving in 25 minutes because the salmon bakes while the pasta cooks, leaving only a brief sauce step before everything is combined.
- Uses a short grocery list of salmon, pasta, cream, spinach, and pantry-style seasonings, so the meal does not require multiple separate components.
- Keeps active cooking straightforward because the cream sauce comes together in one medium pot after the pasta has been boiled separately.
- Offers flexibility with pasta because pappardelle is recommended for sauce-clinging ribbons, but the source specifically allows any pasta you prefer.
- Makes four servings and scales easily because the source says to double or triple the recipe when feeding a larger family dinner.
- Handles leftovers with a simple skillet method, using a dash of olive oil and constant stirring to restore the pasta’s warmed texture.
Ingredients
- •2 salmon fillets
- •1 tsp kosher salt
- •0.5 tsp black pepper
- •cooking spray (for spraying salmon)
- •12 oz pappardelle pasta (or any pasta)
- •2 tbsp unsalted butter
- •2 cloves garlic (minced)
- •1 cup heavy cream
- •0.5 cup dry white wine
- •1 tsp grated lemon zest
- •5 oz baby spinach leaves
- •2 tbsp capers
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200ºC) and prepare a baking dish with parchment paper.
- 2
Season the salmon fillets with kosher salt and black pepper on both sides, then place them on the prepared baking dish.
- 3
Spray the salmon fillets with cooking spray and bake for 12 minutes, or until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
- 4
While the salmon bakes, cook the pappardelle according to the package instructions.
- 5
Heat the butter in a medium pot until melted, then add the minced garlic.
- 6
Cook the garlic in the butter for 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
- 7
Add the heavy cream, grated lemon zest, and dry white wine to the pot.
- 8
Cook for about 1 minute, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- 9
Add the cooked pasta, baby spinach, capers, and baked salmon to the pot.
- 10
Mix to coat the pasta and salmon in the sauce, then cook for about 1 minute until the spinach has slightly wilted.
- 11
Serve hot.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
695
Protein
68g
Fat
36g
Carbs
18g
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