Check out this creamy, succulent pasta with tender salmon and lively peas! It’s easy to throw together on a weekday, packed with protein and sure to become a new family favorite.
This recipe is brought to you in collaboration with Milk Life.
Few ingredients go together like a creamy, whole-milk sauce and tender pasta. Add in flaky salmon and vibrant green peas, and you’ve got a pretty memorable meal on your hands.
Video: Creamy pasta with salmon and peas
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Creamy pasta with salmon and peas
Start with béchamel
The creamy sauce known as béchamel is one of the five classic French “mother sauces,” meaning it can be used to make many other sauces. Béchamel is one of the easiest to make because it doesn’t require a pre-made broth.
The traditional way of making the sauce takes a little more time and prep work, but with this version we’ve managed to simplify things and streamline the process!
Real whole milk should not be missing from this recipe. Not only does it give the béchamel its amazing flavor, but its proteins also provide the structure needed to create a silky smooth sauce by combining with the thickener we’re going to use: a cooked paste made from flour and Butter, called roux.
The best pasta for the job
We prefer a tube pasta because it’s a great way to get the most out of this flavorful real milk sauce. You want a pasta that allows the sauce to really pool and fill the ridges and indentations—a chunky, shaped pasta is the way to go.
If you can’t find rigatoni, you can use penne, rotini, ziti, or tagliatelle instead.
How to store and reheat the pasta
You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to three days. To warm it up, simply warm it up in a saucepan over low heat until hot.
If you need to thin the sauce a bit, simply add more whole milk (start with 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you get the consistency you want)!
leftovers? Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Warm by adding leftovers to a medium saucepan with a splash of real milk and heating over low heat, stirring constantly, until warmed through.
Check out these other creamy pasta dishes!
- Easy make-ahead Alfredo sauce
- Easy Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Ziti Florentine
- Cheese pan with hamburger noodles
- Fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms
Creamy pasta with salmon and peas
Tweak this recipe: While the water for the pasta is boiling, heat the milk for the béchamel sauce and prepare the salmon. You can also cook the pasta and salmon at the same time while you work on making the béchamel. Multitasking!
ingredients
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3 cups all dairy milk
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1 bay Sheet
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prize Ground carnations
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citrus peel from 1 lemon (Above 1 tablespoon), divided
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3 teaspoon kosher saltdivided
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1 teaspoon black pepperdivided
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2 tablespoon olive oil
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4 (4 ounces) fillets fresh salmon
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1 lb Rigatoni pastaor other shaped pasta
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3 tablespoon unsalted butter
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1 small shallotchopped (about 1/4 cup)
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1 clove garlicchopped
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2 tablespoon all purpose flour
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1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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12 ounces (2 cups) green peasfresh or frozen
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2 ounces grated parmesan cheese, for garnish, optional
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Chopped fresh parsleyfor garnish, optional
method
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Preheat grill:
Place your oven rack about 6 inches from the heating element of your oven. Set your oven’s grill to high.
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Cook pasta:
Place a 6 quart pot of water over medium heat. Boil water.
Add the rigatoni to the water and cook according to package directions (usually 8 to 9 minutes) until tender. Be sure to stir the noodles occasionally to keep them from clumping.
Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve in case you need it later to thin the sauce. Drain noodles and set aside.
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Warm milk mixture:
While you wait for the pasta water to boil, heat the milk: Place a small saucepan over low heat and add the milk, bay leaf, and ground cloves. Stir occasionally; don’t let the milk boil.
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Prepare the béchamel:
In a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots and garlic and sauté until glossy, about 3 minutes.
stir in flour. This is your roux. Cook the roux for at least 1 minute to eliminate the starchy taste.
Remove the bay leaf from the simmering pot of milk and slowly ladle or pour the heated milk into the pot with the roux, stirring constantly to avoid clumping.
After all the milk has been stirred in, simmer the sauce over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it reaches the consistency of corn syrup.
Once the béchamel has thickened, add half the lemon zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, nutmeg and peas. Reduce the heat to low to keep the sauce warm, stirring occasionally.
How to thicken sauceCONTINUE READING:
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Prepare the salmon:
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining lemon zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Put aside.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pour the olive oil onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it evenly on the foil with your fingers. Add the salmon fillets to the pan and turn until completely coated in oil. Leave them skin side down.
Rub equal amounts of the lemon and spice mixture onto each salmon fillet.
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Grill the salmon:
Grill 5 to 6 minutes or until flesh is opaque pink.
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Flake the salmon:
When the salmon is done grilling, remove it from the oven and carefully chop the meat into walnut-sized pieces. Discard the skin.
The salmon will break up into smaller pieces when you fold it into the pasta in a later step. Set the salmon aside.
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Combine salmon, pasta and béchamel:
Put the pasta with the béchamel sauce and the peas in the pot. Make sure it’s fully coated.
Gently fold in the salmon. Taste and season as needed. If the noodles seem too thick or lumpy, stir in a few splashes of the reserved pasta cooking water until the noodles are creamy.
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Serve with milk!
Garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley and serve hot.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 657 | calories |
| 23g | Fat |
| 76g | carbohydrates |
| 34g | protein |
