You’ll love this easy, comforting, and delicious creamy salmon pasta. It comes together in 30 minutes, so it’s the perfect weeknight dinner!
Made with a creamy parmesan sauce, salmon, spinach, and tomatoes, this salmon pasta will become everyone’s next favorite meal. It’s so delicious and cozy!
It’s also a highly customizable and prep-ahead friendly recipe.
Easy and comforting weeknight dinners are always the way to go, especially when things get busy. This easy 30-minute Creamy Salmon Pasta with spinach and tomatoes is cozy, delicious, and super easy to make!
It’s made with fettuccine, roasted salmon, cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach, all tossed with a quick and easy creamy sauce. I love garnishing this creamy salmon pasta with freshly grated parmesan, freshly ground pepper, and Italian parsley.
Why I love this salmon pasta dish:
- Ready in 30 minutes. Perfect for those busy nights.
- Easy to make! Just a few easy and straightforward steps, and dinner is served.
- A complete meal: Carbs, protein, and veggies all in one!
If you love this pasta, you’ll also love this Cajun Chicken Alfredo. Other cozy pasta recipes we’re loving so far are Italian Sausage Pasta Bake and Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells.
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An Easy Way to Cook Salmon
For this salmon pasta recipe, I’ve tested cooking the salmon several ways (pan-searing, steaming, poaching, etc). I’ve found that the easiest and most convenient method is baking for 2 main reasons:
- Easy clean-up: Simply line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and roast. Avoid any splatters from pan-searing.
- Roast salmon and tomatoes together to save time. Efficient!
And of course, you can also use your air fryer! I choose to do it in the oven to give plenty of room for the tomatoes and salmon to roast on a sheet pan, but the air fryer will work too. Cook in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees F. The tomatoes may be done faster, so check halfway through.
Ingredient Notes
To make this creamy salmon pasta recipe, you only need a few ingredients. Here are a few helpful ingredient notes. As always, the full ingredient list with quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
- Pasta: I use fettuccine, but feel free to use your favorite pasta.
- Salmon: A pound of fresh salmon serves 4 people. If frozen, thaw before using.
- Cherry tomatoes and spinach
- Olive oil, salt, and pepper for seasoning
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
- For the creamy sauce: butter, garlic, heavy cream, freshly grated parmesan, pepper.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 | Cook pasta
First things first, preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with foil (for the salmon and tomatoes). In a large pot with generously salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain.
Step 2 | Roast salmon and tomatoes
Season salmon and cherry tomatoes with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are a bit blistered and the salmon is cooked and flaky. Set aside.
Step 3 | Make the creamy sauce
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter and sauté the minced garlic until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and bring to a low simmer. Add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and stir until incorporated and thickened, another 2 minutes or so.
Tip: Use freshly grated parmesan, not the pre-bagged shredded parmesan, which comes with added starches that make it hard to melt. I buy a block of parmesan and grate it with my box grater.
Step 4 | Toss cooked pasta with sauce
With the heat on low, return the cooked pasta to the creamy sauce and toss.
Step 5 | Toss with spinach, salmon, tomatoes
Add the spinach and toss a few times until slightly wilted. Flake the salmon with a fork and add it to the pasta, along with the blistered tomatoes. Give it a few more tosses to combine, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with more cheese.
Substitutions and Variations
You can easily swap ingredients in this creamy salmon pasta recipe – it’s very versatile:
- Use different types of pasta. Try spaghetti, bucatini, pappardelle, or. You could even try penne or rotini.
- Fresh salmon: Smoked salmon (do not roast, toss directly into the pasta). Canned salmon works too, but I am personally not a huge fan of canned.
- Cherry tomatoes: Use diced roma tomatoes instead, but don’t roast them. Simply toss it into the pasta.
- My favorite add-ons: Mushrooms, Italian parsley, sun dried tomatoes, basil, asparagus, capers.
Prep Ahead Tips
While I do not recommend making the entire dish ahead (the sauce will lose some of its creaminess), there are ways to prep ahead this salmon pasta:
- Roast the salmon and tomatoes the day before and refrigerate.
- Pre-grate the parmesan cheese up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
I love pairing the salmon pasta with a simple lemon arugula salad and some cheesy garlic bread, or some honey dinner rolls. Or try it with a side of parmesan roasted asparagus. Yum!
If you’re looking for more comforting pasta recipes, check these out:
Recipe FAQs
Yes, and there’s no need to roast it – simply toss into the simmering sauce and let it cook for a bit. You could also use canned salmon, but it’s not my favorite, personally.
The sauce loses some of its creaminess and may separate once refrigerated, so I wouldn’t recommend making it ahead completely. However, you can roast the salmon and tomatoes, and grate the cheese 1 day in advance.
It should register 145 degrees F in the center. Or simply poke it with a fork to check the center. If it’s not fully cooked, don’t worry about it as it will continue cooking in the skillet for a few extra minutes anyway.
Definitely! Try seared chicken, grilled chicken, or even shrimp!
This recipe was published in 2021 and updated in July 2022 to include new photos and information, plus a few recipe modifications.
Tips for Success
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese to get a very creamy sauce. I use a box grater. Pre-bagged shredded cheese comes with added starches that make it hard to melt.
- Make ahead: The salmon can be cooked the day before and refrigerated until ready to use. You can also cook the pasta the day before. For the sauce, it’s best to make it fresh.
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Creamy Salmon Pasta
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 0.75 pounds fettuccine pasta
- 1 pound fresh salmon fillet
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves, packed - plus more if desired
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese - for garnish
Creamy Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream - plus more to taste
- 2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
- Cook the fettuccine according to package directions in a pot of generously salted water. Drain and set aside.
- Roast salmon and tomatoes: Place the salmon fillet (skin-on is fine) on the prepared sheet pan. Season salmon with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. On the same sheet pan, arrange the cherry tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, or until the salmon is fully cooked and the tomatoes are a bit blistered. Remove from oven. Flake the salmon with a fork (discard the skin). Set aside.
- Make the creamy sauce: Meanwhile, melt butter on a large skillet and add the minced garlic over medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Then, add the heavy cream and bring to a light simmer. Add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and a few grinds of black pepper. Simmer on low heat until melted and incorporated, stirring often. If too thick, add more cream as needed.
- Toss the cooked fettuccine into the simmering sauce. Add the spinach and toss a few more times until wilted. Add the cooked salmon and tomatoes, and combine.
- Garnish with grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese (use a box grater). Pre-bagged shredded cheese comes with added starches that make it hard to melt.
- Shortcuts: Save 15 minutes by using smoked salmon and diced tomatoes. There’s no need to roast the smoked salmon and tomatoes – simply toss into the simmering sauce for a few minutes.
- Air fryer method for the salmon and tomatoes: Instead of baking, you can also air fry at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
- Prep ahead tips: Roast the salmon and tomatoes the day before and refrigerate. Pre-grate the parmesan cheese up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate in a container.
- Storing and reheating: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave oven until warm.
- Pasta: Try spaghetti, bucatini, pappardelle, penne, rotini.
- Fresh salmon: Smoked salmon (do not roast, toss directly into the pasta). Canned salmon works too, but I am personally not a huge fan of it.
- Cherry tomatoes: Use diced roma tomatoes instead, but don’t roast them. Simply toss it into the pasta.
- My favorite add-ons: Mushrooms, Italian parsley, sun dried tomatoes, basil, asparagus, capers.
Rick says
This is a great recipe. It’s so simple to make. The only thing I did differently was to add a spritz of fresh lemon just before serving. I also substituted diced tomatoes (folded in at the end) for the cherry tomatoes (I didn’t have any on hand). I think the cherry tomatoes would have tasted amazing. My wife and daughter kept raving about it almost to the point where I thought they were messing with me. Lol, they weren’t. There’s lots of tomfoolery going on here so I have to be on my toes. Also, my wife demanded that i send her the link to your website….I complied. Thanks for the recipe!
Tania says
Thank you for the kind words, Rick! So happy to hear!!
Amanda says
This dish is incredibly delicious and comes together fairly quickly. I’ve made it a couple times now and it’s definitely a family favorite.
Tania says
Thank you, Amanda!
Holden says
Freaking amazing. It tastes like it is from an exquisite restaurant. Will definitely make it again.
Holden says
I also added mushrooms that I baked with the tomatoes which was perfect.
Tania says
Sounds delicious!
Cristina says
Really didn’t expect for the final result to be sooo delicious! I didn’t have any spinach in the house but they were still super good. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Matthew says
This pasta was really really good. Everyone raved about it. We love how comforting it tastes. Thank u.