Make this Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta for a restaurant-quality meal any night of the week! The light, creamy sauce includes cream cheese, milk, Parmesan, white wine and shallots. Lemon and basil provide the perfect accents!
I'd like to introduce you to our new favorite meal. This Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta is a big hit in my family!
Smoked salmon and cream cheese are a match made in heaven. So, I made a light, creamy sauce with shallots, white wine, low-fat cream cheese, 2% milk, and Parmesan.
I stirred in smoked salmon, al dente pasta and accented it with lemon and basil.
Oh, yes, my friends.
I've made this three times already, and we can't imagine our lives without it! Let me tell you more. And don't miss my other Pasta recipes!
Recipe ingredients
Smoked Salmon: The star of this dish has a wonderful, smoky, salty flavor. It looks almost orange when you buy it but ends up pale pink after being cooked in the sauce.
Smoked salmon often comes in either 4-ounce or 8-ounce packages. You'll need 8 ounces total, so be sure to check that you have the right amount. Look for it in the seafood department at the grocery store or purchase it online (affiliate link).
Don't be like me and assume you can send your hubby to the store for "two packages of smoked salmon" without checking the ounces on each one. I did that once and accidentally doubled the amount of smoked salmon needed!
Holy sodium, Batman!
Pasta: We love the way this smoked salmon penne stays al dente, even after a day. But, you could substitute another pasta such as fettuccine or farfalle.
Less-Fat Cream Cheese: For a lighter, creamy sauce, I use reduced-fat cream cheese here. Feel free to use full-fat cream cheese though.
2% Milk: This works perfectly with the low-fat cream cheese, and no one would ever guess we're not using full-fat products. But, you can certainly use whole milk for a richer sauce.
Parmesan: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese brings a smoked salmon Alfredo vibe to this dish. Don't use the Parmesan in a can, because it will make the sauce grainy, due to its anti-caking agent.
White Wine: I love my hubby's homemade Sauvignon Blanc here, but use a wine that you enjoy. I would stay away from cooking wine, because it contains sodium. We don't need any extra salt in this dish.
If you need to skip the alcohol, you can stir in an additional ¼ cup of cooking water from the pasta at the end and squeeze on extra lemon juice.
Shallots: Shallots are a cross between onion and garlic and almost melt when cooked. They provide wonderful, savory flavor without being too strong.
I can't recommend these enough for pasta dishes! I use them in Paglia e Fieno (Straw and Hay Pasta) and several other recipes.
Lemon: We're using a tablespoon of lemon juice in the sauce, then taking that half lemon and squeezing fresh lemon juice on the finished smoked salmon pasta to brighten up the flavor. It's magical, so don't skip it!
Basil: It's not just for looks, Baby. When I first made this pasta with smoked salmon, I knew it needed an herbal accent. I plucked some leaves from my basil plant, cut them into ribbons and tossed them on top.
After one bite of this creamy salmon pasta with the basil, we swooned. It's the perfect finishing touch.
How to make smoked salmon pasta
See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.
Start by making the pasta sauce for salmon.
- Cook the shallots in melted butter until soft.
- Pour in white wine and cook for two minutes to reduce.
- Add cubes of cream cheese.
- Stir until the cream cheese is melted and creamy.
- Gradually add the milk while stirring. Stir until thickened and bubbly.
- Stir in lemon juice, pepper and Parmesan. Stir in the smoked salmon pieces.
Add drained, cooked pasta to the creamy salmon sauce, stir and top with lemon juice and basil.
Recipe tips
- Don't add any salt to the creamy sauce, since the smoked salmon, Parmesan and other ingredients are salty enough. It tastes just right.
- If you want to reduce the sodium in this recipe, you can omit the salt in the cooking water for the pasta. You also could use salt-free butter.
What to serve with it
This smoked salmon pasta is delicious with a side of The Best Italian Green Salad. It also goes well with Italian Peas with Onions or Steamed Asparagus with Tarragon Butter.
You could even try stirring in cooked peas, spinach or asparagus to the pasta for a complete smoked salmon dinner.
Frequently asked questions
Stir in a little reserved cooking water and store leftover smoked salmon pasta covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Before reheating it, add a little butter or drizzle on some olive oil. Cover and reheat in the microwave, then stir.
Smoked salmon is high in nutrients, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower inflammation and triglycerides, according to WebMD. It's low in calories and high in protein. The downside is that smoked salmon is high in sodium.
More salmon recipes
- Salmon Caprese with Balsamic Glaze
- Baked Pesto Salmon
- Salsa Salmon with Lime
- 10-Minute Maple Syrup Salmon
- Buffalo Salmon with Mayo and Onions
More pasta & sauces
- White Wine Clam Sauce for Pasta
- Penne alla Vodka with Bacon
- Garlic Alfredo Sauce with Romano Cheese
- Fettuccine Carbonara with Pancetta
- Mom's Pesto with Pecorino Romano
Enjoy!
If you try this Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta recipe, please leave a comment and rating!
Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ⅓ cup chopped shallot
- ¼ cup white wine (Eg. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir. Don't use cooking wine, which is too salty for this recipe.)
- 4 ounces low-fat cream cheese from a block (or use full-fat cream cheese)
- 1 cup 2% milk (or whole milk)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces smoked salmon
- ½ lemon
- 4-6 basil leaves
- ½ cup starchy cooking water from pasta
Pasta
- 1 teaspoon salt (for the cooking water)
- 1 pound penne (or fettuccine, farfalle, etc.)
Instructions
- On a cutting board, chop one peeled shallot until you have ⅓ cup. Set it aside. Use a chef's knife to cut up the smoked salmon into ½-inch or 1-inch pieces. Grate the Parmesan cheese, if needed.
- Fill a large pasta pot ⅔ full with water and place it on the stove over high heat. Add one teaspoon of salt to the pot and cover.
- In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the chopped shallots and stir to combine. Cook until the shallots are softened.
- Lower the heat slightly and add ¼ cup of white wine to the skillet. (It will splash if the heat is too high.) Cook the wine for two minutes to reduce it.
- Cut up half a block of cream cheese (4 ounces) into six cubes. Add the cubes to the pan and stir until melted, creamy and combined with the shallots and wine.
- While stirring, add ¼ cup milk at a time, waiting until it's combined before adding more milk. When all the milk is added, continue stirring until the sauce thickens and gets bubbly.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Lower the heat and gradually stir in 1 cup of Parmesan, stirring after each addition to combine. Stir in ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- Stir in the chopped smoked salmon until combined and heated through. Turn off the heat.
- When the pot is boiling, stir in a pound of pasta. Cook until it's al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. After the pasta has cooked for five minutes or so, scoop out a ladle (½ cup) of cooking water and set it aside in a bowl.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander in the sink. Turn the heat on low under the smoked salmon sauce. Add the drained pasta to the pan of creamy sauce and stir to combine. Stir in ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water.
- When the pasta and sauce are heated through, turn off the heat. Squeeze on some lemon juice (you don't need to use the entire lemon half.) Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry. Stack the leaves, roll them into a cylinder, then use kitchen scissors to cut them into ribbons and sprinkle them over the pasta.
- Serve immediately with extra lemon at the table.
- If there are leftovers, you can stir in some or all of the remaining reserved cooking water. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days. To reheat, add a little butter or drizzle on some olive oil, then heat, covered, in the microwave. Stir and enjoy.
Notes
- Don't add any salt to the creamy sauce, since the smoked salmon, Parmesan and other ingredients are salty enough. It tastes just right.
- If you want to reduce the sodium in this recipe, you can omit the salt in the cooking water for the pasta. You also could use salt-free butter.
Nutrition
(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C)
Chance says
I make this delicious dish once a month. Love, love, love it.
Mamma C says
Hi Chance - I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for leaving a review!
Claire says
Thank you!
I am a terrible cook, but I wanted to make something delicious for my husband on our wedding anniversary as we couldn't go out for dinner.
I found this as we both love smoked salmon and pasta is always a hit.
It was delicious! And my hubby said it was the best thing I had ever made him! Thank you 😘😘
Mamma C says
Hi Claire - Wow, you made my day! Happy Anniversary! See, you ARE a good cook. You just need good recipes!
Michele says
This recipe was a hit with the family. Even the kids ate it. I'll be adding this to my recipe rotation. Thank you so much!
Mamma C says
Hi Michele - I'm so glad to hear that!