Dairy Free Salmon Pesto Pasta
Salmon pesto pasta is a vibrant, flavorful dish that has tender salmon, pistachio basil pesto, and al dente pasta for a quick and satisfying meal. Whether you're seeking a healthy weeknight dinner or an impressive dish for guests, this recipe delivers no matter the occasion.
Ingredients
Salmon Pasta
- 12 ounces pasta of choice: spaghetti, penne, or fusilli
- 1 pound fresh salmon cut into similar sized fillets
- squeeze of lemon juice
- handful halved cherry tomatoes
Pistachio Pesto
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup roasted pistachios
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta. Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Prepare the salmon. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil and season each fillet with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cook the salmon for 3-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through to your liking (or depending on the thickness of your fillets). Remove from the pan and flake with a fork.
- Make pesto. Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor except for the olive oil. Pulse several times until finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil along with a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce. Season to taste with a big pinch of kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and more lemon juice if needed.
- Combine. Put the pasta pot over low heat and add the cooked pasta band pesto. Mix to combine and add a couple tablespoons of cooked pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Stir in the flaked salmon.
- Serve. Top with halved cherry tomatoes.
Notes
See the blog post for helpful tips, storage, and recipes FAQs.