This easy salmon pasta, served in creamy garlic sauce, is ready in the time it takes the pasta to cook. Dinner can be on the table in 10 minutes with this tasty midweek winner.
Quick & easy creamy Salmon pasta
Just because there are times I’m feeling a bit lazy doesn’t mean that I don’t want a tasty meal, so this recipe is perfect for those occasions.
This store-cupboard recipe uses ‘cheat’ ingredients, including canned salmon, garlic & herb cheese and even diced frozen onion, but you can make it dinner party worthy with fresh or even smoked salmon.
Perfect for a mid-week supper in front of the television, a few swaps turn it into a dinner-party dish that is ready just as quickly.
How to make 10-minute creamy salmon pasta with garlic & rocket
Step one – Measure out the ingredients. ALWAYS, always weigh your pasta. It’s very easy to cook far too much, especially when using dried pasta. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, and start cooking the pasta according to packet instructions.
Step two – Melt the butter in a frying pan or skillet and cook the onion until it starts to turn golden.
Step three – Add the sliced chilli.
Step four – Add the garlic & herb soft cheese.
Step five – Skim off 2 tablespoons of pasta water and add it to the frying pan along with the zest and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Step six – Melt the cheese mixture over a low heat until you have a creamy sauce. Add a little more pasta water if needed.
Step seven – Flake the salmon into chunks with a fork. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce along with the salmon and rocket. Season generously with black pepper.
Step eight – Stir gently together to mix and serve immediately.
Top tip when making all pasta sauces
When making pasta sauce, always add a little of the pasta water to the sauce and stir it in. This gives a silky smooth sauce that evenly coats the pasta, really lifting the dish.
Hints and tips for 10-minute creamy salmon pasta with garlic & rocket
- Make a dinner party version of this dish by using premium-quality fresh pasta and adding a glug of white wine in place of the lemon juice.
- When a recipe uses half an onion, chop the whole onion and freeze the spare in an airtight box to cook from frozen next time. Leftover chillis can also be used in the same way.
- Leave the chilli out if you don’t want the heat.
- The quantities are very forgiving and the recipe is very generous with the amount of salmon, so you could easily add extra pasta to serve 3 or even 4.
- Add a spoonful of water when reheating leftovers in the microwave.
- Add some extra veg to this creamy salmon pasta to make it even healthier – we have lots of ideas on how to add extra vegetables to pasta dishes.
- Use different flavours of cream cheese.
- A handful of coriander/cilantro would be delicious with the salmon
Other ways to use canned salmon
- Mix with some Greek yogurt or mayonnaise to make a quick fish pate, or baked potato topping.
- Fold through rice with hard-boiled egg and chopped chives or spring onions for cheat’s kedgeree.
- Flake into tomato or marinara sauce with some capers to make a quick pasta sauce.
- Add breadcrumbs and egg to make a salmon burger.
- Make a salmon sushi bowl.
- Wrap in ready-made puff pastry to make salmon en croute.
- Add to a basic quiche with some asparagus.
- Serve as a classic salmon and cucumber sandwich.
- Use in a fish pie.
10-minute creamy salmon pasta with garlic & rocket
Ingredients
- 100 g dried pasta (spaghetti)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 small onion (diced)
- 1/2 tsp fresh chillies (finely chopped)
- 40 g garlic & herb soft cheese
- 1/2 lemon (juice & zest)
- 213 g canned salmon (tinned wild Alaska red salmon)
- 1 handful rocket leaves
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Boil a large saucepan of water and add salt. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion until starting to turn golden.
- Add the sliced chilli and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the cheese & lemon. Skim off some of the pasta water, add to the cheese mixture, and gently heat until the cheese is melted and you have a creamy sauce
- Flake the salmon and add to the sauce along with the chopped rocket. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.
- Stir gently together, season well and serve immediately.
Notes
- Make a dinner party version of this dish by using premium-quality fresh pasta and adding a glug of white wine in place of the lemon juice.
- When any recipe uses half an onion, chop and freeze the spare in an airtight box to cook from frozen next time. Leftover chillis can also be used in the same way.
- You can leave the chilli out if you don't want the heat.
- The quantities are very forgiving and the recipe is very generous with the amount of salmon. You could easily add extra pasta to serve 3 or even 4.
- Add a spoon of water, and reheat leftovers in the microwave.
- Add some extra veg to this creamy salmon pasta - we have lots of ideas on how to add extra vegetables to pasta dishes.
- Use different flavours of cream cheese.
- A handful of coriander/cilantro would be delicious with the salmon.
- This recipe is 14 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion
Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in April 2019, but was rewritten and republished with new instructions, hints & tips in May 2020.
Sammie
I love this easy salmon and pasta dish, great price on the salmon too. Easy dinners ads neede when there are 5 of us here, although not always 5 to feed!
Helen
Thanks Sammie. The salmon is great, and if you break it up into a sauce one piece will do two people. They are generously sized pieces.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
I do have a cans of salmon in the pantry so would love to have a go of your recipe over the weekend.
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
This is such a beautiful, convenient way to eat more fish — we’re on the same page with that today!
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction
This sounds and looks wonderful! So delicious!
Helen
Quick and easy is my food mantra
Anne Murphy
Oh, we all need meals like that, some nights!
Love the idea for the sauce… So easy.
Helen
I do like an easy sauce – this one was certainly cheating.
Lorna Hindmarsh
This is my kind of meal Helen, easy to make and still really tasty. I’m a big fan of canned fish, no fussing and just as tasty as fresh.
Helen
So very handy to have a can of fish in the cupboard for dishes like this.
Wendy M
An ideal family meal for mid-week, particularly with hungry teens on their school holidays at the moment. I have some tinned salmon in the cupboard too.
Helen
It is so easy to make, won’t keep them waiting for long.
Erin
I like a meal that you can make quickly and easily, and uses store cupboard ingredients. The sauce sounds delicious too.
Helen
Quick and easy are my mantra for busy days.
Zara Douglas
I really love how easy it is to make something like this and it’s so tasty. Canned salmon is so good for this kind of thing, I cannot fault it.
Helen
The canned salmon was ideal for this dish.
Jacqueline Debono
I love pasta with fresh and canned salmon. Both are delicious! This recipe is brilliant for a quick and tasty weeknight meal! Here in Italy, we nearly always add a bit of the pasta cooking water to the sauce, especially if it needs some more liquid! The starch in the pasta water is what makes the sauce softer and smoother!
Helen
the adding the water makes such a difference to the final dish – such a small thing for a big impact.
Julia
Nothing is better than a pasta dish that is quick and easy to make! Love all the ingredients in this recipe.
Helen
Quick and easy are so important for busy days.
Toni
I loved it! Such a new favorite for weeknights!
Helen
So easy to make, perfect for weeknights.
Tawnie Kroll
The step by step photos are so helpful – thank you!
Helen
Thank you, photos always help to show the method.
SHANIKA
I love a good pasta dish! I love that you’ve used Salmon!
Helen
the salmon is perfect to keep in the cupboard for a weeknight supper
Evelyn Welsh
I’m not a big fish fan, but I really do like salmon. This sounds delicious and nice and easy to make.
Helen
Salmon is such a good fish, and ideal in cans.
Belinda Morris
I do like a tasty comforting pasta dish like this. Ideal for week day suppers. And easy enough for the husband to make!
Helen
Always good to have something quick and easy to fall back on.
Roz
I always appreciate quick and still tasty meals during the week. This was ideal and the kids loved it. Really recommend making.
tyler s
Tinned salmon is so handy to keep in the cupboard. Great for easy meals like this.
M Johnson
My family love pasta dishes like this. Always clean plates and full tummies. Ideal for busy days.
Allie Peters
I tried this with my very critical kids, and it is now one of their favourite meals. They even say can we have Helen’s salmon pasta. It is really good, and so easy to make.
Meg Norris
I could eat this every week. So good and amazingly tasty.
Jess Anderson
I would never have imagined that tinned salmon could be so good. This is such an easy meal to make and really tasty.
Carly
Can’t beat an easy to make pasta dish with delicious flavours. Salmon is one of my favourite fish too.
Wendy
Just made this tonight for my husband & daughter, it was a huge hit! I’m only sorry I didn’t triple the recipe as the hounds were hungry tonight! Quarantine seems to do that. lol I did forget to add the ?, but it was still delicious never the less. Next time I’ll quadruple the recipe and be sure to add the chili. This one is a keeper. Thanks so much.
Helen
I love this recipe – its perfect for the store cupboard canned salmon, or try a fillet flaked in, or smoked salmon.