Smoked salmon is delicious on its own, but it’s heavenly when combined with penne and tomato cream sauce! This pasta doesn’t contain huge amounts of butter or heavy cream so it’s surprisingly light. It also has English peas, lemon zest and fresh dill to balance the flavors.
Dinner Party and Tableware
I made this for a dinner party the other day and it was one of the most stress-free dinner I ever had. It was not only delicious, but was also gorgeous and looked like I spent hours making it!
Maybe it was the classic tableware I used? Beautiful china will do that! I served this pasta on my vintage Noritake pieces. This set is from the 70’s and was originally my mother’s. I love the gold rimmed edges with delicate green design all around the plates. Noritake is a Japanese company that’s been producing porcelain tableware for over hundred years. This particular pattern has been discontinued but there are plenty of vintage Noritake pieces you can hunt down on ebay and Replacements!
Choosing Your Smoked Salmon
For this pasta, I went with wild caught cold-smoked sockeye salmon. In case you’re wondering what is cold-smoked salmon, cold-smoked salmon are smoked at no more than 85°F degrees which results in smooth, silky texture and mild taste. Hot-smoked salmon on the other hand is smoked at more than 120°F which results in flaky texture, smokier flavor and they are best enjoyed in a salad, sandwiches, or as a spread. Cold-smoked salmon has just the right touch of smoky and salty flavor that won’t overwhelm your pasta sauce.
Delicious Pasta Ready in 10 Minutes!
Once your penne and English peas are cooked, it only takes 10 minutes to put everything together! Here are some tips for great results:
- Use good quality Marinara sauce with low sugar content to prevent your sauce from becoming too sweet.
- Break up large chunks of smoked salmon in the skillet so the sauce can be infused with smoky flavors!
- Combine penne and English peas with the sauce and do not overcook them in the skillet. There’s nothing worse than mushy pasta and peas!
How to Serve Penne Pasta with Smoked Salmon
Serve this pasta with veggies, refreshing salads or some biscuits for a complete meal!
- Watercress and Pickled Beets Salad
- French Celery Root Salad
- Hearts of Palm Salad
- Cumin Roasted Veggies with Yogurt Curry Sauce
- Cheese Biscuits with Rosemary and Sundried Tomatoes
Penne Pasta with Smoked Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 cups penne
- 4 oz cold-smoked sockeye salmon
- 1½ cups marinara sauce
- ¼ cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1 cup english peas fresh or frozen
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp fresh dill for garnish
- 1 tsp lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- Bring medium pot with water to a boil and cook penne according to instructions on the box. Once cooked, drain the pasta and set aside to cool.
- Bring small sauce pan with water to a boil. Add salt and peas to the pan and boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain the peas and set aside to cool.
- Heat large skillet over medium-low heat and add marinara sauce. Once marinara sauce is heated, turn heat to low and add smoked salmon to the skillet. Break apart smoked salmon slices with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula into small chunks and mix well with the sauce.
- Add butter, heavy cream or half and half, grated cheese to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Toss in penne pasta, peas and gently combine with pasta sauce. Do not overcook pasta and peas.
- Transfer pasta to a large serving dish and garnish with fresh dill and lemon zest.
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