Friends!  Hello!  How are we?  We’ve nearly made it through January, the most grey month of the year, in my opinion…so the rest is all downhill from here, right?  We just returned home from a vacation with my entire side of the family you guys….what a way to break up the month.  We had such a great time and enjoyed the warm weather of the Bahamas so incredibly much.  And now…back to good old reality.  But gosh I have to admit, a solid routine and well rested kids feels pretty dang good.

So to go with this grey month, how about a rich, gooey, comforting pasta dish that you can get on the table in 20 minutes?  Yes?  Yes.  Let’s do it! 

I’ve got this thing for ‘tuna casserole’.  You?  Was it a childhood staple in your home like it was ours?  And really, I shouldn’t even be comparing this Salmon Pasta to it because this recipe I’m about to share with you blows a traditional, cream-of-soup laden, canned tuna type casserole out of the water, but there’s just something about it that brings a bit of nostalgia to my tummy.

It’s packed full of nutrients.  And with a start to finish time of less than 20 minutes I think it could easily become part of your staple rotation, guys.  I hope you enjoy this one as much as we do!

One-Pot Salmon Pasta with Cream Sauce

notes: I tend to use whole milk for this because it’s what I buy…but whatever you have on hand will do.  just keep in mind the higher the milk fat content, the better texture/taste you’re going to get here.  also, use whatever type of pasta you prefer here; just keep in mind that if you want this recipe to be gluten free, use a gluten free pasta.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Butter

2 (approx 4 ounce) Fresh Wild Caught Salmon Filets, seasoned liberally with salt and pepper

2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

4 Cups Chicken Stock

1 1/2 Cups Milk

16 Ounces Brown Rice or Quinoa Pasta

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme

1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder

3/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

2 Cups Packed Baby Spinach Leaves OR 1 Cup Frozen Peas

1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan + more for topping

Directions

Heat the olive oil and butter in a pasta pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add salmon and cook (skin side up if they have skin on them) until you can see that the salmon is halfway cooked up the sides, about 4 minutes. Flip salmon over and finish cooking until just cooked through; be careful not to over cook as this will dry the fish out.  Remove salmon to a plate and flake with a fork; set aside.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 15-30 seconds.  Stir in the chicken stock, milk, pasta, thyme, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Bring the pot to a boil over medium high heat. Once at a boil, drop the heat to medium and gently boil, stirring often, for about 7 minutes or until pasta is cooked just al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed; stir the spinach or peas in during the last 2 minutes of cooking.  Stir in the parmesan and flaked salmon and season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper if needed.  Serve immediately sprinkled with additional parmesan.  Serves 4.