Recipe

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This salmon pesto pasta is fresh, flavorful, and tastes like a restaurant dinner — all from the comfort of your kitchen.

Impress your family (and yourself) with an easy, protein-packed pasta night by making this pesto salmon pasta.

salmon and tomato pasta topped with shredded parmesan cheese

Pesto Salmon Pasta

What I love most about this pesto salmon pasta is that it’s the easiest way to get more salmon into my kids’ diet without any pushback from my middle son. The pesto adds a lot of flavor, and the combination makes it feel like a restaurant meal at home.

It’s also budget-friendly since it stretches 2 to 3 pieces of salmon into a big, satisfying meal. If you love these flavors, try my baked pesto salmon and the classic pesto spaghetti next.

Ingredients

I typically use penne pasta to make this salmon pesto pasta, but any shape will work. All you need is 2-3 salmon fillets to make this wonderful meal. Butter and olive oil to cook with, as they together make a wonderful base. Cherry tomatoes infuse this dish with their sweet and juicy goodness. Pesto and cream, or half-and-half, make the sauce, and lemon adds a final touch of freshness.

salmon pesto pasta cooking in a white skillet

How to Make Salmon Pesto Pasta

Start by cooking the pasta and before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water in case you want to make it saucier.
Sauté the onions and tomatoes until they’ve softened and they’re translucent. Then, remove them onto a large plate.
Cook the salmon for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the middle is no longer pink. Remove it from the pan onto a plate, remove the skin if necessary, and break it up into pieces.
Make the sauce by combining the cream (or half and half) with some of the pasta water, then add the pesto and mix to incorporate.
Combine all the ingredients in the sauce by adding the pasta, tomatoes, onions, and salmon to the skillet. Squeeze half a lemon over the pasta and toss to combine.

Make It Saucier

Everyone likes a different amount of sauce in their pasta recipes, which is why I recommend reserving extra pasta water to adjust it to your liking.

Quick Salmon Pesto Pasta

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

This salmon pesto pasta is fresh, flavorful, and tastes like a restaurant dinner — all from the comfort of your kitchen.

5 from 43 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

12 ounces penne pasta
8 ounces salmon, about 2 fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes
¼ cup heavy cream or half & half
⅓ cup pesto
½ lemon

Instructions

Prep:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and set aside.
Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper on both sides. If the skin is on, keep it; you’ll remove it after cooking.

Cook:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and butter. Then add the chopped onions and cook for 3 minutes. Next, add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, until they start to pop and look wrinkly. Remove them from the pan onto a plate.
Add the salmon to the skillet, skin-side up first, to get a sear on the top side, and cook for 3 minutes per side until it’s golden on both sides, no longer pink (wet-looking), and flakes easily with a fork. Remove the salmon onto a plate, skin-side up. Remove the skin by pulling it back and coarsely chop the salmon into pieces.
Remove any excess oil from the pan, but leave the tidbits at the bottom. Add the cream or half and half to the pan along with ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan as you bring it to a simmer. Add the pesto and mix to incorporate into the sauce.

Combine

Add the pasta, tomatoes, onions, and salmon pieces back into the skillet and toss to coat them with the sauce. If needed, add a bit more pasta water to make the sauce more saucy.
Squeeze half a lemon over the salmon pesto pasta and toss to combine.