YIELD: 4 servings
This delicious penne with smoked salmon and cream cheese sauce has been my family’s favorite for years! A great pasta dish for an easy and quick weeknight meal and impressive to serve on dinner dates and dinner parties. The pasta is tossed in an incredibly smooth luxurious sauce. And the smoked salmon adds lavishness to this dish balanced by the well-known flavors of capers along with dill, lemon, onion, and mustard. This truly is a five-star, restaurant-quality meal!
Ingredients
8 oz. smoked salmon, or more, cut into ribbons
1 1-lb. box penne pasta
1/4 c. capers
1 c. cream cheese, softened
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
a sprinkle or two of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, zest, and juice
HOW TO MAKE PENNE WITH SMOKED SALMON & CREAM CHEESE SAUCE
Step 1: In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the penne until al dente. Scoop out some of the starchy cooking water from the pot and reserve before draining the pasta but not all the way through. Into the pot, return the pasta, and add 1 to 2 splashes of the reserved water.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients to the pot while the pasta is still steaming hot except for the salmon. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the cheese has melted and creates a creamy sauce.
Step 3: Lastly, carefully stir in the smoked salmon. To taste, season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Serve the penne with smoked salmon and cream cheese sauce right away. Enjoy!
NOTES:
For this dish, you can use your preferred shaped pasta such as bow ties. Although, ribbon pasta such as spaghetti does not work well.
You can also use any kind of smoked fish.
Swap green onions with finely minced red onion.
Sub capers with a spoonful of standard green hot dog relish.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. smoked salmon, or more, cut into ribbons
- 1 1-lb. box penne pasta
- 1/4 c. capers
- 1 c. cream cheese, softened
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
- a sprinkle or two of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 lemon, zest, and juice
Instructions
Step 1: In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the penne until al dente. Scoop out some of the starchy cooking water from the pot and reserve before draining the pasta but not all the way through. Into the pot, return the pasta, and add 1 to 2 splashes of the reserved water.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients to the pot while the pasta is still steaming hot except for the salmon. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the cheese has melted and creates a creamy sauce.
Step 3: Lastly, carefully stir in the smoked salmon. To taste, season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Serve the penne with smoked salmon and cream cheese sauce right away. Enjoy!
