Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon Pasta
Creamy, cozy salmon pasta that feels special without turning into a project.
Make this on a tired weeknight when you want something warm, creamy, and a little comforting without a long cleanup. It uses one pan for the sauce and a single pot for the pasta, so you can get dinner on the table fast and still feel like you made a real meal. The salmon stays tender, the garlic butter sauce is rich but simple, and the pasta soaks up everything nicely. It is not fancy restaurant pasta, but it does deliver that cozy, satisfying bowl you want when you are hungry and low on energy.
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta — Linguine, fettuccine, or penne all work
- 1 lb salmon — Skin removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 unit garlic cloves — Minced
- 1 cup broth — Chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup milk — Whole milk makes it creamier
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 0.5 cup parmesan cheese — Finely grated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp salt — Plus more for the pasta water
- 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes — Optional
- 2 tbsp parsley — Chopped, for serving
Method
- 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just tender. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- 2 While the pasta cooks, season the salmon with salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the salmon for 2 to 3 minutes per side, just until lightly browned and mostly cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- 3 In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 4 Pour in the broth, milk, and cream. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. Stir in the parmesan and lemon juice.
- 5 Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of reserved pasta water.
- 6 Gently fold the salmon back in and warm for 1 minute. Finish with parsley and serve right away.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Replace the salmon with sautéed mushrooms and spinach for a creamy garlic pasta without fish.
- Faster swap — Use hot smoked salmon or canned salmon stirred in at the very end to skip the pan-searing step.
- Substitutions — Use half-and-half instead of milk and cream, swap parsley for dill, or use any short pasta you already have.
Notes
For the best texture, pull the salmon off the heat as soon as it flakes easily; it will finish warming in the sauce. If you want a lighter version, use all milk plus a little extra pasta water, but the sauce will be less rich.
Equipment that helps
- Large pot — It gives the pasta enough room to cook evenly and lets you reserve starchy water for the sauce.
- Large skillet — You can build the sauce in the same pan you used for the salmon, which keeps cleanup lower.
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