October is national pasta month so we teamed up with the National Pasta Association to come up with a healthy and delicious pasta recipe to share with you. You can view other healthy pasta dishes at the Pasta Presto Recipe Contest web page. This pasta was really easy to make. We had a whole bunch left over so Kelly brought it home for my Mom to try. She sent me a text the next day that said, “That was the best pasta I have ever had.” Now, I know my Mom wants to encourage us and tell us how great everything we cook is. She is our Mom, she has to. I get that. But I said, “Ever? Really? It wasn’t THAT good.” But she said,” No, I mean it. It was the best pasta I have ever had.” Well, ok then. I wasn’t going to argue with her. If you like pasta and you like tomatoes and you like salmon, then this may very well be the best pasta you have ever had!
Pasta is one of those foods that can go a long way on a small budget. You can buy a bag of pasta for $1.00 and a jar of pasta sauce for $2.00. That is a pretty nice little $3.00 meal. But there is not a ton of nutritional value there. We added wild caught salmon, tomatoes, spinach, and heart healthy olive oil to our recipe in order to really amp up the nutrition. If you are creative you can create a very healthy pasta meal on a budget. Pasta fits into a healthy diet, a busy lifestyle, and a tight budget. One of my best tips is to check the sale papers. See what is on special at the grocery store each week and create your meal plans based on the sales. Also, stock up on those items when they are on sale and freeze them for later use.
This recipe was created by Cliff of Live Love Pasta. The National Pasta Association provided compensation for me to create this recipe and to promote their “Pasta Presto Recipe Contest.”
Here is what you’ll need
Top the salmon with lemons salt, and pepper; bake
Mix up the sauce and cook in a large skillet
Halve the tomatoes
Add the tomatoes
Combine the pasta, pasta water, sauce and spinach
A healthy and delicious pasta dinner
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus a bit more for brushing
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- zest and juice of 2 lemons, separated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- salt
- pepper
- 1 cup pasta water
- 1 pound wild caught salmon filets (we chose center-cut)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- Parmesan cheese
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place the salmon filets on a baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Add the zest of one lemon and slices of lemon on top of the salmon.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- While the salmon is baking, get the pasta water boiling.
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- In a small bowl, whisk together shallot, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, zest and juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and the shallot is translucent.
- Add the tomatoes and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta and some of the reserved pasta water to the skillet.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Add the spinach.
- Portion out the salmon so that each person gets a serving of salmon.
- Serve the salmon on top of the pasta along with Parmesan cheese shavings.
