Salmon Alfredo Pasta
Salmon alfredo pasta features juicy chunks of lightly-seasoned baked salmon, al-dente fettuccine, and rich & creamy made-from-scratch alfredo sauce with plenty of parmesan cheese. It’s a restaurant-quality meal that comes together quickly and won’t break the bank.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s a satisfying, filling meal that tastes like it came from a restaurant but won’t leave your wallet hurting.
- The homemade alfredo sauce is rich and creamy and wonderfully cheesy. You can absolutely use jarred alfredo if that fits your budget better, but if you can swing the from-scratch sauce, I highly recommend it!
- It’s a great way to stretch one salmon fillet to feed multiple people. Flaking the salmon and incorporating it into the pasta brings the overall cost down significantly, as opposed to serving each person at the table their own salmon fillet. Perfect for those right-before-payday meals that need to go just a little further than usual.
Chef’s Tips
- For the best salmon, use an internal meat thermometer, not the clock! You can eyeball how cooked the salmon is, sure, but using a meat thermometer guarantees you don’t overcook it.
- The USDA food-safe temperature for salmon is 145° Fahrenheit, but that’s a bit of overkill. Salmon is safe to eat at lower internal temperatures as long as it’s done properly. For juicy, flaky salmon, I recommend taking the fillet out of the oven once it reaches 130° Fahrenheit in the center. It’s important, though, that you let it rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving it!
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
- Spaghetti Alfredo
- Fried Spaghetti (Made From Leftovers!)
- Chicken Carbonara
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo
- Mushroom Stroganoff
- Firebirds’ Chicken Pasta Copycat Recipe
- Lemon Pepper Pasta
- Spicy Alfredo Sauce
- Olive Garden Capellini Primavera
- White Clam Sauce with Linguine
- Instant Pot Chicken and Noodles
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Ground Beef Alfredo with Broccoli
- Jerk Chicken Alfredo
- Creamy Rotel Pasta with Ground Beef
- Lasagna Soup
Salmon Alfredo Pasta
Creamy, cheesy alfredo, tender, al dente fettuccine, and juicy chunks of salmon come together in one delightfully easy pasta dinner.
- oven
- large baking sheet
- parchment paper
- internal meat thermometer
- stovetop
- large pot
- large wooden spoon
- colander
- large saucepan
- silicone spatula
- whisk
- tongs
- forks
For the Salmon
- 1 8-ounce salmon fillet
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)
- salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
For the Pasta
- 16 cups water
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 16 ounces fettuccine
For the Alfredo Sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (approximately [adjustable]4[/adjustable] large cloves)
- 1 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
- 1 ½ cups grated parmesan (at room temperature)
For the Salmon
Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place [wprm-ingredient text=”1 8-ounce salmon fillet” uid=”0″] on center of prepared baking sheet. Drizzle [wprm-ingredient text=”1 tablespoon olive oil” uid=”2″] over salmon fillet, then sprinkle generous amounts of [wprm-ingredient text=”salt” uid=”3″] and [wprm-ingredient text=”freshly ground black pepper” uid=”4″] over oil.
Place baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake salmon approximately 10 minutes or until internal temperature of salmon fillet reaches 130° Fahrenheit.
When target temperature is reached, remove baking sheet from oven and set aside. Let salmon rest until ready to serve.
For the Pasta
While salmon bakes, add [wprm-ingredient text=”16 cups water” uid=”8″] to large, heavy-bottomed pot. Place pot on stovetop over high heat.
When water begins to boil rapidly, add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 tablespoon sea salt” uid=”7″] to pot and stir to incorporate.
When water begins to boil rapidly again, add [wprm-ingredient text=”16 ounces fettuccine” uid=”6″] to pot. Boil pasta until al dente, approximately 1 to 2 minutes less than time indicated on pasta packaging.
Pour al dente pasta and water into colander. Drain pasta completely then set aside.
For the Alfredo Sauce
While pasta boils, place large saucepan on stovetop over medium heat. When pan is warm, add [wprm-ingredient text=”3 tablespoons unsalted butter” uid=”10″] and let butter melt completely.
Once butter has melted, add [wprm-ingredient text=”2 tablespoons minced garlic” uid=”11″] to saucepan. Stir to incorporate, then sauté garlic until fragrant, approximately 30 to 60 seconds.
Reduce heat under saucepan to low, then remove saucepan from heat and let cool slightly. Pour [wprm-ingredient text=”1 cup heavy cream” uid=”12″] into saucepan, then add [wprm-ingredient text=”½ teaspoon Italian seasoning” uid=”13″], [wprm-ingredient text=”½ teaspoon salt” uid=”14″], and [wprm-ingredient text=”¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper” uid=”15″]. Return saucepan to low heat and stir ingredients together until incorporated.
Simmer heavy cream over low heat 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to thicken.
Remove saucepan from heat and let cool slightly, then add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 ½ cups grated parmesan” uid=”16″] to pan. Whisk to incorporate, then return saucepan to heat. Continue whisking mixture until parmesan has melted completely.
To Serve
Once parmesan has melted, remove saucepan from heat. Add cooked pasta to saucepan and toss or stir to incorporate pasta into sauce. Set saucepan aside.
Using 2 forks, gently flake salmon fillet into small pieces. Add salmon pieces to saucepan with pasta and alfredo sauce. Toss or stir to incorporate salmon.
Divide salmon alfredo pasta into preferred portion sizes and transfer portions to serving plates. Serve warm.
- Salmon Temperature: The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145° Fahrenheit for salmon, but cooking until you reach that temperature will give you dry, rubbery salmon. I recommend cooking the salmon to 130° Fahrenheit, then letting it rest for 5 minutes while the residual heat continues cooking it.
