Leftover salmon gets a recipe remake with bowtie pasta, fresh asparagus, and dill in this super simple Parmesan cream sauce that makes meal prep a breeze. This asparagus salmon pasta couldn’t be easier to make!
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“Made this recipe for the family and they absolutely loved it. Will be a staple in our house!” ~Chery, FoodieCrush reader
The Best Way to Use Up Leftover Salmon? Add it to Pasta!
You know how moms are always, always, always telling others what to do? “Giving” their advice? Even when nobody asked.
Here I am. Hand raised. 🙋♀️ I’m a mom! That’s me! Straight up, I’m not even denying I have a slightly (not slight at all) bossy streak, or as I like to call it, “Offering tips to make things better.”
So if you’ve followed this blog for long, you’ll know I’ve “shared my opinion” about meal planning and how it’s my “favorite tip” to making dinnertime “easier and better.”
This creamy pasta recipe came about because of my craving for the classic spring flavor combo of asparagus and dill, and because I had a bunch of leftover salmon hanging around the fridge. Knowing our little family of three wouldn’t eat all of the salmon fillets in one sitting, I planned ahead to make the leftover fillets into a savory but bright pasta night.
I adapted this salmon pasta recipe from a super simple 30-minute weeknight wonder, my Lemon Fettuccine Alfredo that comes together with minimal investment of time or ingredients.
Enjoy! Heidi
My Tips for Making This Easy Recipe
- Meyer lemons are springtime favorite, and I load up on them every chance I get. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, consider upping the amount of lemon zest in the sauce to really get that lemon flavor to shine in the sauce.
- For the best flavor and texture, I recommend buying a block of Parmesan cheese and grating it yourself. Avoid the stuff in a shaker can, it doesn’t compare to freshly grated Parm.
- If you wind up with leftovers, gently reheat them over low heat on the stove. You may need to add a splash of cream to loosen up the pasta.
A Couple Ingredient Notes …
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
Get creative and use what you have on hand to make this light and fresh tasting pasta loaded with flaky salmon and tender asparagus.
Salmon
Use any cooked salmon you like! This is a great pasta recipe to make with leftover salmon since it reduces the prep time considerably. You could use grilled salmon, baked salmon, poached salmon — whatever you’ve got!
Asparagus
Cut off the last inch or so of the spears to remove the woody ends. I love big, 1-inch pieces of asparagus in my pasta, but you can cut the spears into smaller pieces if desired.
Heidi’s Tip: Frozen peas would also be a good addition to the cream sauce, as would fresh spinach.
Heavy Cream
Heavy cream is a must in this pasta recipe. If you try to use half and half or regular milk, the sauce won’t thicken up enough and will be too runny to coat the pasta properly.
Asparagus Salmon Pasta in 3 Quick Steps
- Cook the pasta and asparagus in the same pot. The fewer dirty dishes, the better! Instead of draining the pasta into a colander, I’ll remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon and then reuse the boiling water to cook the asparagus spears.
- Make the Parmesan cream sauce. The heavy cream needs to reduce by half before you can stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Bring it all together. To the sauce, add the cooked pasta, asparagus, and leftover salmon. That’s all there is to it!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound bow tie pasta (or farfalle)
- 2 cups chopped asparagus spears , cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 Meyer lemons , zested (use 2-3 regular lemons if you can't find Meyer lemons)
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅛ cup fresh dill , chopped, plus more for serving
- 2 cups flaked, cooked salmon
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the bow tie pasta according to package directions until al denté.
- When noodles are done cooking, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta to a colander, reserving the pasta cooking water in the pot. Reheat the pot of water over medium heat and add the chopped asparagus spears, cooking until they turn bright green, about 1-2 minutes, then transfer to the same colander as the pasta. You want the asparagus to still have a snap to but not taste raw.
- While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, pour the cream into a 12-inch skillet and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook until reduced by half and the cream easily coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, fresh dill and cooked salmon to the cream and stir until the Parmesan is melted into the cream and the salmon is warmed through. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add the cooked bow tie pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Add more salt and pepper if desired, and top with more Parmesan cheese and dill if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Make It a Meal with These Side Dishes
- Homemade Garlic Bread
- Italian House Salad
- La Scala Chopped Salad
- Burrata Tomato Salad
- Caesar Salad From Scratch
More Super Quick Pasta Recipes for Busy Weeknights
- 30-Minute Homemade Hamburger Helper
- 20-Minute Pesto Pasta
- 30-Minute Lemon Fettuccine Alfredo
- 15-Minute Browned Butter Sage Ravioli
- 25-Minute Cacio e Pepe
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Courtney Opdyke
delicious combination of salmon and asparagus! so light and fresh.
Happy to hear it Courtney!
Robert
Delightful food.
I am a retired firefighter/commercial salmon fisherman. I’ve been cooking on boats and fire stations for 40 years. I can honestly say this is one of the best things I’ve ever made. I put leftovers in a Ziploc bags and freeze them and they are still excellent.
Hayley
Thank you so much for sharing with us, Robert! We’re thrilled you loved the recipe. Also, thank you for your service!
Robert
Delightful. I’m a retired firefighter/Commercial salmon fisherman. I’ve been cooking for 40 years on boats and fire stations. I’ve made this half a dozen times at least as per recipe and I can honestly say it’s one of the best things I’ve ever made and ever eaten. I freeze the leftovers in a Ziploc bag and they are still very good when I thaw them out
Thank you Robert! So great to hear this is part of your regular rotation, and that the leftovers are good after freezing!
ScottZ
Easy receipe to follow. A dish my mom made with both peas & asparagus. The bowties really make it look fancy. Your tip to cook Asparagus in pasty water was a nice touch.
Hayley
Thank you Scott, we’re’ so glad you enjoyed it!
Hayley
Thank you, Scott—we’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Ashlee
We’ve made this recipe many times with our left over smoked salmon. Chefs kiss!
Glad you enjoyed Ashlee!
Maria
Excellent recipes !!! Thankyou so much Heidi
Happy you enjoyed Maria!
Cynthia
This has become one of my family’s very favorite dishes. I typically substitute green beans for asparagus, and I never seem to have dill on hand, but even so it turns out great every time. I’ve even tried different types of fish (tilapia, mahi mahi) depending on what was on sale, although salmon does seem to work the best. Using heavy cream and lemon zest somehow makes the recipe feel fancy, but it’s actually quite simple to make. Don’t miss the step (as I did the first time) where you keep the pasta water to blanch the vegetables, or you’ll have to reheat the water. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Jen D
We made salmon last night and i’m generally not a fan of leftover fish, but we had quite a bit let in the fridge I hated to see go to waste.
was looking for something fast, easy, and yummy that I could make with ingredients I already had in the house (quarrantine cooking for the win!)
I happened to have half a red pepper, which complimented the dish well and added some color. Had a small bit of a box of bowtie, and small bit left of a box of mini penne, so just mixed them together to use the last of it, worked out great considering hah
I love oregano and thyme in just about everything so added that to the sauce since I did not have any dill on hand and I was happy with the result. I also added garlic because I just can’t make a cream sauce without it.
this will probably be 100% my go to for leftover salmon moving forward! was a hit with my husband and kids alike.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
Chery Connolly
Made this recipe for the family and they absolutely loved it. Will be a staple in our house!
So glad you all enjoyed Chery!
Edith
One small suggestion: if you add the asparagus to the boiling pasta about 2 minutes before the pasta is done you’ll save time and add some asparagus flavor to the pasta. Also, don’t throw the asparagus ends away, use them to make a broth that can be used for polenta or risotto.
Great tip Edith! Thanks for sharing.