Recipe: Salmon Primavera Pesto Pasta

Today, I'm sharing a lovely springtime recipe! I love this recipe because it's one of the only ways my family likes to eat leftover salmon (and I've even made it with canned salmon in a pinch), plus it's a great way to pack in omega-3s, vegetables, and protein into one amazing dinner. 

Feel free to adjust this recipe to your family's tastes! Like most of my recipes, I make it slightly differently every time--sometimes spicy with an extra kick of crushed red pepper, sometimes more pesto-y when I have homemade pesto to use up, sometimes subbing thinly sliced zucchini for the asparagus, etc. etc. etc. 

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Ingredients
8 oz uncooked pasta (such as Barilla Protein Plus angel hair pasta or chickpea thin spaghetti)
1 pound leftover cooked salmon, flaked into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 red or yellow bell pepper
1 shallot, chopped
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
Several handfuls of organic baby spinach, roughly chopped
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup pesto
Grated parmesan cheese (optional topping)
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional topping – skip if your pesto already has lemon in it!)
 
Directions

1. Boil a salted pot of water for your pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add bell pepper, shallot, and asparagus and cook, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add garlic, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and cooked salmon. Cook until garlic is fragrant and spinach is just wilted.
4. Add cooked and drained pasta and pesto; toss everything together and add more pesto if needed to coat everything.
5. Serve topped with parmesan cheese and lemon juice (if desired). Enjoy!

Want more recipes like this, with functional ingredients for brain and mental health? I have a whole 7-day meal plan included in my nutrition for depression course, complete with recipes that I love. Check out the full course and watch the first module for free here.

Erica Golden, RDN, IFNCP

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, cooking enthusiast, integrative and functional nutrition therapist, mental health and gut health expert.