This smoked salmon pasta is easy and irresistibly tasty, pairing the smoky fish with a creamy sauce, lemon and fresh dill.

It’s hard to tire of the rich, buttery goodness of smoked salmon: it’s ideal for pairing with everything from bagels to dip to appetizers. Here’s the newest way we’ve fallen hard for it: Smoked Salmon Pasta! Imagine: chewy al dente pasta, bathed with a creamy sauce punctuated by bright lemon zest and herbaceous fresh dill. It’s hard not to be head over heels about this one! It’s extremely versatile: try it as an easy dinner, a fun brunch idea or picnic pasta salad.

Ingredients in this smoked salmon pasta

This smoked salmon pasta is designed as fast and easy meal, using a protein that’s totally no cook: smoked salmon! It makes it simple to throw into the pasta after you cook it, using cream cheese to make a quick and creamy sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Smoked salmon: Look for cold-smoked salmon or lox (with a soft texture), not hard-smoked (which is flaky and more like cooked salmon)
• Short cut pasta like penne, rigatoni, or farfalle
• Cream cheese
• Olive oil
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper
• Lemon zest
• Fresh dill

Tips for smoked salmon pasta

This recipe is as easy as they come: boil the pasta, add the sauce ingredients, stir it up and add smoked salmon! There are a few things to note about the method and what to expect. Here’s what to know:

• Make sure to cook the pasta to al dente. This means “to the bite” in Italian: ideally when it’s tender with a small white speck inside when you bite into a piece. Boil it a few minutes less than the package instructions indicate, and start taste testing early!
• Save the pasta water! This ingredient will be used to make a creamy sauce. It’s easy to forget (been there), so my mom shared a tip with us. Place a liquid measuring cup inside your strainer. When you go to dump the pasta, you’ll remember to remove the liquid!
• The texture is best when served immediately. This smoked salmon pasta is best when the pasta is freshly cooked and it’s warm: especially since you use the pasta water to help create the sauce. You can eat it later, but it does get drier in texture. More on that below!

Leftovers and storage instructions

Want to save this smoked salmon pasta for later, or make it in advance? Here’s what to know:

• Make ahead tip: The best way to prep in advance? Measure out all your sauce ingredients and place them in a covered container in the fridge. Then cook the pasta and dump them in when you’re ready to serve.
• Leftovers become dry with refrigeration. They store up to 3 days refrigerated, but you’ll notice the texture becomes drier. You can reheat the pasta with a splash of water on the stovetop, and revive the flavors with a pinch or two of salt.

And that’s it! We hope you love this smoked salmon pasta as much as we do. It disappeared very quickly at a dinner we made for my parents recently!

More smoked salmon recipes

Smoked salmon is ideal for quick and easy meals because it’s a healthy protein that requires no cooking! Here are some of our top smoked salmon recipes: