Salmon and Creamy Spinach Pasta

Author: Liz Frome

Cooking can sometimes be about working with what you’ve got in the refrigerator. Making everything from scratch is work, and not everyone has the time or may want to take the time to prepare a dinner fully from scratch. Frozen food or using a Microwave to make a meal can be just as healthy as fresh food.

I wanted to share a simple recipe that was half from scratch and half from premade. This is often the way I like to cook.

I made Salmon with plant-based fettuccini pasta and creamed spinach.

Ingredients.

Please Note: that the listed ingredient amounts are all flexible which means you can make this recipe to suit your tastes and needs.

For the salmon:

• Olive oil

• Your favorite seasonings (I used: Salt, Garlic powder, Black pepper, and paprika)

For the creamed spinach:

• Butter

• Onions

• Garlic

• Cream cheese

• Half and half

• Salt

• Pepper

• Cinnamon

• Spinach (frozen or fresh. I used fresh and didn’t have to worry about the excess water.)

Frozen Veggie Pasta Fettuccini Garlic Herb Sauce

Link: https://www.birdseye.com/veggie-swaps/veggie-pasta/veggie-pasta-fettuccine-garlic-herb-sauce

Birdseye steam fresh can be found at Safeway. They have a handful of different veggie pastas so you don’t have to go with the one linked. However, please know this is was the first time ever trying this veggie pasta. I had no idea what to expect. Though it was super easy because it’s ready within a few minutes in the microwave, there was practically no sauce which was shocking and disappointing.

I got lucky that I happened to use it with the creamed spinach therefore that was my sauce for the pasta.

Salmon prep:

1. Prep oil/seasonings. Put about a 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a small container. Put a teaspoon or two each of salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika in.

2. Open salmon wrapping, pat dry with a paper towel.

3. Cut salmon in half or however many pieces you want. (Precutting makes it cook faster)

4. Place salmon on pan. Stir up the seasoning mixture and rub it onto all parts of the salmon. You may want to oil the bottom of the skin depending on how much you care about it. 

5. Bake at 400F or 375F for convection for about 14 minutes. It's done when it's over 145F internally.

Creamed Spinach:

1. Use about 3 tablespoons of butter (eyeing it works best). Once warm throw in onions.

2. Sauté onion (half to a whole onion works, depending on your feelings toward onions). When onion is golden throw in 2-3 cloves of diced or mashed garlic. Continue to sauté until onions are caramelized, slightly brown.

3. Add cream cheese. (I put in about ¼ cup cream cheese, but again you can add less or more depending on how creamy and thick you want the cream sauce to be) stir until cream cheese is melted and combined with the onion and garlic.

4. Pour the half and half in. I didn’t measure it I just kept adding until the cream sauce had a consistency that I liked which again depends on what you like. If you want it thick pour less half and half. If you want the sauce to be thinner add more half and half or add some whole milk which will thin it out. Stir until all combined, should only take a few mins.

5. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Then add a dash of cinnamon. (sounds weird but just a dash adds a great unique taste to the sauce)

6. Spinach. Add it to the cream sauce and fold in. (I didn’t measure the spinach I just eyeballed it but I used about half of the fresh bunch of spinach I purchased.)

Put it all together.

Salmon on the side. Veggie pasta with the creamed spinach on top and viola you have yourself an easy healthy meal.