Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!
Here’s one of my favorite light, summery, sunny type pastas. This light lemon garlic pasta with salmon also has the good fortune of being healthy!
It’s all about simplicity and freshness. With fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, capers and salmon, you practically have summer on a plate.
And to top it off, for a tiny bit of decadence, we’ll sprinkle some Parmesan loving on it. There’s no cream sauce to carry it so this is all about the goodness and tastiness of high-quality olive oil mixed with fresh, awesome flavors.
Shall we?
How To Make Light Lemon Garlic Pasta With Salmon (1 Min Video)
LIGHT LEMON GARLIC PASTA RECIPE TIPS
Start off by cooking the pasta. I went with rigatoni for this recipe but you can use any kind of pasta you like: spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, pappardelle, or other tube-type pasta. If you want it even healthier, sub with whole wheat pasta instead.
While the pasta cooks, season your salmon fillets with salt and pepper to taste and bake it until cooked. You can also pan-sear the salmon for something crispier, about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. However you decide to prep your salmon, make sure to flake or cube it into bite-sized pieces so there’s enough to go around once we mix it all up later.
Mince the garlic, chop the basil and get your lemon rind ready while the pasta and salmon cook. As usual, I’m gonna advocate using a microplane for grating your rind and Parmesan cheese. It’s worth it.
Drain the pasta and mix it all up with some good-quality olive oil. You’ll want something high quality because this will be the ‘sauce’ that binds the flavors together, so it has to be delicious. I used extra virgin olive oil here. If you don’t know the difference between regular olive oil, virgin olive oil and extra virgin olive oil, here’s a great guide explaining it. Feel free to add more olive oil if you feel the pasta is a bit too dry for your liking and be sure to add some while heating up any leftovers.
Now it’s time to add some fresh basil to the pasta. If you can’t justify getting fresh basil for just one dish and don’t have any growing in your garden, an alternative is to use lightly dried basil from Gourmet Garden. It looks like this and you should be able to find it in the fresh vegetable aisle in your grocery store. They smell fresher than the usually dried herbs and keep long in the fridge. Throw in some freshly minced garlic with some salt and pepper to taste, then toss the pasta to mix.
Then we add fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and capers to the pasta for some citrus flavor. By now the salmon should be cooked, so flake it, then add it to the pasta. Be gentle during the tossing so you don’t end up with salmon shreds.
The baking time of the salmon will vary depending on how thick your fillet is. The standard rule of thumb is to cook for 10 minutes per inch of thickness which is measured from the salmon’s thickest point. If you start getting too much whitish stuff, you’ve cooked it too long.
And you’re ready to serve. Now the fun part begins by plating the pasta and topping it with freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese. I prefer shaved cause every now and then I find a Parmesan shaving and it feels like you’ve discovered some treasure. Also, if you happen to like olives, this pasta really goes well with it!
Happy eating!
MORE SALMON RECIPES TO TRY
- Creamy Salmon Pasta with Spinach
- Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon
- Lemon and Parmesan-Crusted Salmon
- Salmon Piccata
- Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce
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PrintLight Lemon Garlic Pasta with Salmon
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!
Ingredients
- 16 oz. rigatoni/pasta
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb. salmon fillet
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons capers
- Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, season salmon with salt and pepper to taste and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with garlic, olive oil, basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add lemon juice, zest and capers to the pasta and toss to mix.
- Flake the salmon into bite-size pieces.
- Gently toss salmon with the pasta.
- Dish and serve hot topped with freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese.
Notes
If the pasta feels too dry when reheating leftovers, add more olive oil after heating it up.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
♡ Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. You can learn more about it here.
122 Comments
Jennifer
May 28, 2022 at 5:34 PMThis is very delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and added a little chilli flakes with the garlic basil. This is going on rotation. Perfect summer recipe. So fresh.
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
June 7, 2022 at 12:48 PMChili flakes are a great way to add some heat and an excellent addition!
Ali
February 20, 2022 at 9:56 PMWe tried this tonight (and followed the recipe exactly, minus the capers) and my littles absolutely devoured it! Thanks for such a delicious recipe! It’s going in our rotation for sure.
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
February 28, 2022 at 5:20 PMI’m so happy everyone liked it so much! Enjoy your new staple, Ali 🙂
Wayne Firns
November 8, 2021 at 7:54 PMI am a plus 70 male, cooked this for the second time last night and it was super.
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
November 11, 2021 at 12:05 PMThis recipe is one of my favorites too. I’m happy you enjoyed it, Wayne.
Janet Leighs
September 25, 2021 at 11:47 AMHI I am trying this recipe tonight and I have added grated chilli as my partner loves it. I also have put some fried mushrooms in to bulk it up a bit – will let you know what the outcome is!
The Cooking Jar
September 26, 2021 at 8:41 PMRed pepper flakes are a great addition if that’s the same thing as grated chili. I hope this worked out well for you, Janet!
J
November 7, 2020 at 9:08 PMIt was nice and light for a pasta dish.
★★★★
The Cooking Jar
November 8, 2020 at 10:44 PMThanks so much for coming back to let me know, J. Happy to have helped!
Emily
November 3, 2020 at 2:42 PMLove this. I actually blended all the ingredients and stirred through the pasta before adding the salmon and the parmesan…. just meant I could include capers as my Husband refuses to eat them…. He was non the wiser and made a clean plate! THank you absolutely delicious
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
November 8, 2020 at 10:44 PMI LOVE that you snuck it in. Had a great laugh reading your comment and the sneaky capers!
Rebecca Butler
October 6, 2020 at 9:18 PMI made this dish tonight for the first time because my 18 year old daughter is trying to eat healthier. I used cauliflower penne pasta. I had never used that kind of pasta before and was nervous. The meal was delicious! It was also very easy! I am not very good in the kitchen so to find a delicious and healthy meal that is easy too is a major win. I will definitely make it again.
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
November 8, 2020 at 10:43 PMHey Rebecca. Thanks for taking a chance and trying out the recipe. I’m glad it was easy enough to follow for you! I’ve never tried cauliflower pasta before; didn’t even know it was a thing till now. I’m happy you guys found a recipe that will help your daughter eat healthier.
Jason
September 14, 2020 at 1:25 AMLooks like a great recipe, Its still a little wintry where i am so i will add just a splash of Chicken stock and a small splash of cream. Also switch out the Basil for some dill. Definitely the capers will rock it!and the Parmesan 😉
Thanks for your inspiration.
The Cooking Jar
September 14, 2020 at 9:08 AMDefinitely make it a little creamy to cozy up for a chilly day. Dill will work too, I love salmon and dill. You’re very welcome and happy customizing!
Anonymous
August 12, 2020 at 8:31 PMHow long should I bake the salmon? Should I broil it too?
The Cooking Jar
August 14, 2020 at 10:06 AMBake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness. A good rule of thumb is to bake 4-6 minutes per half-inch thickness of salmon (the thickest part of the salmon, usually the middle).
You can broil it too at 400 degrees for 2-3 minutes to glaze the top if you’d like, but that’s purely optional. It’s all going to be flaked anyway.
Jennifer Cortinas
June 30, 2020 at 1:22 PMI made this last summer and loved it so much that searched for it again and am so glad I found it! Delicious and healthy! Thank you for sharing!
Jennifer Cortinas
June 30, 2020 at 1:23 PMMeant to give it 5 stars!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
August 14, 2020 at 10:11 AMI’m glad you found it again and thanks for leaving a review this year. I hope it brightens your summer again next year!
pharmanda
June 28, 2020 at 10:09 PMThis was SO good! I used a seaweed pasta from Blue Evolution that was a great pairing. Thanks for the great (and easy!) recipe, I’ll be looking through your collection for more!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
August 14, 2020 at 10:11 AMAbsolutely and thanks for trying it out with some fancy pasta! I’m glad it worked out. I’ve never personally tried or even heard of seaweed pasta before!
Helen
June 20, 2020 at 5:55 AMI had a couple of leftover salmon fillets , always have
pasta in the cupboard, fresh parsley was looking for a recipe and I came across yours. amazing. I added in some olives and Capers, broccoli and feta cheese on top. Yummy.
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
August 14, 2020 at 10:09 AMExcellent additions! Black or kalamata olives fit so well with this flavor profile! Broccoli works as will cut asparagus spears. It’s wonderful seeing someone build off a recipe and how creative they get. Thanks for letting us know!
Ros
June 16, 2020 at 7:04 AMSo delicious – thank you for creating this recipe!! Really quick to make and not too much required to make it. Perfect as was not as heavy as most pastas can be but still full of flavour. Really loved it and so did my Husband 🙂
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
August 14, 2020 at 10:07 AMYou’re very welcome, Ros! This is our go-to for spring/summer pasta. We make it practically every year. I’m glad to have shared it with your household too!