Are you looking for an easy and delicious way to cook salmon with pesto? This salmon pesto pasta bake is the perfect meal!
You only need a few ingredients; it's so simple to make. You can use any pasta shape you like, make a basil pesto, or use store-bought jarred pesto.
Serve this salmon pasta bake with a simple side salad or steamed vegetables, and you're good to go!
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Our basil pesto sauce inspired this delicious salmon pasta dish.
Previously, we created a prawn pesto pasta; this time, we decided to make a pesto pasta using fresh salmon.
Equipment
When making a pasta bake, it is best to use a high sided oven dish or roasting tray, if you have a lidded casserole dish, that works too.
If not, you can use foil to cover the dish during baking the salmon, as we have.
It is best to grease the dish first.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed for salmon pasta bake with pesto are as follows.
Salmon
Use a 500 gram half side of salmon for best results when cooking this recipe.
Or you could use four single salmon fillets, which will weigh about the same.
Push them close together in the middle of the roasting tin to prevent them from cooking too quickly.
Leave the skin on for now; it is easier to remove when flaking the cooked salmon. Place salmon skin-side down with tomatoes and cook in the preheated oven.
Tomatoes
Vine-ripened cherry tomatoes are perfect for this recipe; it brings out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes when oven baked.
You could use larger tomatoes instead but it would be best to chop them first.
Olive Oil
Drizzle olive oil all over the salmon and tomatoes before oven baking.
Lemon
Adding lemon juice to salmon gives it a lovely zing. You can also add some lemon zest if you like.
Seasoning
Italian seasoning is a mixture of dried basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper, rosemary, sage and parsley.
If you don't have any to hand, don't worry; use a mix of any dried herbs.
Pasta
You can use any pasta shape for this recipe; we used penne pasta from Waveney Mill.
This Norfolk based pasta mill supports the British wheat farmers to produce pasta in the UK.
We like to use this shape as penne has enough space in its tubes to collect the yummy pesto sauce.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 minutes.
It will be very al dente, but don't worry; it will cook further in the oven with the pesto salmon sauce.
Pesto
Make this salmon pasta recipe with homemade pesto or a shop-bought variety.
It's effortless to make pesto yourself. Just blend some fresh basil leaves, parmesan cheese, olive oil and pine nuts. We also have a pine nut-free pesto sauce recipe.
Add pesto and the cooked pasta into the oven dish with the baked salmon and tomatoes. Stir together well.
Mozzarella
Torn or grated mozzarella cheese is added to the pesto salmon pasta bake before oven baking for a final 10 minutes. Don't forget to add salt & pepper too!
You could use cheddar or parmesan cheese if preferred?
Remember to turn the oven up for the final 10 minutes to make sure it is hot enough for the cheese to melt.
Basil
Cut up some fresh basil leaves to sprinkle on top of the salmon with pesto pasta once it has baked in the oven.
Serving suggestions
Serve immediately while the mozzarella cheese is still melted and stringy!
Add plenty of fresh cracked black pepper and pair it with a glass of strong white wine such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.
Save any leftovers and serve cold or heat in the microwave the next day, making it an excellent salmon pasta salad for lunchboxes!
Side Dish Options
Serve with dough balls, focaccia bread, garlic flatbread or a tomato and mozzarella salad.
So there you have a quick and easy pesto salmon pasta bake recipe.
Use the step by step recipe card below to make this delicious meal the whole family will love.
๐ Step by Step Recipe
Salmon Pesto Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 500 gram Salmon (half side cut) - or 4 single fillets pushed together
- 1 pack Cherry Tomatoes - 220 grams
- ยฝ Lemon (juice)
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
- 350 grams Penne Pasta
- 180 grams Green Basil Pesto
- 250 gram mozzarella
- Salt & Pepper
- Handful Basil Leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170ยฐC fan/ 190ยฐC /375ยฐFIt is best to use a large oven dish with high sides, with a lid (or you can use foil). Grease dish with olive oil, use a kitchen paper towel to spread.
- Place salmon skin-side down and put cherry tomatoes around it.500 gram Salmon (half side cut), 1 pack Cherry Tomatoes
- Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with Italian seasoning.ยฝ Lemon (juice), 2 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
- Cover with foil (or a lid). Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes ( at 170ยฐC fan/ 190ยฐC /375ยฐF)
- 10 minutes before the above timer goes off, bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta and boil for only 5 minutes. (It will continue cooking in the oven)350 grams Penne Pasta
- Remove the dish from the oven and discard the foil.Turn the oven temperature up to 200ยฐC fan/ 220ยฐC /425ยฐFFlake the salmon using two forks, pushing to the sides until only the skin is left.
- Remove and discard the leftover salmon skin from the bottom of the tray.
- Drain pasta and add into the oven dish with the flaked salmon and tomatoes.
- Pour green basil pesto on top and stir until well combined.180 grams Green Basil Pesto
- Tear the mozzarella over the salmon pasta bake, and season with salt and pepper.250 gram mozzarella, Salt & Pepper
- Place back in the oven for final 10 minutes until mozzarella melts at 200ยฐC fan/ 220ยฐC /425ยฐF
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle basil leaves on top. Can be served warm or cold as a pasta salad.Handful Basil Leaves
Video
Nutrition
Variations
Save more time and make a quick and easy version of this pesto pasta dish, using canned salmon and sundried tomatoes instead.
There is no need to cook the canned salmon and sundried tomatoes.
Mix them with the cooked pasta, a splash of pasta water, and stir through the pesto. Top with mozzarella and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
More Salmon Recipes
One of our most popular recipes is our salmon en croute, which also uses a half side of salmon.
If you want more salmon pasta recipes, try our creamy salmon pasta. A fabulous lunch smoked salmon cocktail.
Other Pasta Ideas
If you're looking for more pasta recipes, another pasta with pesto recipe, check out our king prawn pasta.
Or a cold summer pasta recipe like our orzo pasta salad or another pasta bake recipe with cheesy bolognese.
We hope you enjoy this salmon with pesto pasta recipe as much as we do! What pasta shape do you use?
Elizabeth says
This pasta bake is one of my new favorite dinners! Salmon cooked perfectly and my husband already requested it again
Kay says
Elizabeth, Thanks for letting us know what you think of our Salmon Pasta Bake recipe! We're glad to hear that you and your husband are big fans!
Bernice says
This pasta bake is such a great idea. I'm always looking for new ways to fit more fish into my diet and I love pesto with anything. It's particularly delicious with salmon.
Kay says
Thank you, Bernice ๐
I hope you like our salmon pesto pasta bake; let us know your thoughts when you cook the recipe; we always love this recipe for a good midweek meal!!
Enjoy ๐
Kristina says
This recipe encompasses some of my favorite summer flavors. The basil, lemon and tomatoes work so well together. Combined with the salmon and pasta to make a full dinner, you can't beat this refreshing yet hearty meal.
Kay says
Thank you so much, Kristina, this salmon pasta bake is full of beautiful flavours, and it does make a great hearty meal ๐
Kayla DiMaggio says
This salmon pesto pasta bake was so delicious! I loved how easy it was to make and it was the perfect family dinner!
Kay says
Thank you so much, Kayla; so lovely to hear our salmon pesto pasta bake made the perfect family dinner, and you all thought it was delicious ๐
If you like salmon recipes, you might enjoy our Salmon en croute it is another excellent family dinner!!
The Sudden Cook says
Yessss to both pesto and salmon! I usually sub pine nuts (as they are expensive here) with pumpkin seeds and they work brilliantly!
Kay says
Thank you for the comment ๐
We have never tried sunflower seed instead of pine nuts, we will have to give that a try; it sounds nice ๐
Allyssa says
This salmon pesto pasta bake recipe is so flavorful and really tasty! Will surely have this again! Loved it!
Kay says
Thank you, Allyssa ๐
Pleased you thought our salmon pesto pasta bake was tasty ๐
Enjoy in the future ๐