Penne with Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Sauce
This is my family’s all-time favourite dinner party pasta dish. Our friends request it all the time. I’m happy to oblige because it tastes great, and the sauce makes itself! It’s easy. Steaming wet, just-cooked pasta and melting cream cheese form an incredibly smooth luxurious sauce. The smoked salmon adds flavour extravagance that’s balanced by the familiar flavours of capers, dill, lemon, onion and mustard. A five-star dish for sharing!
Ingredients
1 1 pound box penne pasta
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup capers
8 ounces smoked salmon, or more, but into ribbons
a sprinkle or two sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup capers
8 ounces smoked salmon, or more, but into ribbons
a sprinkle or two sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Cook penne in lots of boiling salted water until al dente—cooked through and tender but still retaining some texture and chew.
Scoop out some of the starchy cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta but not quite all the way. Leave it a bit wet. Put the pasta back into the pot along with a splash or two of the reserved water.
While the pasta is still steaming hot, immediately add the rest of the ingredients except the salmon. Stir with a wooden spoon as the cheese melts and forms a creamy sauce.
At the last second briefly stir in the smoked salmon; this way it won’t break up as much. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Scoop out some of the starchy cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta but not quite all the way. Leave it a bit wet. Put the pasta back into the pot along with a splash or two of the reserved water.
While the pasta is still steaming hot, immediately add the rest of the ingredients except the salmon. Stir with a wooden spoon as the cheese melts and forms a creamy sauce.
At the last second briefly stir in the smoked salmon; this way it won’t break up as much. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
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Recipe Submitted by
Chef Michael
I’m a FoodTV host, cookbook author and official food ambassador for Prince Edward Island, more importantly I’m a Dad and passionate home cook!
Variation
You can use any of your favourite shaped pastas for this dish, like bowties; but ribbon pastas, like spaghetti, don’t work as well. This dish also works equally well with any kind of smoked fish. And if you don’t have green onions, try a finely minced red onion. If you don’t have capers, try a spoonful of standard green hot-dog relish.
Tried this recipe tonight, was disappointed. The sauce was too thick, did add the reserve water, but still thickish. I also found that the lemon was too much, maybe 1/2 ? and the cream cheese a little to overwhelming also, should have added most of the reserve water?
Great with lobster
Also good with Lobster
I used linguine instead of penne. I found the sauce too thick and I ran out of the reserved pasta water. So I added milk instead. It certainly made the cream cheese less overwhelming. Note to self: put the smoked salmon at the very last minute or else it would cook!
Great, fast, easy recipe! I am a new mom and don’t have the luxury of puttering around making intricate recipes these days. This penne tastes gourmet but takes so little time. Perfect!
Was not a fan of this recipe and wouldn’t make it again…sorry Michael :( Not a fan of the taste of cream cheese on my pasta. Just found it too heavy.
What’s up, this weekend is nice designed for me, as this moment i am reading this wonderful informative piece of writing here at my residence.
The penne smoke salmon cram cheese sauce recipe indicates to use, one bunch freash dill, what is that in cups?
thanks
I love this recipe, and I love to cook, but as a university student having ingredients like fresh dill and capers around just isn’t feasible most of the time. I used tiny cubed dill pickles instead of dill and capers, and it tasted great! Not as high class, but great for a student. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi there,Santos – no I ate inside. It was quite light there.Reid – the rerautsant is called Cafe Concerto, at 794D Kilauea (808-934-0312). They open for lunch only now, and it is a pretty small place with a small menu consisting of fairly classic, common dishes. They do have some Today’s Specials though, and the dish I had was from them, too. Cat – yeah I agree, the very dish I had wouldn’t be really authentic, but I enjoyed it a lot though (and other dishes looked quite authentic from the menu). Pasta with octopus, oh how I miss it!!!fish fish – I had never had that much of caviar at one time. I had always thought they were just garnish and tasteless themselves, but they actually had rich taste and it was good.
your show is awesome and so is your food . have been watching for years i like how everything is explained so us rookies can understand.
hi im from israel and i love your show and the penne with cream cheese was great thanks
The Print this recipe link printed on this page 6 pages of pictures, comments, and WHAT NOT instead of printing 1 page with the ingredients and the instructions. Not quite eco-friendly, isn’t it?
Hi,
Try your “print preview” option on your computer which may show the amount of pages and lets you view the page you need to copy. It’s helped me, when I remember to use this button!
Sharon
I made this dish as a dare as I am not fond of capers but it was FABULOUS – I am making it again tonight and it has become a regular (and inexpensive) meal in our house! Thanks Michael
I love the show and the presentation is fantastic. It has certainly helped improve my time in the kitchen.