Who doesn't love dinner in thirty minutes or less? I know that I do. Last week, I was in Vermont on a wonderful family vacation. Today being back at work was so painful- I had a business review with my boss first thing in the morning, followed by a lunch, and then an afternoon full of phone calls. To top it off, my husband had to work this afternoon and the kids wouldn't stop fighting. All I knew was that I wanted something for dinner that was relatively healthy, but quick and easy. I opened the freezer and saw a bag of wild caught salmon fillets, since my daughter has been begging me for salmon I figured let's go for it. (Feel free to use fresh when you make this, frozen was all I had handy!) This dish is easy, flavorful and can be on the table in 30 minutes! You can also easily add an extra couple pieces of salmon and increase the amount of pasta to feed a larger group. This preparation serves 2.
As always, gather up your ingredients. In most recipes, but especially this one, efficiency is key! The more items you can prep while something else cooks, the better. The first step in that is having everything ready to go. Start your water boiling for the pasta, and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Prep your vegetables first. You will want to thinly slice the onion, mushroom and roasted red pepper. Mince the garlic. I put the onion and garlic to the side in a prep bowl together, as they are the first in the pan and they go in at the same time.
You'll want to start cooking with the salmon first, as that takes 10-12 minutes to cook. Lightly brush the pan with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, place the salmon skin side down. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Pop in the oven.
Start cooking the pasta per box instructions. Heat remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat- add the sliced red onion and diced garlic, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened but not caramelized. Add the sliced portobello and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until soft. Add sliced red pepper and balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 3 minutes to reduce the vinegar slightly.
When the pasta is done cooking- reserve about a 1/2 cup of pasta water if needed for the final product, throw in two handfuls or arugula to the pan with the vegetables, then add pasta and toss. If you feel it is too dry, slowly add some pasta water to coat until desired consistency is met. In the picture above I did not add any water. At this time the salmon should also be done, remove from the oven and prepare to serve.
Plate your meal and enjoy!
Baked Salmon with Portobello Pasta
2-5 ounce salmon fillets
2 cloves garlic
1 Portobello mushroom cap
1 roasted red pepper
½ red onion
2 handfuls arugula
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika
1/3 package linguine
1. Set pasta water to boil. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash all produce. Thinly slice the red onion, portobello mushroom and roasted red pepper. Mince garlic cloves.
2. In a non-stick oven safe skillet, brush pan with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Place salmon skin side down. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Place in oven to bake for 10-12 minutes depending on thickness and your preference on temperature.
3. When pasta water has come to a rapid boil, cook pasta per box instructions.
4. In a large non-stick skillet, heat remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté red onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add sliced portobello mushroom and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low-medium and add the roasted red pepper, 3 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes to reduce the vinegar slightly.
6. When pasta is done, reserve about ½ cup of pasta water in case your vegetable sauté is too dry. Add cooked pasta and 2 handfuls or arugula to the large pan with your vegetables. Leave heat on low-medium and incorporate pasta and arugula with vegetables. Add pasta water slowly if your pasta is too dry.
7. Remove salmon from the oven when done- serve alongside pasta. Enjoy!
Note: You can easily make this recipe for more by adding additional salmon fillets and slightly increasing the pasta.