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–+ servings
Two servings of creamy pesto salmon fettuccine with cherry tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan on a white tray with toasted bread slices

Creamy Pesto Salmon Pasta

Salmon, cherry tomatoes, spinach, garlic, brie, cream cheese and pesto all go into one dish raw and onto the grill at 400°F for 20 minutes. Mash it together with heavy cream into a creamy sauce, then fold in cooked fettuccine.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 skinless salmon portions About 6 oz each.
  • 2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 8 oz fresh spinach One bag. It will look like far too much.
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
  • Lemon pepper seasoning To taste.
  • 8 oz Brie cheese Diced. Do not leave it whole or it will not melt in time.
  • 8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
  • 0.75 cup heavy cream Poured in after it comes off the grill, during the mixing.
  • 2 spoonfuls store bought pesto Two large spoonfuls.
  • 1 lemon Juiced over the whole dish, plus more for serving.
  • 9 oz fettuccine pasta Cooked separately.
  • Parmesan cheese Grated over the top when serving.

Equipment

  • Grill or oven Running at 400°F. The oven works at the same temperature.
  • Large grill safe baking dish It needs to hold a full bag of spinach before it wilts.
  • Large Pot For the fettuccine.
  • Sturdy spoon or fork For mashing the salmon into the sauce.

Method
 

Build and Grill
  1. Add the salmon, cherry tomatoes, spinach, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon pepper seasoning, diced brie, cream cheese, pesto and the juice of one lemon to a large baking dish or grill safe pan. Everything goes in raw.
  2. Place the dish on the grill at 400°F for about 20 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through, the cheese has melted and everything is charred and bubbling. An oven works at the same temperature.
Make the Sauce
  1. Remove from the grill. Mash the salmon with a fork or spoon and pour in the heavy cream.
  2. Stir vigorously until the brie and cream cheese are fully incorporated into the tomato and spinach juices and the whole thing looks like a creamy sauce. This takes more work than you expect. Do it before the pasta goes in.
Finish
  1. Cook the fettuccine while the dish is on the grill so both are ready at the same time. Drain and add it straight into the sauce.
  2. Toss thoroughly so the sauce coats all the pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan and another fresh squeeze of lemon over the top.

Notes

Everything goes in raw: Brie and cream cheese melt at low temperatures and break down into the liquid the tomatoes and spinach release, so the sauce builds itself while the salmon cooks in it.
Dice the brie: Left whole it will not melt evenly in 20 minutes.
Stir hard: It will not look like sauce when it comes off the grill. Mash the salmon and keep working the cheeses into the juices until it does, before the pasta goes in.
Time the pasta: Boil the fettuccine while the dish is on the grill so both finish together.
Timing: Prep time and servings are estimates. The 400°F and 20 minutes are as given.

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