Lemon Dill Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Peas

A creamy and bright pasta with lemon, dill, sweet peas and honey smoked salmon

This Lemon Dill Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Peas is super easy and full of flavor. Each delicious forkful of pasta is coated in a creamy lemon sauce, accented with smoky, salty salmon and bursts of sweet peas. It’s a dish that comes together in no time, making it ideal for busy weeknights. But it’s also worthy of a special occasion. With fresh, vibrant flavors, this recipe is bound to become a favorite at your table.

What You’ll Need

• Pasta: Long or short cut pasta could work here; I used penne.
• Plain Yogurt: I always have Greek yogurt on hand. You could use another plain yogurt, but you may need to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
• Lemon: You’ll use both zest and juice.
• Pantry spices and herbs: Garlic powder, dried dill, red pepper flake
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Adds a touch of richness to the sauce
• Smoked Salmon: We love this honey smoked salmon.
• Peas: Use fresh spring peas when in season, otherwise use frozen.
• Fresh parsley: I keep fresh parsley on hand, but you can leave it off if you don’t happen to have any.

Seriously, this dish delivers so much flavor for so little effort — it could not be easier! Simply put pasta on to boil and mix up the lemon dill sauce while it’s boiling. The peas will cook in the same pot with the pasta. Then you’ll combine the pasta, peas and lemon dill sauce and stir until the pasta is well-coated with the sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen it to your desired consistency. Gently mix in the salmon, then plate and devour!

Lemon Dill Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Peas

Courses: Dinner

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins Total Time 20 mins Difficulty: Beginner Servings: 2 Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• ¹⁄₂ cup plain Greek yogurt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 heaping teaspoon dried dill

• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon red pepper flake

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

• zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon

• 4 ounces short cut pasta, such as penne

• 1 cup peas

• 4 ounces smoked salmon

• fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  Once boiling, salt the water generously and add the pasta.  Cook the pasta to al dente (tender, but still firm to the bite).  A few minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the peas to the same pot.  They will cook in the remaining time it takes the pasta.

2. While the pasta is cooking, mix together the yogurt, garlic powder, dill, red pepper flake, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Don't add salt, as you will get sodium from the pasta and smoked salmon.  The mixture will be rather thick at this point, but we'll thin it later with some reserved pasta water.

3. Break the smoked salmon into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

4. Drain the pasta and peas into a wire mesh strainer set over a bowl or measuring cup to catch the pasta water.  

5. Transfer the pasta and peas back into the pot.  Stir in the lemon dill yogurt and enough pasta water to form a sauce.  Start with a tablespoon, adding more as needed.

6. Divide and plate the pasta into individual servings.  Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately!

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 2 ServingCalories:466kcalTotal Fat:13.36gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol:42.7mgSodium:60mgPotassium:650mgTotal Carbohydrate:57.7gDietary Fiber: 6.35gSugars: 8.5gProtein:28.8gVitamin C: 35.55mgCalcium: 129mg

Note