Creamy pasta pesto with salmon, baked with a layer of crispy breadcrumbs.

  • Serves: 2 people
  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cooking time: 40 minutes
    • Irish

    Basil Pesto Salmon Bake

    Recipe Information

    Ingredients
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    1 x large head of Broccoli (400g)

    200g Cherry Tomatoes

    2 x tsp Rapeseed Oil (10g)

    80g wholewheat Penne Pasta

    1 x tbsp Basil Pesto (15g)

    2 x tbsp light Cream Cheese (30g)

    2 x 120g cooked Salmon Fillets

    2 x tbsp Panko Breadcrumbs (10g)

    Salt (optional) and freshly ground Black Pepper

    Method

    Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

    Cut the broccoli into small bite-sized florets – you’ll need 300g in total.

    Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

    Place the pasta in a pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt (optional) and cook for 10-12 minutes until just tender.

    Add the broccoli for the last 2 minutes of cooking time and blanch until almost but not quite tender.

    Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander and reserve a cupful of the cooking liquid.

    Place the pasta and broccoli in a large bowl and fold in the pesto and cream cheese, adding two to three tablespoons of the cooking water to make a smooth light sauce that just binds everything together.

    Flake the cooked salmon and add to the pasta mixture with the tomatoes.

    Put in a small baking dish and sprinkle the panko breadcrumbs on top, then drizzle over the rest of the oil.

    Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is golden and crunchy.

    Cut the basil pesto salmon bake into portions and arrange on plates to serve.