Quick & Easy Lemon Ricotta Salmon Pasta Without Cream made with creamy ricotta cheese, peppery arugula, and fresh lemon in 30 minutes. A simple restaurant quality, high-protein meal - perfect for busy weeknights!
I ordered a dish with poached salmon for the first time ever when I was in Amsterdam a few years ago because it sounded fancy. Believe it or not, it was served cold... and tasted absolutely delicious!
When you think about it, restaurants have to keep things simple to serve great food quickly. That little fact inspired me to do some research and teach myself how to poach salmon at home.
Turns out cooking salmon is so much easier than it sounds - in less than 10 minutes!
Once I realized how easy it was to cook salmon this way, I knew I had to pair it with pasta because they cook in about the same amount of time. Efficiency and tastiness at its finest!
Please don't let the idea of poaching salmon intimidate you. If you can boil pasta, you can poach salmon. Trust me! Now let me show you how easy it is to make salmon pasta without cream. Ricotta, lemon, and a sprinkle of parmesan add so much flavor and texture, you won't even miss the cream!
Looking for more easy seafood recipes? Make my air-fryer cod!
Quick Look:
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Servings: 7
- Flavor: mild, light and refreshing
- Best for: dinner for the whole family
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients Pasta, ricotta cheese, fresh lemon, parmesan, arugula, and salmon. No cream!
- Meal Prep When cooked just right, salmon will have a mild flavor and flake easily. You can totally poach salmon ahead of time and store refrigerated for up to 3 days to use in this recipe and others.
- Kid-Friendly I will be the first to admit that I expected my kids (and husband, lol;) to complain when I served this salmon pasta recipe. Thankfully I was wrong. Even my teenage daughter stated, "this is actually good!" She ate the leftovers the next day! 🙌
Dietitian Tip
I am always looking for new, approachable ways to get more seafood on our dinner tables, and this was a huge win. Sometimes the key is to serve salmon with a more familiar food, such as pasta.
Ingredient Notes
Here are a few highlights of the key ingredients for making this salmon pasta dish without cream. For the complete list of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Salmon Filets Salmon is an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids (also known as heart healthy fats) that help brain, heart, eye, and even mental health. I like to use wild caught salmon filets. Defrosted (from frozen) or fresh salmon filets works best.
- Pasta I use Barilla Protein Plus spaghetti pasta because it looks and tastes just like regular spaghetti pasta but has more protein and fiber. If you prefer thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta, use that instead.
- Lemon Using fresh lemon in recipes is an easy way to add incredible flavor to pasta dishes.
- Ricotta Cheese Ricotta cheese is used instead of heavy cream or cream sauce to give this recipe a creamy texture. Cottage cheese can be used instead of ricotta cheese.
- Arugula Baby arugula is a leafy green and is packaged like baby spinach. It can be found in the produce section of the grocery store. Baby spinach can be used in place of arugula.
How to Make Salmon Pasta Without Cream
Here's a summary of how to make this Lemon Ricotta Pasta recipe with salmon. For the complete recipe with specific instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta once it's cooked al dente. Return the pasta to the pot. Reduce heat.
- Poach the salmon.
- Add reserved poaching liquid or reserved pasta water to the drained pasta. Stir in the ricotta cheese, arugula, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and one-half cup of parmesan cheese.
- Add the cooked salmon and remaining parmesan cheese. Carefully stir until the salmon is evenly distributed in with the pasta.
Recipe Variations
- Fresh Herbs If you keep fresh herbs on hand, add fresh parsley, fresh basil, or fresh dill for even more flavor.
- Cherry Tomatoes Stir in cherry tomatoes (whole or cut in half) when you mix in the arugula for more color, flavor, and texture.
- Red Pepper When my cousin in Holland makes this pasta dish, she sautés a diced hot pepper to add for some spice. A dash or two of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes would also add a touch of spice.
- More Garlic If you really like garlic and have a few extra minutes, sauté a few fresh minced garlic cloves in extra-virgin olive oil in the large pot after you drain the pasta.
Helpful Tips
- This recipe makes a lot. You should use at least a five-and-a-half-quart Dutch oven or pot to make this dish.
- Poach salmon while the pasta cooks to save time.
- Salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork. Some say it's best to remove salmon from heat when it reaches 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit, while the FDA advises cooking seafood to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Do not overcook the salmon.
- Feel free to add more arugula!
- Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the salmon filets. Thicker filets will take longer to cook. Very thin filets may only take 5 minutes to cook.
- I have also made this using frozen salmon filets and it worked well. Frozen salmon filets will take a little longer to cook.
- Let the leftovers cool to room temperature before storing. Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
More Dinner Recipes
- Family Meal Planning Made Simple
- Zucchini Pesto (without Nuts)
- Easy Air Fryer Cod (3-Ingredients!)
- Simple Egg Salad with Greek Yogurt (No Mayo)
Did you make this easy Lemon Ricotta Salmon Pasta Dish Without Cream and love it? Please let me know by leaving a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
Remember to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for more easy recipes with nutrition tips from a dietitian!
📖 Recipe
Salmon Pasta Without Cream
Equipment
- 1 Large skillet with a lid
- 1 strainer
- 1 citrus zester
Ingredients
Creamy Pasta with Arugula and Lemon
- 14.5 ounces spaghetti 14.5-16 ounces. I like to use Barilla + Protein spaghetti pasta
- 12 ounces ricotta cheese 1½ cups
- 3 ounces baby arugula 2 large handfuls. Can use baby spinach instead.
- 1 lemon zest and juice of one lemon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt table salt or sea salt
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese shredded. divided.
Poached Salmon
- 1½ cups broth or water
- 1 pound salmon 4, 4-ounce filets
Instructions
- Poach the salmon: Add broth or water to a large skillet and bring it to a simmer. Once the water is simmering, place the salmon filets skin side down in the broth or water and cover the skillet with a lid.1½ cups broth or water
- Simmer salmon in the broth for about 6-8 minutes. The salmon is finished cooking as soon as the internal temperature of an inserted digital food thermometer reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit or when salmon flakes easily with a fork.1 pound salmon
- Remove salmon from the broth and place on a plate. Reserve the poaching liquid (you will be adding this to the cooked pasta).
- Use tongs and a fork to remove the skin and flake the salmon. Set aside.
Pasta with Arugula and Lemon
- While the salmon cooks, cook pasta in a large pot. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package instructions.14.5 ounces spaghetti
- Drain the pasta and return it to the pot it was cooking in. Place the pot back on the stove and reduce the heat to low.
- Stir in the ricotta cheese, arugula, garlic powder, and salt.12 ounces ricotta cheese, 3 ounces baby arugula, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Once the salmon is done cooking, add the poaching liquid to the cooked pasta.
- Stir in ½ cup of the shredded parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice, garlic, and salt.1 lemon, ¾ cup parmesan cheese
- Add the cooked salmon pieces and the rest of the parmesan cheese. Carefully stir to combine.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes a lot. You should use at least a five-and-a-half-quart Dutch oven or pot to make this dish.
- Poach the salmon while the pasta cooks to save time.
- Feel free to use roasted, pan-seared, canned, or air fried salmon instead of poached salmon.
- Do not overcook the salmon.
- Frozen salmon filets will take longer to cook.
- When I use chicken broth instead of water to poach salmon, I don't add salt to the salmon.
- I like to add a pinch or two of salt and black pepper to the salmon filets when I poach them in water.
- Feel free to add more arugula!
- Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the salmon filets. Thicker filets will take longer to cook. Very thin filets may only take 5 minutes to cook.
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