My Tuscan Salmon Pasta is so creamy and delicious that you would never know it’s also healthy! This salmon pasta recipe uses no cream which saves hundreds of calories. I also serve my Tuscan Salmon Pasta over whole wheat linguini for extra fiber.
This dish is such a guilty-free pleasure of mine and is ready in less than 30 minutes. The entire meal with a 3oz serving of salmon, creamy tuscan sauce, and 2oz serving of whole wheat linguine pasta is only 389 calories. That makes this salmon pasta recipe a healthy, low calorie meal the entire family can enjoy!
If you’re looking for more healthy dinner recipes, check out our Baked Lamb Chops with Mint Chimichurri and Lemon Rosemary Roast Chicken!
How to Make Healthy Cream Sauce without Heavy Cream
Unless you’re following a strict keto diet, there is no need to use heavy cream in your cooking. Instead, I use 2% milk with a cornstarch slurry which acts as a thickener.
There are 821 calories in one cup of heavy cream, while one cup of 2% milk only has 122 calories. That is a savings of 699 calories and 175 calories per serving!
Key Ingredients in Tuscan Salmon Pasta
Tuscan Salmon and Tuscan Chicken is a cream sauce with sautéed spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. I also like to add fresh cherry tomatoes to my dish.
I also like to use a pre-portioned Mowi salmon which comes with a delicious garlic butter. You can either use this garlic butter or saute fresh chopped garlic in butter when making the dish.
Diet Alternatives
- Keto-Diet: If you are on the keto diet and want to use heavy cream, I recommend only using half the amount. Then enjoy your Keto Tuscan Salmon alone or with a vegetable like broccoli
- Gluten-Free: This salmon pasta recipe is gluten-free and can be enjoyed with gluten-free pasta, brown rice, or vegetables.
Can you lose weight and eat pasta?
Yes, absolutely. The idea that you can only lose weight by eating carb-free is a myth. I am a size 2 and enjoy whole wheat pasta which is high in fiber. High fiber pasta will not spike your insulin levels. To lose weight you should be mindful of your calorie intake or use an app to track your calories. Eating 1500 calories per day is a common calorie range for weight loss.
Additional Tips
- If your sun-dried tomatoes are very dry, put them in a small dish and cover to the top with water for 1-2 hours. This will soften them.
- You can remove the salmon skin or keep the skin on. I personally like to remove the skin and save it as a nice treat for my pups.
- You can use this same exact recipe for also making Tuscan Chicken, Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, pork chops, or fresh crab.
- This recipe actually makes 8 portions of salmon pasta. One fillet of salmon is actually 2 portions which is equal to 3oz! I like to save the rest for lunch the next day.
- The trick to cooking the perfect salmon is to simply add the lid when you need your salmon to cook a little more. This will help steam the salmon while its getting a nice golden sear.
- If you are counting calories or watching your weight, always measure out your servings of pasta.
How to make Creamy Tuscan Salmon Pasta
First, pre-heat a nonstick pan on medium heat. While the pan is heating, cut your large 12oz Salmon portions in half so it makes 4 servings. If using the Mowi Salmon portions, place the garlic butter to the side to use later.
Cooking the Salmon
Once your pan is heated, spray lightly with olive oil and place the salmon fillets skin side down in the pan. Lightly sprinkle your salmon with salt & pepper and sauté for 5 minutes until the skin is golden brown.
Flip your salmon, remove the skin (optional) and sauté for an additional 2 minutes with the lid on your pan.
If you removed your skin, flip one more time and sauté for another minute with the lid on, then remove the salmon fillets from the pan and place them on a plate.
Cover with foil to keep warm. (You can save the crispy salmon skin as a garnish and I like to chop some up as a nice little treat for the pups)
How to Make Creamy Tuscan Sauce
To make our Tuscan salmon sauce with no cream, reduce the heat to low and add the garlic butter from your salmon fillets to the pan or add 2 tablespoons of butter, then 2 chopped garlic cloves.
While the butter is melting, add 1tbsp of your milk and 1tbsp of cornstarch into a separate small bowl. Then whisk to make a slurry.
Add the remainder of the milk to your pan and whisk in your corn starch slurry. Whisk until your sauce begins to thicken slightly, it only takes 1-2 minutes.
Then add in the grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese has incorporated into the sauce.
Next, add the sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes. Once the spinach has wilted and the tomatoes have slightly cooked down, return the salmon to the pan. Let the salmon heat up for another minute, then serve.
Serving Suggestions
I always enjoy serving my Tuscan Salmon Pasta with whole wheat linguini, but here are some additional serving suggestions.
- whole wheat or high protein spaghetti, bowtie, spiral, or penne pasta
- brown rice medley or a wild rice blend
- a side of vegetables such as broccoli, broccolini, extra spinach, roasted potatoes, asparagus, salad
Enjoy More Healthy Dinner Ideas
Healthy & Creamy Tuscan Salmon Pasta
Ingredients
- 24 oz salmon cut into 4 portions
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cup spinach fresh & chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- 1 tsp salt pink himalayan
- ½ tsp black pepper ground
Instructions
- First, pre-heat a nonstick pan on medium heat.
- While the pan is heating, cut your large 12oz Salmon portions in half so it makes 4 servings.
Saute the Salmon
- Once your pan is heated, spray lightly with olive oil and place the salmon fillets skin side down in the pan.1 tsp olive oil
- Lightly sprinkle your salmon with salt & pepper and sauté for 5 minutes until the skin is golden brown.24 oz salmon
- Flip your salmon, remove the skin (optional) and sauté for an additional 2 minutes with the lid on your pan.
- If you removed your skin, flip one more time and sauté for another minute with the lid on, then remove the salmon fillets from the pan and place them on a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Tuscan Sauce
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic butter from your salmon fillets to the pan or add 2 tablespoons of butter, then 2 chopped garlic cloves.2 tbsp butter, 2 cloves garlic
- While the butter is melting, add 1tbsp of your milk and 1tbsp of cornstarch into a separate small bowl. Then whisk to make a slurry.Â1 tbsp cornstarch
- Add the remainder of the milk to your pan and whisk in your corn starch slurry. Whisk until your sauce begins to thicken slightly, it only takes 1-2 minutes.Â1 cup 2% milk
- Then add in the grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese has incorporated into the sauce.1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Next, add the sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes.2 cup spinach, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- Once the spinach has wilted and the tomatoes have slightly cooked down, return the salmon to the pan. Let the salmon heat up for another minute, then serve.
Video
Notes
- Nutritional facts are for 3oz salmon with sauce, this is one of the 4 large fillets cut in half. Add an additional 180 calories for a 2oz serving of whole wheat linguini pasta making this entire dish only 389 calories.
- Substitute pasta for vegetables or brown rice medley
Sondra Barker
