Look no further for a filling and healthy meal to keep your brain in top shape than this Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Salmon. It kept me full while taking day-long exams in law school without weighing me down or making me feel sleepy in the afternoon.
This recipe is based on the Whole-Wheat Pasta Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese by Ellie Krieger. I loved watching her show on the Food Network so I could pick up tips on healthy foods and try new recipes and cooking techniques.
How you can expose your picky eater to this dish
If I’m cooking this pasta salad for more cautious eaters, I’ll cook a couple extra pieces of salmon to eat with rice. I always have leftover roasted vegetables in my fridge that my particular eater (i.e., my son) will regularly eat. So, when I introduce him to new recipes or food combinations, I have a backup just in case. If he tries it and doesn’t like it, he knows he is responsible to heat up leftovers from another dinner for himself. I keep this tactic up every week so he is exposed to different foods without feeling so pressured to eat something that he is just not used to yet. It takes several (sometimes dozens) of tries to get him used to new foods and dishes, so don’t be discouraged if your little one pushes away your cooking.
Reduce your cooking time
Spending 40 minutes may seem like a long time to get a pasta salad done. But you can cut this time in almost half by cooking your salmon and pasta at the same time and toasting your walnuts in a toaster oven. You can also toast a big batch of walnuts in the oven and keep them handy for quick snacks when you need an afternoon pick-me-up.
This is also a great meal-prep lunch for those who are lighter eaters. This is not something that my big meat-eating family members could eat regularly, but is great for my body that needs more fiber and vegetables to stay regular!
Health Benefits: Whole Wheat Pasta
Whole wheat pasta, like other whole wheat products, will give you more fiber and vitamins in each bite. Fiber helps to keep you fuller longer, which will help with maintaining your weight, minimizing your risk of diabetes, and can help reduce overall chronic inflammation in the body.
Some of you will not enjoy the taste of whole wheat pasta right off the bat. Before you try it for the first time, have some whole wheat muffins or croissants or other baked goods so your tongue gets used to the flavor of whole wheat. Or you can try some affordable buckwheat soba noodles to get used to eating noodles made from something other than white flour. Then after a couple of
weeks, try the whole wheat pasta. It’s going to have a firmer texture and a deeper grain flavor compared to pasta made with white flour.
Check out more seafood recipes to try the next time you are looking to change up your chicken dinners for something new!
Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Salmon
Equipment
- 1 5-quart pot or 4-quart pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 10" saute pan or 8" saute pan
- 1 5" saute pan
- 1 plate
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 small bowl
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat fusili pasta or similar shaped whole wheat pasta
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 6-ounce salmon filets
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup walnuts
- ¼ red onion chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 4 ounces feta cheese (about ½ cup)
- ½ lemon optional
Instructions
- Cook the whole wheat pasta according to package directions, adding ¼ tsp of salt to boiling water before adding the pasta. This should take around 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta in colander and let cool in a large bowl.
- Heat the 8” sauté pan on medium high heat. Season both sides of the salmon filets with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the sauté pan then add salmon. Cook salmon for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Let salmon cool on a plate.
- Heat the 5” sauté pan on medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast for 2 minutes until they become fragrant and start to change color. Take the walnuts off the heat and let cool.
- Chop the walnuts, onion, and spinach and add to the cooled pasta.
- Mince the garlic and place it in the small bowl. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper and mix with a whisk until well combined and emulsified.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables. Add the feta cheese and mix well. Serve ½ of a salmon filet on top of each serving of pasta salad. (Optional: squeeze lemon juice on top of the salmon when serving.) Salmon can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
