Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Salmon
A healthy pasta salad that will keep you full all afternoon or evening.
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.
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks
What if I don’t like onions?
Try a couple of shallots in place of red onion if it’s too spicy for you. If you are really against onion but want that crunchy bite, you might like jicama. It is cool, refreshing, and a little sweet but won’t overpower the other flavors in the salad. I know, it’s not traditional to use jicama in a pasta salad, but this is not a traditional pasta salad, so just go with it!
Do you have to use salmon?
You can use other white fish like halibut, cod, mahimahi, or ono (wahoo). Salmon is used here because it is high in omega-3 fatty acid. If you change up the fish, you will still get these omega-3’s from the walnuts.
What nuts can I use up in this salad instead of walnuts?
Pecans or macadamia nuts would be great in this salad as well. If they are currently out of your budget, pumpkin seeds are another good alternative.