I love pasta. As a student making pasta is quick, cheap and tasty! But sometimes there is only so much spaghetti and marinara I can eat. It’s nice to switch it up! That is why this recipe for a creamy parmesan and tomato pasta is the perfect way to mix up your pasta dinners. At first, the ingredient list may appear to be a bit plain and odd – mixing lemon with cream? But trust me when I say this creamy parmesan and tomato pasta is so delicious because these ingredients work well together. Once you get the hang of it, you can easily make this dish (and clean up) in under 30 minutes! I’d say that’s a winner of a recipe right there.
Jump to RecipeP&P: PASTA AND PARMESAN
I think the two most important p words when it comes to cooking is pasta and parmesan. These two things are a match made in heaven! The more parmesan the better in my opinion. That is why this recipe is so darn good. Then you add a creamy element into the mix? OMG. This creamy parmesan pasta is inspired by the lovely Salt and Lavander. Her recipe for a creamy lemon and tomato pasta with salmon was just the recipe I was looking for. However, after making it a few more times I ended up adapting the recipe to my taste and liking (and eventually omitting the salmon altogether to make this a vegetarian recipe). If you want to know how to add salmon to this recipe, check the notes section below! Honestly, I think that I have replaced regular old spaghetti for this recipe. It’s just that tasty!
Creamy Parmesan and Tomato Pasta
This creamy pasta is so easy to make and tastes even better the next day. You can serve it with a salad or a meat like chicken or salmon!
Ingredients
- 250 grams spaghetti
- 1 tsp Herbs de Provence (can also use any Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream (ONLY USE HEAVY CREAM)
- 2 tsp lemon juice can add up to 1 tbsp if you want it a bit sharper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 3/4 cup pasta water (can add up to 1 cup if you want it more liquidy)
Instructions
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Boil a salted pot of water and cook pasta according to package directions.
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Add oil and butter to a skillet on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook till fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, cream, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and parsley. Stir until smooth, then stir in the parmesan. Lower the heat to a simmer, so that you do not thicken up the sauce completely.
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Add the pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until you achieve the desired consistency. Let the sauce cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked and drained spaghetti to the sauce and using tongs or a spatula, mix the spaghetti until it is properly coated. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
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Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese if desired and a nice salad!
Recipe Notes
Making this pasta with salmon:
- 2 small salmon fillets (with skin on or off)
- salt and pepper
- herbs de provence (or dried thyme)
- half a lemon
In your sauce pan (same one that you will make your pasta in), heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter.
Prep your salmon by squeezing the lemon on each fillet, salt and pepper and the herbs de provence or thyme.
Place the salmon face down (not the skin side) and cook the salmon on medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until the salmon is a nice light pink (cooked) through. This can take up to 12-13 minutes depending on how thick your salmon is. If your salmon is thick do not increase the heat, instead cover the pan with a lid.
Once the salmon is cooked remove it from the pan and set aside. To the same sauce pan add your minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients and follow the steps of the pasta recipe above.
When you have added the spaghetting, place the cooked salmon (skin side up) back into the pasta dish, cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low/simmer, allowing the salmon to warm up again (up to five minutes or until heated to your liking).
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I AM AN ABSOLUTE FAN OF THIS RECIPE. IT IS DEFINITELY A GO-TO OF MINE NOW. THIS CREAMY PARMESAN AND TOMATO PASTA TASTES GREAT ON ITS OWN OR WITH SALMON.
