CREAMY MAPLE AND SMOKED PEPPER SALMON AND VEGGIE PASTA BAKE
I was chosen as 1 of only 15 bloggers to compete in the Cedar Bay Grilling Company Blogger Recipe Challenge! The challenge is to really think outside of the box and create new recipes highlighting their delicious Cedar Plank Salmon and Naked Lobster products in entrees and appetizers.
Move over tuna noodle casserole…. there’s a new pasta dish in town and it is loaded with the most delicious maple & smoked pepper salmon from Cedar Bay Grilling Company. This casserole was crazy delicious with some very interesting flavor combinations and had my family going back for seconds… and thirds!!
Here’s how I made them! Note – you can also scroll to the bottom of this post to skip to the full recipe or click on the photos in this post which will link you to the recipe page as well.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Remove the salmon filets (on their cedar planks) from 2, 9.7 ounce packages of Cedar Bay Maple & Smoked Pepper Salmon and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Reserve any juices left in the packaging so you can add it to the sauce later – don’t waste one drop!
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Note – the salmon will not be fully cooked but will finish cooking in the casserole.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 large chopped onion and 4 cloves of chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 8 ounces sliced shiitake mushroom caps and cook until they soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 chopped red bell pepper and 2 small sliced zucchinis to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini begin to lightly brown and are soft, about 3-4 minutes.
Add 2 tab spoons of flour and stir until it absorbs all of the moisture in the pan.
Add 1 cup of milk and 4 ounces cream cheese to the pan and cook, stirring and breaking up the cream cheese until it melts and the sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the pan and stir until smooth.
Add 1 cup of Jarlsberg, 1 cup of thawed frozen peas, and 1 ½ tablespoons of chopped dill to the pan and stir until the cheese melts.
Crumble the salmon into bite size pieces and fold it into the sauce along with any of the extra juices and pepper from the packaging. Be sure to also scrape any of the extra pepper and seasonings from the planks into the sauce – that is good stuff!! Add 1 pound of cooked pasta, ½ cup of parmesan cheese, and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to the pan. Toss gently until all of the noodles are coated fully in the sauce.
Coat a 9” x 13” baking dish with non-stick spray and add the noodle mixture to the pan, spreading the contents out evenly. Top with the remining 1 ½ cups of shredded Jarlsberg and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Serve hot, garnished with more dill. DEVOUR!!
CREAMY MAPLE AND SMOKED PEPPER SALMON AND VEGGIE PASTA BAKE
2, 9.7 ounce packages Cedar Bay Cedar Grilling Company Planked Atlantic Salmon – Maple & Smoked Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
8 ounces shitake mushroom caps, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2 small (or 1 medium) zucchinis, cut into small rounds
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 ½ cup Jarlsberg or good quality Swiss cheese, shredded, divided
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 ½ tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (plus more for garnish)
1 pound rotini pasta, cooked al dente to package directions (reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid)
½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Remove the salmon filets (on their cedar planks) from 2 packages of Cedar Bay Maple & Smoked Pepper Salmon and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Reserve any juices left in the packaging so you can add it to the sauce later – don’t waste one drop!
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool. Note – the salmon will not be fully cooked but will finish cooking in the casserole.
Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.
Melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and zucchini to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini begin to lightly brown and are soft, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the flour and stir until it absorbs all of the moisture in the pan.
Add the milk and cream cheese to the pan and cook, stirring and breaking up the cream cheese until it melts and the sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream, maple syrup, salt, and lemon juice to the pan and stir until smooth.
Add 1 cup of the Jarlsberg, peas, and dill to the pan and stir until the cheese melts.
Crumble the salmon into bite size pieces and fold it into the sauce along with any of the extra juices and pepper from the packaging. Be sure to also scrape any of the extra pepper and seasonings from the planks into the sauce – that is good stuff!! Add the cooked pasta, parmesan cheese, and reserved pasta water to the pan. Toss gently until all of the noodles are coated fully in the sauce.
Coat a 9” x 13” baking dish with non-stick spray and add the noodle mixture to the pan, spreading the contents out evenly. Top with the remining 1 ½ cups of shredded Jarlsberg and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Serve hot, garnished with more dill. DEVOUR!!
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