Name: Salmon Feta and Tomato Bake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 500 g Fresh Salmon; 250 g Cherry Tomatoes; 200 g Feta; 300 g spinach; 1 Cup Chicken Stock; 1 tbsp Garlic; Salt and pepper; 500 g Penne (cooked); 2 tbsp olive oil

Jump to Recipe

This is the baked feta pasta idea with salmon along for the ride, and it makes its own sauce while you do nothing. Spinach goes in the base of the dish, the feta sits in the middle with salmon and cherry tomatoes around it, and 15 minutes in a 220°C fan-forced oven later you mash the lot into a creamy, tangy sauce.

Toss cooked penne through and dinner is done. It looks like you tried much harder than you did, which is exactly the kind of dinner worth keeping up your sleeve.

Why You’ll Love It

Everything except the pasta cooks in one baking dish, so there’s barely any washing up, and the sauce makes itself from the feta, tomatoes and stock as they bake. Prep is 10 minutes and the bake is 15, with the penne boiling while the tray’s in the oven. It gets salmon and spinach into everyone without a fight, and the tangy feta sauce feels a bit special for what is honestly very little work.

The Shortcut That Makes It Work

The oven makes the sauce. Instead of standing at the stove, you bake the feta, tomatoes, salmon and stock together and then mash it all with a fork, and the melted feta plus the burst tomatoes turn into a creamy sauce on their own. Crushed garlic from a jar keeps the prep to a few minutes.

Handy Tips

Let the tomatoes properly blister before you take the dish out, as they’re what bring the sweetness that cuts through the salty feta. Mash while everything is hot so the feta melts smoothly into the sauce, and keep a mug of pasta water from the penne pot, since a splash of it is the easiest way to loosen the sauce if it thickens up. Season at the end rather than the start, because feta and stock both bring salt of their own.

Make It Your Way

This works as a lighter meal without the pasta, served with crusty bread to mop up the sauce instead. If your crew isn’t big on salmon skin, use skinless fillets and the mash step gets easier, and a pinch of chilli flakes over the top before baking suits houses that like a bit of heat.

What To Serve With It

It’s a full dinner on its own, so keep sides simple. A green salad or some steamed greens work, and garlic bread never hurts when there’s a creamy sauce involved.

Leftovers / How to Store It

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within a couple of days. Reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to bring the sauce back, since baked pasta sauces thicken as they sit.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

Don’t Forget to Share

Tried my Salmon, Feta and Tomato Bake recipe? I’d love to see how you used it. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @steph_cooks_stuff, I love seeing your creations.

FAQs

Can I use frozen salmon for this bake?

Thaw it fully and pat it dry first. Extra water from frozen fillets thins the sauce, so a dry fillet keeps the bake on track.

What can I use instead of penne?

Any short pasta that holds sauce works, so spirals, shells or rigatoni are all fine swaps. Cook it while the bake is in the oven and keep a little pasta water for loosening the sauce.

Why is my sauce watery?

Usually the tomatoes or salmon released more liquid than expected. Mash, stir and give it a couple of minutes to settle, and if it’s still thin, a few minutes back in the hot oven will reduce it.

Is this the same as the viral baked feta pasta?

Same idea, with salmon turning it into a complete dinner. The feta and tomatoes still make the sauce; the salmon and spinach make it a full meal on one tray.

Post Views: 17,518

Salmon, Feta and Tomato Bake