Penne Salmon Bake

We are a salmon loving family. It’s one of my absolute favorite fishes. My standard preparation for salmon is to cover it in honey and bake until it’s flaky, and trust me, salmon cooked that way is a great meal in and of itself, but I decided I wanted to experiment and incorporate it into a casserole. So I poked around on the food blog search and looked at what other people were doing with salmon and then came up with my own version of this Penne Salmon Bake.

This was creamy, but not too heavy. Everyone loved it, even my picky eater Evan. I served this with a nice big salad. Definitely one to make again.

Penne Salmon Bake
Printable recipe
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1 pound penne
1 to 1 ½ pounds salmon fillet
1 ½ tablespoons honey (or enough to cover your salmon)
2 cups half and half
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Place a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and lay the salmon on it. Pour the honey over the salmon and spread to coat the entire surface. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily. Don’t overcook! Set aside until cool enough to handle. Flake into pieces with a fork. Turn the oven up to 425.

Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Cook the penne in boiling salted water until it is al dente, drain and return to the pot. Toss with one tablespoon of butter and set aside.

In a saucepan whisk together the half and half, remaining butter, cheese and nutmeg over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the penne, add parsley and salmon and mix gently. I sprinkled a small amount of Parmesan over the top before baking too.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until piping hot.