Spring Salmon Pasta

So I have been hit with a stomach bug the last week that has made food blogging and testing out new recipes incredibly difficult! But I am back now and Spring is also in full swing!

I love Spring. Not only for the sunshine but also for the wonderful fruit and vegetables that you can find in the supermarket or at a local farmers market. This week I made a colourful Spring pasta that makes use of all the latest seasonal foods. Plus it is a light and easy meal for after work!

We often mistake a creamy pasta for being packed full of butter and loads of cream. This recipe gives you that creamy texture but only uses a small amount of low fat cream and a slice of butter. By cutting out the lashings of cream that is often associated with a comforting creamy dish you have already saved on a load of calories.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 bulb fennel (finely chopped)

1 courgette (sliced)

handful of chopped spring onions

fine green beans

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

3 small shallots (diced)

1 small slice of butter

2 tbpsn low fat single cream

black pepper/ salt

farfalle pasta (enough for 2 portions)

smoked salmon

juice of half a lemon

1 tspn dijon mustard

olive oil

handful of watercress (roughly torn)

• Heat a large pan with the butter, shallots and garlic and add the chopped fennel. Add a pinch of salt to the pan. Stir in 1 tbpsn olive oil and leave to gently cook for around 5 minutes.
• Heat a large pan of hot water. Once boiling add the pasta and cook until tender but not too soft.
• In the meantime add the courgettes to the pan with the fennel. Stir in the green beans and then pour in the cream. Add the dijon mustard and cook on a gentle heat until the pasta is cooked.
• Once done take the pan off the heat. Add the chopped spring onions, watercress and smoked salmon to the pan. Drain the pasta and add to the pan, mixing everything together.
• Stir in the lemon juice and more olive oil and black pepper if needed.