I am terrible at meal prep. I always start off with great intentions, pinning meal plans, sifting through recipes, buying all my ingredients. I get such pleasure setting out my containers and thinking of how organized and prepared I’ll be, and all the pennies I’ll save because I won’t resort to takeout. Unfortunately, my schedule requires a 5am wakeup call and I often don’t get home until later in the evening – I can pull off a home cooked dinner, but lunches never seem to squeeze into my schedule. I’ve recently taken to preparing larger dinners, that way I can take leftovers for lunch, or relying on quick and tasty recipes that can keep up with my on-the-go lifestyle. One such recipe was inspired by Bumble Bee Tuna’s new SuperFresh® Salmon Fillets.
If you follow me on instagram, you might know that I’m slightly seafood obsessed. I love indulging in a bounty from the sea. My favorite fish to order at restaurants is salmon, as it’s really a challenge to sea (heh!) what flavors a chef chooses to use on this versatile – but tricky – fish. Bumble Bee Tuna’s new SuperFresh® Salmon Fillets already come pre-seasoned and packed with flavor. With their own parchment paper baking pouch, they go from the freezer to the table in as little as 25 minutes – which makes it more than ideal for this quick pasta salad, while you’re making the salad the fish could be in the oven cooking.
This quick and tasty pasta salad could, ideally, be made in one pot. It relies on fresh veggies like spinach, broccoli, and grape tomatoes, as well as plenty of herbs to pack in flavor – and it’s really customizable to your flavor palate. Don’t like grape tomatoes? Switch them out for asparagus, or grilled zucchini! It’s easy!
I love cooking up fresh spinach, it always amazes me how so much spinach cooks down into so little! Speaking of fresh – one thing I noticed while cooking the SuperFresh® Salmon Fillets is that there was no weird fishy smell at all when I took them out of the freezer. Turns out that because you prepare Bumble Bee SuperFresh® straight from the freezer, there isn’t any smell associated with thawing fish. Bumble Bee’s frozen protein has stayed that way from harvest to the oven unlike most of the “fresh” fish you find at the seafood counter. Basically, their fish will be fresh tasting, and fresh smelling.
I prepared the Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Salmon with Garlicky Black Pepper and Extra Virgin Olive Oil with this pasta salad – they paired so well, especially with the addition of lemon – and made a perfect lunch the next day! The salmon would also be perfect with cajun pasta, or even mixed vegetables and a baked potato. The Bumble Bee SuperFresh® line also features tasty options like Tilapia with Lemon, Pepper, & Herbs; Tilapia with Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Salmon with Garlicky Black Pepper and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Seared Ahi Tuna.
I’m obsessed with how easy this was to cook, and just love the flavor of their salmon – I can’t wait to try the rest of the line! Visit the Bumble Bee SuperFresh® website here for a coupon so you can try these delicious SuperFresh® products for yourself!
- 1 lb. rotini pasta, cooked al dente
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 tblsp olive oil
- 1 tblsp oregano (dried)
- 1 ½ tblsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tblsp chopped fresh basil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tblsp red wine vinegar
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh chopped spinach
- 1 cup steamed broccoli florets
- Bumble Bee Super Fresh Salmon Fillets (cooked as per directions)
- After you’ve cooked your pasta and prepared your ingredients, in a large pot heat up olive oil over medium heat.
- Saute onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Don’t let the garlic burn - if the garlic is browning too quickly, lower the heat. Stir in the fresh chopped spinach, turn off the heat once all the spinach has been cooked.
- Add cooked pasta into your spinach, add all other ingredients (oregano, parsley, basil, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, grape tomatoes, and salt & pepper).
- Serve alongside your Bumble Bee Super Fresh Salmon Fillets for a filling and tasty meal - and don’t forget to pack some away for lunch the next day!