salmon with creamy lemon basil asparagus orzo

how’s about a little date night pasta? that only takes 15 minutes and tastes way, way more luxurious than it actually is? lemon? basil? fancy-ish salmon? spooned over creamy (DAIRY FREE!) orzo?

we love all those things!!! and we love that it’s landing super conveniently right before the arbitrary dating/relationship/love holiday, just in case you needed to whip up an impressive dinner in a pinch.

for valentine’s day last year, i made an actually fancy risotto with prosciutto and peas, but since my valentine is currently 1,000 miles away on the east coast and i’m deep in a midwestern snowbank, this easier but just as delicious version seemed way more logical. and way, WAY faster.

a few things before we get started:
- EAT LIKE YOU LOVE YOURSELF. in short: whether you’re flying solo, throwing a virtual galentine’s shindig, or will be snuggled up with someone very cute (dog, person, child, etc etc,) please make this
- if you don’t eat gluten, you can definitely swap for a grain-free pasta, but i would recommend something similar in shape
- I used kite dairy-free cream cheese to achieve the creaminess here, and it melts beautifully with the warm orzo and asparagus. if it’s tough to find or you have zero feeling about eating dairy or not, standard cream cheese or mascarpone will work great
- this recipe is designed for 2, but easily doubled, tripled, so on and so forth

salmon with creamy lemon basil asparagus orzo
makes: 2 servings
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes

for the salmon:
2 salmon filets
1tsp olive oil
salt, to taste

for the orzo:
1c orzo
2c asparagus, diced
1/2 an onion, diced
1/2c plain kite hill almond cream cheese (i love this tangy dairy-free version, but feel free to use cream cheese or mascarpone if that’s easier for you!)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2c fresh basil + more for serving
1tsp salt
1tsp black pepper
2tsp olive oil

preheat the oven to 450.
drizzle the oil onto the salmon filets, and sprinkle with salt. place skin-side down on a baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes depending on thickness and your preferred doneness.

meanwhile, get water boiling to cook the orzo to package instructions. before the orzo is al dente, reserve 1/2c of the pasta water.

heat the oil in a skillet over medium. add the onion and asparagus, and saute for 5-6 minutes. add the cooked orzo to the pan, then stir in the remaining ingredients. add a little of the pasta water to help the cream cheese spread, and keep adding a little more as needed.

spoon the orzo onto 2 plates, and add a salmon filet to each. serve with a little more fresh basil, and salt and pepper to taste.