Smoked salmon pasta

My new favorite pasta is everything I want in a lox bagel, but in a one-pot pasta dish that I can justify having for lunch or dinner! I mean, honestly, I would also have a lox bagel for lunch or dinner, but this seems maybe a bit more appropriate. This dish combines pasta with a sauce made of cream cheese, which melts perfectly into a tangy, creamy sauce studded with capers and bits of chopped smoked salmon.

When I first envisioned this recipe, I planned to use regular plain cream cheese, but when I went to the grocery store, I noticed right next to the regular cream cheese that there is a chive and onion flavor. I thought this would be perfect because those are already the flavors I want in my lox bagel. If you don't happen to find the chive and onion flavor, regular cream cheese is fine as well.

My favorite way to eat a lox bagel is with a perfectly ripe tomato. When it's tomato season, I like to simply dice up a large fresh tomato and stir it into the cooked pasta, which slightly warms it yet retains its freshness. If I'm not able to get my hands on a good tomato, I sauté a bell pepper instead, which gives the dish a fresh, crunchy bite.

Smoked salmon pasta
1 lb pasta (I like a short cut like fusilli, farfalle, or penne)
1 bell pepper, any color, diced or 1 large fresh tomato, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cream cheese (preferably chive and onion flavor) 
1/4 cup capers
salt and black pepper to taste

6-8 oz hot or cold smoked salmon, chopped into bite-sized pieces 
1-2 T lemon juice

Garnishes (optional)
green onion

handful of fresh spinach or arugula

everything bagel seasoning

Bring water to a boil, add salt to taste, and boil pasta. 

If using bell pepper, sauté lightly in a skillet with a small amount of oil or cooking spray.

If using tomatoes instead of bell pepper, you don't even need a skillet! Have a glass of wine or beer and wait for your pasta to cook until al dente.

When pasta is al dente, save a cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Dump in remaining ingredients except salmon, lemon, and garnish and stir to combine, adding reserved pasta water to loosen if needed. Once the cream cheese melts into the pasta, mix in the salmon and lemon juice. At this point, the pasta will have cooled a bit and won't overcook the salmon. 

I like to serve this with green onions and a handful of fresh spinach or arugula on the side of my bowl or mixed in to add a little bright freshness.