Recipes and Cooking Pesto Orecchiette with Spinach and Smoked Salmon Be the first to rate & review! You'll never believe this fancy-looking pasta dinner cooks in the same pot AND in only 20 minutes. A fresh squeeze of lemon is the perfect finish to this easy pasta dish. By Annie Peterson Annie Peterson Instagram Annie Peterson has built her career around her passion for food, working as a contributing food editor to Better Homes & Gardens® food publications for more than 15 years. She received her B.A. from Iowa State University in 2003 and completed the Better Process Control School at the University of Tennessee in 2020. She contributed to various cookbooks, including several Whole30 titles, as well as the 15th, 16th, and 17th editions of the iconic Better Homes & Gardens® New Cook Book. She also serves as Recipe Editor for Allrecipes Magazine. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on April 14, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Brie Passano Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Stand Time: 5 mins Total Time: 40 mins Servings: 6 Yield: 5 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 2 tablespoon olive oil 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (1/2 cup) 8 ounce dried orecchiette pasta 1 14.5 ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 cup water ½ teaspoon salt 4 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped 4 ounce smoked salmon (not lox-style), flaked 2 - 3 tablespoon purchased basil pesto Lemon wedges Directions In a 3- to 4-qt. pot heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Stir in the next four ingredients (through salt). Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in the spinach, salmon, and pesto. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges. DIY Pesto Have fresh basil on hand? Make the pesto for this pasta yourself and it will be extra delicious. In a food processor combine 1½ cups packed fresh basil leaves, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, ½ cup toasted pine nuts, ¿ cup olive oil, 2 to 4 peeled and halved garlic cloves, and ½ tsp. salt. Cover and process until nearly smooth, adding additional oil (about 2 Tbsp.) to reach desired consistency. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 230 Calories 8g Fat 32g Carbs 10g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 230 % Daily Value * Total Fat 8g 10% Saturated Fat 1g 5% Cholesterol 5mg 2% Sodium 546mg 24% Total Carbohydrate 32g 12% Total Sugars 2g Protein 10g Vitamin C 20.2mg 101% Calcium 48mg 4% Iron 2.4mg 13% Potassium 132mg 3% Folate, total 39.8mcg Vitamin B-12 0.7mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.