Smoked Salmon Pasta

Difficulty: easy Prep Time: Total Time:
4 cups uncooked rotini
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup white onion, diced small
3/4 cup carrot, diced small
3/4 cup green peas
1 1/2 cups smoked salmon, loosely chopped

Sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Cook pasta according to instructions on package to "al dente." Strain, but set aside 1/2 the pasta water. Heat oil in a frying pan; fry onion and carrot until onion is soft and carrots are tender. Add peas and smoked salmon, and continue to cook until salmon is opaque. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes. Reduce heat and add 1/2 cup milk, stirring continuously until the butter and flour mixture are completely dissolved. Add rest of milk in 1/4 cup increments, stirring continuously until all the milk is added. Add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, dill and Parmigiano; stir until dissolved and sauce thickens. Add vegetable mixture to the pasta; pouring the sauce over top, stir gently. If sauce has become too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to make sauce thin enough to coat the pasta with sauce.