These divine baked smoked salmon pasta rosettes make a great dish to impress guests. Based on a traditional pasta bake from Emilia-Romagna, this recipe calls for lasagne sheets, stracchino (crescenza) cheese, smoked salmon (if possible sockeye salmon), parsley, béchamel and grated Parmigiano. Perfect as an appetizer, starter or main course.

Nidi di rodine.

Known as nidi di rodine (swallow’s nests) in Italian, baked pasta rosettes or roses are a type of lasagna rolls originally from Emilia-Romagna. This is the region where lasagne alla Bolognese comes from, as well as other pasta classics like tortellini and tagliatelle. It’s also home to the production of Italy’s most famous cheese Parmigiano Reggiano, and prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham).

Baked smoked salmon pasta rosettes (rolls).

There are a number of versions of pasta rosettes in Emilia Romagna. It depends on where in the region you are. In the Romagna part of the region, they call the original dish ‘nidi di rodine alla Romagnola’ In Modena, there’s ‘rosette modenesi’ and in Piacenza, nidi di rodine piacentini!

Ingredients for smoked salmon rosettes with homemade pasta on wood work surface. — Gather your ingredients: eggs, flour, milk, butter, stracchino, salmon, parsley and Parmigiano.

Pasta rosettes are traditionally made with cooked ham and cheese. There are also vegetarian versions with spinach and sometimes mushrooms. This recipe replaces the ham with smoked salmon.

Flour, 4 eggs and salt in separate white bowls. — Step 1 Start by making the pasta dough with flour, eggs and salt.

Is smoked salmon Italian?

While salmon isn’t native to Italy, salmon and smoked salmon have grown enormously in popularity with Italians over the last 30 years or so. In fact, nowadays, there are several Italian companies producing smoked salmon. However, the fish usually comes from Scotland or Norway or, in the case of sockeye salmon, the US.

Soft wheat flour in white bowl with beaten eggs. — Step 2 Sift the flour into a bowl, add salt and beaten eggs.

Italians don’t often eat smoked salmon on bread as is popular in other countries. They prefer to eat it as an antipasto, in salad, in a frittata or in a flan.

However, the most popular way to cook with smoked salmon is in pasta dishes. There are quite a few delicious pasta recipes with both fresh and smoked salmon. This smoked salmon pasta rosettes is just one of many.

Flour and eggs being mixed together in a white bowl using a fork — Step 3 Mix the flour and eggs together with a fork.

If you like smoked salmon pasta, you may also want to try this recipe for farfalle with smoked salmon and zucchini or this homemade smoked salmon cannelloni (manicotti).

The cheese in these smoked salmon pasta rosettes.

The cheese in Italian pasta rosettes can vary from good melting cheeses like Emmenthal and provolone to softer creamy cheese such as the stracchino (crescenza) in this smoked salmon version.

Flour and eggs mixed to form a dough in a white bowl. — Continue mixing until you have the starrt of a dough.

Some recipes call for mascarpone, ricotta or mozzarella. Although you can use any of these cheeses, I think a soft creamy cheese is better with the smoked salmon.

What is stracchino (crescenza)?

Stracchino (stra-key-no) also called quartirolo or crescenza, is a fresh young cheese with a soft, creamy and buttery consistency. It has a mild and delicate flavour. Stracchino is an Italian cow’s-milk cheese, traditional produced in a number of Northern Italian regions such as Romagna, Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, and Liguria.

A ball of dough inside a white bowl. — Step 4 Use your hands to bring flour and eggs to a rough dough that doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.

You can find stracchino (crescenza) for sale in UK, Australia, and the USA. I don’t know if stracchino is imported into the US, but it is certainly made there. Check online for sales points.

Rough dough ball on floured wood work surface. — Step 5 Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until soft, elastic and pliable.

The pasta sheets.

Smoked salmon pasta rosettes can be made using homemade pasta sheets, or dried or fresh ready-made lasagne. Dried pasta sheets need to be partly cooked and then cooled before assembling the rolls.

Ready -made store-bought fresh lasagne sheets may need blanching in boiling water as these have a tendency to crack when rolled. They are never as soft as homemade pasta.

Ready ball of dough for making smoked salmon pasta rosettes on floured wood work surface. — Step 6 When the dough is ready, roll it into a ball and wrap in clingfilm. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

We made the pasta ourselves. This also has the advantage of allowing you to make longer and wider sheets. Normal lasagne sheets are quite small. If you are using standard size pasta sheets, it’s best to roll them starting from one of the narrower sides. Each of these can be cut into about 3 pasta roses.

A small jug of milk, a large pat of butter, nutmeg and a plastic measuring jug with flour on wood work surface. — While the dough is resting make the béchamel. You will need butter, flour, milk and nutmeg

Making the pasta dough for your rosettes.

The pasta dough for this recipe is made the same way as lasagne pasta sheets for traditional lasagna, as well as most other fresh egg pasta noodles. You can use the same dough to make different types of ravioli or tortelli, tagliatelle and other pasta ribbons, and cannelloni (manicotti).

Melted butter in saucepan with flour on top. — Béchamel step 1 Melt butter in a saucepan and add the flour a little at a time whilst stirring.

A classic Italian egg pasta dough has 100g (3.5oz) of soft wheat flour for every large fresh egg. Most recipes call for 400g (14oz) of flour, 4 eggs and a pinch of salt. This usually makes enough pasta to serve 4-6 people, depending on the pasta shape.

Some types of pasta dough recipes include olive oil, wine, water or even milk. The dough for smoked salmon pasta rosettes is just flour, eggs, and salt.

A paste (roux) of flour and butter in saucepan. — Béchamel step 2 Keep stirring the flour and butter until you have a paste (roux).

You can mix the flour, eggs and salt together the traditional way on a pastry board, or in a stand mixer (KitchenAid) or, as I like to do, in a bowl. I just sift the flour into a bowl, add the salt and eggs and start mixing them together with a fork.

I then use my hands to bring the ingredients together until I have a dough that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Milk being poured into saucepan with flour and butter roux. — Béchamel step 3 Add milk to the roux a little at a time whilst continuously stirring.

Then, I turn the dough out onto a floured worktop and knead it until it’s soft, elastic and pliable. It’s very much like kneading bread dough. Then, it’s necessary to roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in clingfilm or a damp tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Ready béchamel in saucepan with grated nutmeg on top. — Béchamel step 4 Use a whisk to smooth out your béchamel and add some grated nutmeg.

Making the béchamel.

While the dough is resting, you can prepare the béchamel, which is the white sauce the smoked salmon pasta rolls are baked in. Of course, you can use ready-made béchamel.

But, I prefer to make my own. It doesn’t take very long. Just melt butter in a pan, add the flour and mix until you have a smooth paste. Then, over a low heat, add milk a little at a time and stir continuously until the sauce is smooth and creamy.

Piece of dough on floured wood work surface. — Now make the pasta sheets. Step 1 Cut one fifth off the dough and rewrap the rest.

You can add some nutmeg if you like it and some grated Parmigiano if you want a cheesy sauce. However, if you are using homemade pasta that hasn’t been pre-boiled, then your béchamel needs to be quite liquid. The pasta will cook in the sauce.

What kind of smoked salmon is best?

Obviously, the kind of smoked salmon you use in this pasta recipe will depend on what’s available and you can use any thinly sliced smoked salmon.

Flattened piece of pasta dough on floured wood work surface. — Step 2 Flatten the piece of dough with the heel of your hand or a rolling pin.

I used Lidl’s wild sockeye salmon which carries a MSC Blue Fish label. This means the fish is sustainably sourced and comes from a healthy wild population that can reproduce for centuries to come. You can read more about the Blue Fish label on the MSC (marine stewardship council) site.

Piece of pasta dough folded into thirds on flour dusted wood work surface. — Step 3 Pass the dough through your pasta rolling machine 2-3 times at the widest setting, folding it into thirds after each pass.

Choosing wild sockeye salmon is beneficial for our oceans. However, this salmon is also more flavourful than pink salmon, and more nutritious. In fact, Sockeye has the highest amount of omega 3 of any fish with around 2.7 grams per 100-gram portion! Good for the oceans, good for our health and super flavourful!

Sheet of pasta dough passing through hand operated pasta machine. — Step 4 Then pass the pasta sheet through the next 2-3 settings until it’s the right length and quite thin.

Making your smoked salmon pasta rosettes.

The other ingredients in this recipe don’t require much preparation. All you need to do is mash the cheese in a bowl with a fork to soften it further and wash and chop the parsley.

So, once the pasta dough has rested and you have made your béchamel, you are ready to make the pasta sheets. You can use a hand operated pasta machine or just roll the dough out on a floured work surface.

Large rectangular sheet of fresh pasta on wood worksurface with rolling pin. — Step 5 Transfer your ready pasta sheet to a floured work surface and cut to the size you want. To make it bigger, continue to roll out using a rolling pin.

For our smoked salmon rosettes, we made quite large pasta sheets (about 42cm x 8 cm/ 16.5ins x 3ins). We then rolled the sheet up from the widest part to create a long Swiss roll, which we cut in two and then into rosettes of about 3cm wide.(1-1.5in).

Our pasta rosettes were quite small but a good size to even eat as finger food or serve in mini or individual portions.

Sheet of fresh pasta covered in stracchino cheese. — **Fill, roll and bake.** Step 1 Spread a layer of stracchino cheese over a pasta sheet.

Other recipes for pasta rosettes suggest smaller pasta sheets like those used for lasagna, which can be rolled from the shorter edge. Alternatively, I’ve seen recipes with the pasta rolled out into a large square. It really depends on the size you want your pasta roses and whether you are making the pasta sheets yourself.

Fresh chopped parsley sprinkled on stracchino cheese covered pasta sheet. — Step 2 Sprinkle some chopped parsley onto the stracchino cheese.

Filling and rolling your smoked salmon rosettes.

Filling and rolling the pasta doesn’t take long. Just spread a layer of stracchino over most of the sheet of pasta, sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley on top of the cheese and then add slices of smoked salmon.

Slices of smoked sockeye salmon on pasta sheet with cheese and parsley. — Step 3 Add some slices of smoked salmon.

Then roll the pasta and the filling like a Swiss roll. The soft cheese will help keep the rolls from unfurling. Otherwise, brush along the inside of the end with a little water or egg.

Pasta sheet with smoked salmon filling being rolled like a Swiss roll. — Step 4 Roll the pasta and filling like a Swiss roll. If time, wrap it in baking paper an leave in the fridge before cutting.

Whatever the length of your pasta rolls, it’s a good idea to wrap them in baking paper and keep them in the fridge for an hour (if you have time). This makes it easier to cut into rosettes.

Uncooked smoked salmon pasta rosettes on floured wood work surface. — Step 5 Cut the pasta rolls into rosettes.

Finish and bake.

Once you have cut the pasta rolls into rosettes, spread a layer of béchamel in an oven dish and then fill the dish with the pasta rolls. They need to fit quite tightly without squashing each other.

Uncooked smoked salmon pasta rosettes in oven dish. — Step 6 Spread some béchamel inside the bottom of an oven dish. Fill the dish with the smoked salmon pasta rosettes.

Finally, pour the remaining béchamel over your smoked salmon rosettes and sprinkle some grated Parmigiano on top. Bake covered with aluminium foil in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes and then uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the top has started to brown.

Uncooked smoked salmon pasta rosettes in oven dish covered in béchamel with grated Parmigiano on top. — Step 7 Pour the rest of the béchamel over the rosettes and sprinkle grated Parmigiano over the top.

Let your baked smoked salmon rosettes sit for 10 minutes before serving. This makes it easier to remove them from the oven dish. Enjoy!

Bakes smoked salmon pasta rosettes. — Finally, bake your pasta rosettes covered for 15 minutes and then uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

Let me know what you think.

If you do try this fabulous smoked salmon pasta recipe, I’d love to know what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

Baked Smoked Salmon Pasta Rosettes (rolls)

Jacqui

This divine baked smoked salmon pasta recipe has homemade pasta sheets rolled around a creamy cheese and smoked salmon filling and then cut into small rosettes (pasta roses or rolls). The rolls are then baked in a béchamel sauce with grated Parmigiano on top. Serve as an appetizer, starter or main course.

5 from 45 votes

Print Recipe Save Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 45

Course Main Course, starter

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Servings

Calories 629 kcal

Ingredients

For the pasta sheets

14 oz Italian 00 soft wheat flour (400g) or all purpose flour
4 eggs (large) room temperature
1 salt a large pinch

For the béchamel

2.5 oz Italian 00 soft wheat flour (70g) or all purpose flour
2.5 oz butter (70g)
3 cups fresh milk (700ml)
nutmeg freshly grated
salt to taste

For the smoked salmon rosettes

9 oz stracchino cheese (250g) or ricotta or mascarpone
4.5 oz thin smoked salmon slices (125g) I used sockeye salmon
fresh parsley chopped
2.5 oz grated Parmigiano or Grana

If using ready-made lasagne sheets

6 standard fresh or dried lasagne sheets 8x18 cms/3.2x7 ins (see note)

Instructions

To make the pasta dough and sheets

Sift the dough into a bowl. Add beaten eggs and salt. Start mixing with a fork until the eggs are incorporated. Then continue mixing and kneading with your hands until you have the start of a dough that doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 7-10 minutes until the dough is soft, elastic and pliable. It's like kneading dough for bread.
Roll the dough into a ball and wrap it in clingfilm (plastic wrap) or a damp tea towel. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
After the dough has rested, cut ⅕ of the dough off and reseal the remaining dough in clingfilm again. Flatten the dough piece using your hands or a rolling pin until it’s thin enough to pass through a pasta machine.
Pass the dough through your pasta machine 2-3 times at the widest setting, folding it into thirds afte reach pass.Then pass the pasta sheet through the next 2-3 settings until it’s the right thickness and length.
Finally, transfer the dough sheet to a floured work surface and cut to the size you want. If you want it bigger, continue to roll out using a rolling pin.

Make the béchamel

Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan over a low heat. Add the flour and stir until you have a smooth paste (roux)
Add the milk a little at a time and continue to stir until the sauce starts to thicken. Add salt and nutmeg to taste. You can also add grated Parmigiano if you desire.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool covered with cling film. If your bechamel seems lumpy when you are ready to use it, whisk with an immersion blender!

Fill and roll the pasta rosettes

Put a fresh pasta sheet onto a floured piece of baking paper. Cover the pasta with a thin layer of stracchino cheese and sprinkle chopped parsley on top of the stracchino. Then cover with thin smoked salmon slices.
Roll the sheet into a swiss roll shape. If it's very long cut it in half. If you have the time, wrap the rolls in the baking paper and leave in the fridge for an hour or more. This makes them easier to cut.
Repeat the filling process with all the pasta sheets and the rest of the smoked salmon, parsley and stracchino cheese.

Finish, bake and serve.

Coat the bottom of an oven dish with béchamel. Cut the pasta rolls using a very sharp knife into 3cm pieces (1.2in) and place side by side in the oven dish.
Pour the rest of the béchamel over the smoked salmon pasta rosettes and sprinkle with parmigiano.
Cover with aluminium foil and cook at 180° in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminium foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the top becomes golden and crispy.
Allow the baked pasta to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with extra grated parmigiano and more chopped parsley if desired

Notes

If you use dried lasagne sheets for this recipe, they will need to be cooked for a minute in boiling salted water and then cooled on a damp tea towel before making the rosettes.

Standard lasagne sheets are best rolled from the shorter side. These may only make 3 pasta rosettes each. Larger sheets can be rolled from the longest side (see pics in content) and will make more rosettes.

For this recipe we made 2 large rectangular pasta sheets (about 42cm x 8 cm/ 16.5ins x 3ins). Our rosettes were quite small. You can make them bigger.

Homemade pasta sheets don’t need preboiling if they are thin enough. If you aren’t sure blanch them for 10 seconds in boiling water and leave to cool on a damp tea towel. Ready-made fresh pasta sheets usually need blanching as they can crack when rolled.

This recipe makes about 24 rosettes. Serve as a starter for 6 or main course for 4.

Nutrition

Calories: 629kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 29gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 184mgSodium: 557mgPotassium: 402mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 951IUCalcium: 411mgIron: 5mg

Keyword baked pasta recipe, homemade pasta, pasta rolls, pasta roses, pasta rosettes, smoked salmon pasta

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Other recipes you can use your fresh pasta in.

Are you interested in learning how to make other types of homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi? Then check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools?

Comments

5 from 45 votes (35 ratings without comment)

Tell us what you think Cancel reply

Albert Premier de Kluijver. says

September 09, 2023 at 1:42 pm

Dear Jacqueline,
I'll never make this recipe because I don't like the taste nor the structure/mouthfeel of smoked & than cooked salmon. I am also conditioned (& taught a stern lesson by an Italian nonna) to abhor the very thought of seafood with cheese.
Regards,
A.

- Jacqui says
  
  September 10, 2023 at 7:47 pm
  
  Hi Albert, although not traditional slightly cooked smoked salmon in pasta recipes has become popular in Italy in recent years. I guess it's just a question of personal taste as is the addition of cheese. I have found a number of contemporary Italian seafood pasta recipes with cheese added, particularly lasagne al forno or seafood carbonara.
  
Veronika says

February 27, 2023 at 8:35 am

these salmon rolls were so delicious! We served them as an appetizer but they would make a great packed lunch too!

Dennis says

February 27, 2023 at 4:05 am

What a delicious way to use smoked salmon. They were so tasty!

Tammy says

February 24, 2023 at 11:12 pm

Oh what a gorgeous meal! I love smoked salmon but this is such a unique idea! With the creamy sauce and melted cheese..this is absolute heaven!

Elaine says

February 24, 2023 at 8:40 pm

These rolls are perfect for a small party with friends and family. And that béchamel completes what's already seems to be the perfect party food!

Isabelle says

February 24, 2023 at 1:47 am

My extended family loved this stuffed pasta for a brunch get together. It was delicious and fun to make. Will be making again for Easter brunch.

Kristina says

February 24, 2023 at 1:43 am

Your recipes have turned me on to making all sorts of pasta at home, from scratch. These were another delicious one! I did cheat and used a sprinkling of ground nutmeg. A keeper for sure!

Elizabeth says

February 23, 2023 at 3:32 pm

These salmon pasta rolls look so fancy, people are going to think I ordered from a restaurant! Thanks for the recipe share!

Bernice says

February 21, 2023 at 11:47 pm

What a fun way to make a stuffed pasta...I bet it would be a great dish to serve on a special day like Valentine's because they kind of look like roses. I didn't think Italians ate a lot of smoked salmon so I found your post very interesting. I often make my arancini stuffed with smoked salmon and capers but it's definitely not traditional.
Could I use capicola in these rolls?

- Jacqui says
  
  February 22, 2023 at 9:27 am
  
  Thanks for your comment Bernice. I agree this would be a great dish for Valentine's! I love the sound of your smoked salmon arancini. In Calabria and parts of Sicily, they make arancini with fresh tuna and also with swordfish! I think any thinly sliced salume would work well in these pasta rolls including capicola. The original recipe is made with ham.
  
Sean says

February 21, 2023 at 6:43 am

I loved how flavorful these salmon rolls were. The bechamel sauce was so delicious with the pasta. I will be making this again very soon for a friends potluck.

Ann says

February 20, 2023 at 7:01 pm

This sounds like a great appetizer to make. However, I could probably eat this as meal! Thanks for the recipe share!