Leah Itsines reveals her mouthwatering salmon pasta recipe

Leah Itsines, the younger foodie sister of fitness star Kayla Itsines, has shared one of her favourite quick and easy pasta dishes for fans craving a hearty comfort meal.

Leah, the Adelaide-based founder of the BARE food guide, wowed fans in November after revealing she had lost six kilos and 30 centimetres of body fat without giving up any of the foods she loved – including pasta. 

Posting to her 577,000 followers, Leah shared a post of the mouthwatering salmon fettuccine recipe and described the creamy dish as the ‘easiest ever’ thanks to its simple ingredients. 

To make it, Leah cooks garlic, chilli, lemon zest and shallots in melted butter for three to four minutes before adding a fillet of salmon and cooking it for five to six minutes. 

She then shreds the cooked fillet in the pan before pouring over 300mL of heavy cream and seasoning with salt and pepper. 

To finish it off, she adds in the cooked pasta (or carb of choice) and a handful of rocket to wilt through.   

The tasty meal serves three and can be calorie-controlled using zucchini noodles or low-GI carb options like whole-grain or spelt spaghetti.

Recipe: How to make Leah Itsines’ delicious salmon pasta 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 red chilli, sliced

1 shallot, finely diced

1 lemon, zested 

300ml heavy cream

1 fillet of salmon, skin off

Salt and pepper

Handful rocket

250g uncooked pasta, cooked

Method:

1. Heat a deep pan over medium heat and melt butter. Add garlic, chilli, lemon zest and shallots. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add salmon into the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Shred the salmon in the pan and pour over cream. Season again with salt and pepper and taste.

3. Add cooked pasta into the pan with 3-4 tbsp of pasta water. Mix together and season again.

4. Throw rocket into the pan and let to wilt through. Serve immediately.

 

Leah, who has grown a loyal following from her love of cooking and subsequent BARE (Balanced and Realistic Eating) food guide, has never been overweight but at the beginning of 2020 tipped the scales at 74.6 kilos after sustaining an injury that left her unable to exercise 

Leah, who has grown a loyal following from her love of cooking and subsequent BARE (Balanced and Realistic Eating) food guide, has never been overweight but at the beginning of 2020 tipped the scales at 74.6 kilos after sustaining an injury that left her unable to exercise. 

In ten months later, she lost more than six kilos to weigh 68.5kg and found herself feeling happier and healthier than ever.

‘For me, it wasn’t about weight loss but feeling comfortable,’ Leah told FEMAIL at the time. ‘I can finally fit into a pair of jeans that I’ve kept at the back of my cupboard for over two years.’   

Leah’s approach to diet and exercise involved cutting back on soft drinks and snacking, and becoming more aware of what she was eating.

Nowadays, a typical day on her plate involves three balanced meals a day and one snack. 

Leah (pictured before and after) said she had really ‘low confidence and energy’ when she decided something needed to change and she should take charge of her health

Leah is the younger sister of Sweat and BBG founder and fitness star Kayla Itsines (pictured)

She is also going to the gym several times per week, mixing up resistance work with 45-minute daily walks and Pilates to make sure she stays on track with her goals. 

‘I have got into air frying everything I cook and I love it,’ she said.

‘Before I did this, I was a super heavy hand with cooking oils when cooking (blame my Greek heritage!), but switching to air frying is a super simple way of both reducing the fat I put into dinner and speeding up my cooking.’

Leah is now inspiring other men and women to take charge of their health in a controlled and relaxed way with her program.   

Leah said you can still eat the things you love like pasta or pizza, provided you load them up with vegetables and protein in order to make them healthier.

‘Don’t label certain foods as “good” or “bad” as it creates boundaries around them and makes you crave things you think you can’t have,’ Leah said.  

Recipe: How to make healthy chicken pesto pizza

 

Ingredients:

Olive oil spray

One pita bread or wrap

One tablespoon pesto

70 grams rotisserie chicken, skinless and shredded  

35g baby spinach

Four cherry tomatoes, halved

Four Kalamata olives, halved

30g reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of curry powder (optional)

 

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Heat a large frypan over medium-high heat and spray with olive oil. Place pita bread in pan and cook on each side for one minute or until lightly golden.

3. Place pita on a pizza or baking tray and spread with pesto. Top with shredded chicken, baby spinach, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, oregano and curry powder, if using.

4. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Slice and enjoy!

Source: Leah Itsines