Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

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Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

This easy pesto salmon recipe cooks up on a sheet pan for a super simple recipe that tastes great and is packed with lots of anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 555kcal

Author Caitlin Self, MS, CNS, LDN

Ingredients

1 pound fresh asparagus
14-16 ounces on-the-vine cherry tomatoes or about 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
2 cans 15-ounce white beans drained and rinsed (butter beans pictured here, but smaller cannellini and great northern also work)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 pound salmon whole piece or cut into 4 filets, wild preferred
⅓ cup pesto of choice
1 whole lemon for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
Prepare a large sheet pan (I use parchment paper, you do you).
Rinse your vegetables, and drain and rinse the white beans.
Remove the bottom woody portion of the asparagus - the amount you need to remove will vary from piece to piece, but you can easily snap off the bottom bit that’s white, wrinkled, and tough.
Arrange the asparagus, tomatoes, and white beans on the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
To keep prep to a minimum, I like to keep my piece of salmon intact, but you can cut yours into single-portion filets if you’d like. I do check for and remove any bones I find.
Place the salmon on top of the white beans, making sure there are some that are uncovered so they can develop a bit of a crunch. Spread the pesto in an even layer over the top of the salmon.
Place in the middle rack in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the salmon reaches a safe internal temperature of 135ºF. It may take up to 22 minutes, depending on your oven.
Let the salmon cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Divide the vegetables and beans among 4 plates, add a piece of salmon, and serve with a lemon wedge. Serve with more pesto on the side if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use nearly any pesto except for an avocado pesto. A jar of store bought pesto makes this come together in no time at all! I love this budget-friendly basil pesto with walnuts but you can use this spinach pesto, a bitter greens pesto, or kale pesto.

When I made this with salmon filets instead of whole, they cooked a few minutes faster. By cooking the filet in one piece, the beans have a couple of extra minutes to crisp up a little bit in the oven.

If you'd like to get crispier beans and vegetables, you can cook this for up to 20 minutes. As long as your salmon is thick and fatty, it should be ok. (Alternatively, remove the salmon and let the beans and vegetables continue cooking.)

Wild salmon has been shown to have a higher level of Omega-3 fatty acids and other key minerals, while containing lower levels of contaminants. Personally, I think any amount of salmon is better than no salmon (it is still a healthy food!), but will always choose wild salmon if it is available and affordable.

Reminder: Nutrition numbers are an estimate.

Nutrition