This sheet pan salmon recipe is one of my favorite healthy weeknight family meals! It’s so simple to make and clean up is a breeze!
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Flavor boosters to the rescue!
If you read this post about my favorite Whole30 Flavor Boosters, I told you that making Arugula Pesto, All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce, and Magic Mushroom Powder would come in really handy if you need dinner on the table pronto. All of you who made Arugula Pesto, high five to you! Use it to make this delicious and simple salmon sheet pan dinner.
Salmon + Pesto = Magic
If you didn’t make it yet, don’t fret! My favorite thing about this quick-and-easy sheet pan dinner is the lightning-fast arugula pesto.
I love that I can toss a bunch of ingredients into a food processor and create a vibrant, verdant sauce that works on just about any savory dish. You can also use extra pesto to make my Pesto Chicken recipe! (Also, if you use store-bought pesto, I won’t tell anyone!)
Ingredients
- Arugula Pesto
- Salmon filets: I like to choose center-cut salmon fillets that are all about 6 ounces each. In terms of types of salmon, King salmon is my favorite, followed by Coho salmon. I don’t love the fishiness of Sockeye salmon and I will substitute responsibly farmed steelhead trout or Atlantic salmon if that’s my only option.
- Asparagus: You need a quick cooking veggie that will cook in the same amount of time as the salmon. No asparagus? Broccolini (baby broccoli) or green beans also work!
- Cherry tomatoes: Adds umami and a splash of color.
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon: The richness of the salmon and pesto is perfectly balanced with the bright acidity of lemon juice!
How to make sheet pan salmon and asparagus
Grab (or make) some Arugula Pesto. It’ll take just a few minutes!
Heat oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle position. In a rimmed baking sheet, toss the asparagus and cherry tomatoes with ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ cup oil. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer.
Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel.
Place the fillets in the pan and flip them around to coat all sides with the oil.
Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides and arrange the fillets skin-side down among the veggies.
Grab the lemons and cut into ½-inch slices.
Add the lemon slices to the pan, also flipping them over to coat both sides with oil.
Place the pan in the hot oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, or until salmon is cooked to your desired doneness.
Personally, I like to take the fillets out when the thickest part of the fish measures 135°F on a meat thermometer.
When the salmon is done, remove the pan from the oven, and dollop the pesto on the salmon and veggies. Squeeze the lemons on everything and dig in!
More salmon recipes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Sheet Pan Salmon Supper
Ingredients
- ½ cup Arugula Pesto
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 4 salmon fillets 6 ounces each
- 2 large lemons
Instructions
- Grab (or make) some Arugula Pesto. It’ll take just a few minutes!
- Heat oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle position. In a rimmed baking sheet, toss the asparagus and cherry tomatoes with ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ cup oil. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer.
- Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel. Place the fillets in the pan and flip them around to coat all sides with the oil.
- Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides and arrange the fillets skin-side down among the veggies.
- Grab the lemons and cut into ½ -inch slices. Add the lemon slices to the pan, also flipping them over to coat both sides with oil.
- Place the pan in the hot oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, or until salmon is cooked to your desired doneness. (Personally, I like to take the fillets out when the thickest part of the fish measures 135°F on a meat thermometer.)
- When the salmon is done, remove the pan from the oven, and dollop the pesto on the salmon and veggies. Squeeze the lemons on everything and dig in!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, this looks wonderful! I don’t have a food processor but I have a vegan pesto sitting my cupboard (Zest brand), and I’m wondering whether that will work in place of this pesto? Thanks for all you do!
I’m not familiar with that brand of pesto, but if the ingredients are compliant and it tastes good you can use it in this recipe!
We made this last night! It was so good!
Thank you so much for these daily January Whole30 recipes! You’re the greatest. This is exactly what my husband and I need to detox from the holidays.
Awesome!
We are not big salmon eaters… would another fish work? I know salmon is super healthy but it’s a bit too strong flavored for us 🙁 WFM has mahi mahi on sale right now?
Delicious! We also love substituting mahi mahi for the salmon. Yum!
This was so yummy. My cookie sheet was a little more full than your picture and not nearly as pretty but it was so delicious and easy. I cooked it for about 20-25 minutes on our wood pellet grill. Trying to practice different things on this grill. I did top it with the Arugula pesto but will review on that page. Yummy again!