Baked Pesto Salmon

This baked pesto salmon is the perfect easy weeknight dinner recipe. Serve with pasta, risotto or rice and veggies for a gluten free and flavor packed meal!

We all know I can’t resist a quick and easy salmon recipe (hi salmon piccata), so we’re back with this baked pesto salmon. It’s packed with flavor, ready in just about 30 minutes and perfect with some pasta and lots of fresh veggies.

We’ll be making our pesto from scratch which is a simple blend of pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan, fresh basil, lemon, salt and pepper – most ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Herby basil pesto and buttery, flaky salmon are the perfect flavor packed match. Pesto adds so much flavor to everything you put it on, and fresh salmon become melt-in-your-mouth tender when baked. If you love this recipe, try my teriyaki salmon or pesto orzo next!

Before we get started…

• For a nut free option, you can use my nut free pesto which uses hemp seeds as the base instead of pine nuts like in this recipe and most pesto recipes.
• For a dairy free option, you can use my cashew parmesan in place of the regular parmesan in the pesto.
• If using frozen salmon, you want to defrost it before cooking. The salt/pepper and sauce won’t stick well to frozen salmon, so defrosting before is key!

How to make baked pesto salmon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add all ingredients for the pesto to a food processor. Blend until smooth, or you can leave a few pine nut bits behind if you like!

Taste and adjust flavors as desired. You may like more salt, or add some red pepper flakes for spice. I like adding in some arugula to get extra veggies in, but this is totally optional!

Pat the salmon dry and sprinkle each piece evenly with the salt and pepper. Add about 2 tablespoons of the pesto on top of the salmon and spread evenly.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until it reaches your desired level. It will depend on preference as well as the thickness of the salmon!

Serve with pasta, rice, risotto, veggies and more pesto. Enjoy!

Serving suggestions

For the photos, I served this baked pesto salmon with my favorite bone broth orzo and steamed green beans with butter, salt and pepper.

For the bone broth orzo, I take 1 part orzo to 2 parts bone broth and cook in a bit of garlic and butter, then add in some salt, pepper and parmesan after cooking. You want to cook it like rice, not like pasta so the bone broth gets absorbed into the orzo. Other ideas include:

• Jasmine rice and steamed veggies like broccoli, green beans or asparagus
• Salad like my massaged kale salad or microchop green goddess
• Roasted fingerling potatoes and fresh veggies
• Gluten free risotto with peas and asparagus

My favorite salmon

I always reach for wild caught salmon, which has a much more vibrant color than farmed raised salmon. For this recipe, any kind will work, but nutritionally, I much prefer wild caught.

You can use frozen salmon, but it’s best to let it defrost before cooking. The sauce will stick better to the salmon if it’s room temperature and the flavor will be stronger.

More simple salmon recipes!

• Bang Bang Salmon Bowls
• Lemon Pepper Salmon
• Salmon Patties
• Greek Salmon Bowls

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