100 Days of Real Food

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
    • Welcome
    • Original 100 Day Pledge
    • 100 Day Budget Pledge
    • FAQs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Resources
    • Our Shop
    • Meal Ideas & Resources
    • Mini-Pledge Progam
    • School Lunch Packing Chart
    • Favorite Amazon Buys
  • Blog
    • What Is Real Food?
    • How to Start
      • Real Food Tips
      • Eating Out and Travel
      • Food Shopping
      • How to Cook
      • Kitchen and Home
    • School Lunches
    • Snacks
    • Kids
      • Picky Eaters
      • Fun Stuff
  • Meal Plans
    • Real Food Meal Plans
    • School Lunch Plans
    • Free Weekly Dinner Plans
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
    • Welcome
    • Original 100 Day Pledge
    • 100 Day Budget Pledge
    • FAQs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Resources
    • Our Shop
    • Meal Ideas & Resources
    • Mini-Pledge Progam
    • School Lunch Packing Chart
    • Favorite Amazon Buys
  • Blog
    • What Is Real Food?
    • How to Start
      • Real Food Tips
      • Eating Out and Travel
      • Food Shopping
      • How to Cook
      • Kitchen and Home
    • School Lunches
    • Snacks
    • Kids
      • Picky Eaters
      • Fun Stuff
  • Meal Plans
    • Real Food Meal Plans
    • School Lunch Plans
    • Free Weekly Dinner Plans
×
Home » Recipes

Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner on 100 Days of Real Food

Want to Save this Recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get great new recipes from us every week!

Save Recipe

Back-to-school is that time of year when we need weeknight dinners to be as quick and easy as possible! And how about making them taste good and be good for us, too? Well, I've got the perfect sheet pan salmon with pesto recipe for you.

It, along with some whole-grain wild rice, can be thrown together with very little effort to make a well-rounded, tasty meal. Plus, with the pesto being made with half spinach and half basil, you can really feel good about offering this one to your family.

Enjoy!

Why Make Pesto With Spinach and Basil?

If you’re familiar with pesto then you may have noticed my recipe differs from the traditional Italian version. Normally pesto is made with two cups of basil, but I opted to substitute half the basil with spinach in my recipe.

Some people (especially kids) may find traditional pesto overpowering. Swapping in spinach tones down the basil flavor while adding a hint of sweetness kids and picky eaters will love.

It’s also a great way to add an extra serving of leafy greens to your family’s meal! 

Finally, spinach is also a bit more cost-effective than fresh basil, which is good for your grocery budget. 

Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner with homemade basil and spinach pesto

Pesto Salmon FAQs

Can I substitute the pine nuts in this recipe?

Yes! If you’re looking for a budget friendlier option or have a nut allergy in your home you can swap the pine nuts with sunflower seeds. The flavor will change slightly but they do keep a similar taste and texture in your pesto.

Walnuts, pistachios, and almonds can also be used; this is a great way to use up leftover nuts from other recipes. 

What type of salmon works best for pesto salmon?

I love this recipe because you can use any salmon available to you. If you like to fish, freshly caught salmon is delicious when paired with spinach pesto. Frozen wild caught salmon is also fine, just make sure you thaw and debone first. 

My salmon has bones and skin, help!

If you’re new to eating fish, especially pink fish like salmon, this part can feel overwhelming. It’s a little old, but I found this great video that clearly shows how to fillet and debone a whole salmon.

Important: Salmon is famous for having thin bones known as pin bones. If you’re deboning your salmon yourself, be careful to remove all these small bones. Always double check for any missed bones before serving salmon to young kids. 

What Can I Serve With Pesto Salmon?

We like a variety of roasted vegetables in our pesto salmon sheet pan. This recipe calls for zucchini and/or summer squash and cherry tomatoes, but that’s flexible. You could easily swap with whatever you have on hand, what’s in season, or something from the garden.

As for side dishes, you could serve this with easy pasta or brown rice to keep it simple, or no side at all.

Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

Here's a weeknight meal that can be thrown together with little effort, but this pesto salmon sheet pan dinner also is no slouch when it comes to being healthy! The secret? It's made with homemade basil and spinach pesto!
3 Reviews / 5 Average
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Method: Freezer Friendly, One Pot / Sheet Pan
Diet: Egg Free, Gluten Free
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound salmon (skin and bones removed)
  • 1 pound zucchini and/or yellow summer squash ((2 small) cut into 1" pieces)
  • ½ pound cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup spinach leaves
  • 1 cup basil leaves (fresh)
  • ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated )
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic (crushed or minced)
  • 4 servings wild rice (optional, prepared according to package directions)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • On a sheet pan, arrange the salmon in the middle with the cut veggies and cherry tomatoes in a circle around it. Set aside.
  • In a food processor combine the spinach, basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, olive oil and garlic. Blend until smooth. Spread the pesto on top of the salmon and spoon the remainder on top of the veggies.
  • Bake until the salmon is done (no longer dark pink in the middle) and the zucchini/squash can easily be pierced with a fork, about 18 to 20 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy. We had ours with wild rice on the side. 

Notes

  1. We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner
Amount Per Serving
Calories 598 Calories from Fat 315
% Daily Value*
Fat 35g54%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 77mg26%
Sodium 321mg14%
Potassium 1031mg29%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 38g76%
Vitamin A 1485IU30%
Vitamin C 16.6mg20%
Calcium 237mg24%
Iron 3.6mg20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out

More Recipes

  • Garlic butter steak bites.
    Garlic Butter Steak Bites
  • Chicken sausage sheet pan.
    Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan
  • Sausage stir fry.
    Sausage Stir Fry
  • Sausage broccoli pasta.
    Sausage Broccoli Pasta
1.4K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Rachel Compas says

    June 23, 2020 at 1:36 pm

    Can you freeze the pesto and use at a later time? If you want to prep early?

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      June 24, 2020 at 9:28 am

      Yes, pesto is easy to freeze. - Nicole

      Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    June 16, 2019 at 4:10 pm

    Is frozen wild caught fish ok?

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      June 21, 2019 at 9:29 am

      Yes, that is okay to use. - Nicole

      Reply
  3. Kim says

    February 06, 2018 at 12:24 am

    5 stars
    This was so good and really easy. The salmon was moist and the flavors were great. One out of 2 kids enjoyed it so that works for us.

    Reply
  4. Stacy says

    September 12, 2017 at 2:47 pm

    Sounds great! Budget saving tip- you can sub the pine nuts for sunflower seeds (which are cheap to buy in bulk.) It won't taste exactly the same but very similar and delicious.

    Reply
  5. Marla says

    August 29, 2017 at 3:38 pm

    Perfect! I have salmon and a basil plant ready to go at home- just need to pick up some veggies to make this dish. Can't wait to try it.

    Reply
  6. Sam Smith says

    August 29, 2017 at 5:45 am

    5 stars
    Looks very yummy. Love to taste it!

    Reply
  7. Sabrina B says

    August 28, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    5 stars
    great pairing (salmon and pesto)! love it, especially all in one pan, that much easier, thank you!

    Reply
  8. Taste of France says

    August 25, 2017 at 11:36 am

    This looks delicious. I need a new way to make salmon, or other fish. I think my family would want the vegetables more roasted, so I might try it with the veggies in the oven a while before adding the fish.

    Reply
    • Melyssa Braman says

      August 29, 2017 at 3:26 pm

      If you take your piece of salmon, skin side down, and spread a thin layer of veganaise on top, and then sprinkle furikake seasoning on it and then bake. It is so delicious!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome!


Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

Learn More

Popular

  • Chicken sausage pasta.
    Chicken Sausage Pasta
  • Steak with veggies.
    Steak with Veggies
  • Sausage and potatoes.
    Sausage and Potatoes
  • Spaghetti squash with meat sauce.
    Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Seasonal

  • Spaghetti squash boats.
    Spaghetti Squash Boats
  • How to cook spaghetti squash.
    How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
  • Air fryer popcorn chicken.
    Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
  • Healthy blueberry pancakes.
    Healthy Blueberry Pancakes

Footer

↑ back to top

Browse

  • Cookbooks
  • Meal Plans
  • Recipes
  • Favorite Products
  • Free Downloads

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Blog

  • About
  • Comment Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner With Us
  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 100 Days of Real Food