Healthy Sheet Pan Pesto Salmon with Potatoes and Broccoli is packed with flavor for an easy dinner the whole family to love!
Are you a sheet pan person? Yay or nay.
We're making sheet pan salmon today and I'm freaking pumped to tell you about it. Easy cleanup, healthy to boot, and SUPER TASTY!
Believe me when I say my life changed when I got this extra large sheet pan. Suddenly I could roast everything on ONE surface and it was nothing short of sublime.
So now I have to do my due diligence and take you straight to flavor town with meals you can make on one magical little (but actually big) sheet pan.
Remember this Sheet Pan Mexican Veggie Dinner? What a beaut. You haven't lived until you've tried my Lemon Cajun Shrimp, Potatoes and Vegetables. Seriously fabulous stuff.
We've been here before! How I don't have more salmon recipes on this blog is beyond me. We eat salmon almost every week, and I grew up doing the same! My dad grills a mean salmon.
Pesto + salmon is a match made in heaven. So much buttery bright herbaceousness (spelling?) going on, I almost can't handle. But for you, I'm gonna handle. Let's do this!
Key ingredients and tips
- Salmon: Wild salmon filets for the win! I always go for frozen as it's more affordable than fresh. You'll need four salmon filets, about 4-6oz each. Thinner pieces will quick more quickly and thicker pieces will take a bit longer.
- Pesto: You can use store bought pesto or use my fave recipe for dairy-free pesto! Easy peasy flavor.
- Potatoes: I love baby gold potatoes here but you can use russet, red, or even sweet potatoes.
- Broccoli: Veg, taters, and salmon--gang's all here! Broccoli is my jam but cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, or zucchini would also be a swell stand-in.
- Olive oil: For crispy perfection and mega flavor. You could also use avocado or coconut oil.
- Spices: We're keeping it simple with kosher salt, garlic, and pepper since the pesto has so much flavor. Feel free to add oregano, smoked paprika, or whatever floats your boat!
The best salmon to buy
Ahhhh, this question! I get it a lot. I go for wild Alaskan salmon as my number one choice, which of course is frozen when I find it here in Ohio. "Fresh" fish here is typically thawed from frozen unless they're flying it in.
Atlantic salmon is what we most often see, and that means that the fish is farmed farmed, higher in pollutants, and lower in those good omega-3 fatty acids we love.
If you have access and the budget for it, wild-caught salmon is a wonderful choice as it's healthier and more environmentally sound. You'll see coho, chinook, king, and sockeye (which is more red). You can always ask the fishmonger at your store for more info, as there are many sustainably farmed choices nowadays that are fab! Verlasso is a great example.
You can buy one big salmon filet that you cut yourself or buy individually portioned/sliced ones.
Wild canned salmon is far more affordable, but save that for my Salmon Corn Chowder or Salmon Burgers!
More delish healthy dinner recipes
- Easy Vegetable Teriyaki Stir Fry
- Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Peanut Noodles with Broccoli
- Vegan Lasagna
Dinna dinna tiiiiime!
PrintSheet Pan Pesto Salmon with Potatoes and Broccoli Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 47 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Sheet Pan Pesto Salmon with Potatoes and Broccoli is a super tasty and healthy one pan meal. Packed with flavor for a dinner the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 4 wild salmon filets (6oz each, 1 ¼-1 ½ lbs total)
- 6 tbsp pesto (or store bought pesto)
- 1 ½ pounds baby gold potatoes, sliced in half
- 1 large head broccoli, chopped into florets (3 heaping cups)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt (plus more for seasoning salmon)
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 425F. Make sure you have an extra large baking sheet. If not, you can use two regular ones!
-
Place potatoes in a mixing bowl and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, ¾ tsp kosher salt, garlic powder, and a few grinds of pepper. Spread evenly onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, toss broccoli with remaining 1 tbsp oil, ½ tsp salt, and pepper. Remove potatoes from oven and push them to one side.
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Add broccoli and salmon (skin side down) to baking sheet. Make sure the broccoli isn't too crowded so it browns properly. Season salmon with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Spoon 1-2 tbsp of pesto onto each filet.
-
Place baking sheet in the oven again and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the salmon is flaky and cooked through. Smaller pieces of salmon will take less time to cook.
Photos by The Nutritious Kitchen.
Niki says
So easy and so good!
Alexis Joseph says
I'm thrilled you liked this one, Niki!!
Lindsay Remley says
Simple, yummy, hearty and healthy. So few dishes to clean as well. We subbed the broccoli for cauliflower!
Lauren says
Thank you. This is the first meal I have put on the table since having a baby 2.5 mos ago. It was easy, efficient-not a lot of dishes, and delicious! I may always make that pesto with fish or chicken etc! I'm so glad I doubled the pesto recipe. I could eat it plain. Thank you!!
Alexis Joseph says
You go girl!! Huge win.
Ashley says
I don't know why I've never tried pesto on salmon?! This was great! I'm all about sheet pan recipes with two kiddos running around. Everyone liked this. Thank you!
Kori says
Fabulous combo! I love that Kroger carries a frozen wild caught Pacific salmon (Aqua Star brand) that is scored into four filets. It makes baking lovely salmon easy peasy. I love love pesto and salmon together, and I need to make more sheet pan meals!
Justin says
This meal is a great way to enjoy pesto!
Justin says
Delicious!
Emily says
Such a yummy recipe, keeping this on repeat for my dinner cycles now!
Alexis says
Yayyy thank you so much Em!!
Emily says
Had my boyfriend make this recipe for us since I had class late. It is totally boyfriend approved, which is a win in my book!
Alexis says
Way to go Justin! That's the ultimate compliment 🙂
Emily says
I had class until 730p and need something easy for my boyfriend to prepare… this was it! So much flavor from the pesto, 10/10 recommend!
Emily says
I had class until 730p and need something easy for my boyfriend to prepare… this was it! Sooo much flavor from the pesto, 10/10 recommend!
Dylan says
Yum! We make this pretty much every week as well, so easy!
Alexis says
Yayyy thanks, Dylan!