Baked Pesto Salmon

This baked pesto salmon is a sheet pan dinner recipe that comes together fast and easily!

The salmon is perfectly cooked in the oven full of pesto flavor and served with delicious juicy roasted tomatoes.

Sheet Pan Salmon with Pesto and Tomatoes

Is there anything better than a tasty dinner that comes together with very little fuss? The pesto gives lots of flavor to the salmon and the roasted tomatoes, making this a simple to execute dinner recipe.

While the salmon and the tomatoes are in the oven, you can cook rice in a pot or make roasted cauliflower rice in the lower rack of the oven at the same time!

Pesto Salmon Ingredients

Use store-bought pesto or make your own pesto without nuts to make this recipe in a jiffy! You’ll need:

• Salmon fillets: the star of the show. Use fresh or thaw-out frozen fillets for this recipe.
• Salt & pepper: to season the salmon.
• Pesto: store-bought or homemade, this is all you need to add tons of flavor to this recipe!
• Cherry tomatoes: they roast at the same time and become a flavorful side dish for this recipe.
• Red onion: roasted, caramelized, delicious in the recipe.
• Rice or cauliflower rice: optional and both pair great with this pesto salmon.

Make sure to print the recipe with measurements from the recipe card below.

How to Bake Pesto Salmon

The best part of this baked pesto salmon recipe is that the main protein and the side cook in the oven at the same time! To make perfectly flaky pesto salmon you’ll need to:

1. Get things set up
   Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
2. Season the tomatoes
   Place cherry tomatoes and sliced onions in a bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon of pesto sauce and transfer them onto the sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, making sure to give them a good toss around minute 10.
3. Season the salmon
   Meanwhile, pat dry salmon fillets with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the remaining pesto sauce over the salmon fillets.
4. Cook the salmon
   Remove the baking sheet from the oven, move roasted tomatoes and onions to the sides and place the salmon fillets in the middle. Bake salmon and tomatoes for 16 to 18 minutes, until salmon flakes separate easily with a fork.
5. Serve the salmon
   Serve salmon with white rice or seasoned rice cauliflower rice with fresh basil shreds.

Watch the step-by-step recipe video here, so we can cook this weeknight meal together!

Related: Best Side Dishes for Salmon

How Long to Bake Salmon

Depending on the salmon’s thickness, at 400F salmon will bake for approximately 16 to 18 minutes, until the salmon easily separates with a fork, is fully pink, and the internal temperature reaches 145F when measured with a meat thermometer.

How to Serve Pesto Salmon and Tomatoes

The best part of this pesto salmon and tomatoes is that it pairs great with everything! Consider serving it with one of these cauliflower rice recipes, a simple side salad, or roasted asparagus with lemon for a double serving of veggies.

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