With a lovely cream pesto sauce loaded with spinach and oodles of flavor, tender salmon gets a makeover in this easy peasy dish that’s ready in no time! The best part? There are just 3 net carbs per serving in this super seafood pick!
Oh boy, is this dish ever good! Flaky salmon pairs so nicely with pesto, and the sauce gets a bit of a boost from spinach and some extra flavors. It’s so good, and the best part is that it is super easy and ready in no time!
I love this dish. I buy the pre-portioned salmon filets so that I don’t have to mess with cutting up a whole filet, and then I can make as much as I need. This is also a great dish to serve with my non-keto family because it pairs nicely with rice or noodles, which I make for them to enjoy.
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Salmon is a superfood, and it’s a great choice when enjoying keto lifestyle. It is high in good fats, loaded with all sorts of things that are good for you, and it’s a good source of protein. It’s also widely available, and so is pesto. You can get jarred pesto in just about every grocery store, usually near the pasta sauces.
Ingredients
- Salmon filets – 4-6 ounces in size or whatever you have on hand.
- Chicken broth – I like to use low-sodium or no-sodium-added broth.
- Cream cheese – Half a block; softened.
- Spinach – 4 ounces; steamed and squeezed dry. See the options below.
- Basil pesto
- Lemon zest – Optional, but it has such a lovely flavor.
- Parsley – Optional garnish.
How To Make The Best Baked Pesto Salmon
- Preheat your oven to 400-F.
- Heat the chicken broth until it is very hot and mix it with the cream cheese until the cream cheese is dissolved.
- Add the basil pesto, lemon zest, and cooked spinach to the sauce. Mix well to combine.
- Transfer the sauce to a baking dish large enough to hold the salmon. Spread it evenly on the bottom.
- Lay the salmon filets over the top of the sauce and season them liberally with salt and pepper.
- Bake the salmon and sauce in a 400-F oven for about 10 minutes or until the fish is flaky and cooked, or has reached an internal temperature of 145-F on a digital thermometer.
- Serve the salmon with a generous amount of sauce and enjoy!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Read the ingredients on the pesto carefully, watching for hidden sugars or starches.
- Wilt the spinach in a saute pan with a spoonful of water, or use frozen and thawed (and squeezed dry) spinach.
- Don’t overcook the salmon! Salmon is best when it is still moist and flaky.
- Fresh chopped parsley, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a grind of cracked black pepper are all you need to finish this dish.
Recommended
Make It A Meal
Wondering what to serve with Baked Pesto Salmon? This easy protein-packed dish pairs so nicely with zucchini noodles or any other spiralized keto-friendly veggie, or pick your favorite mashed cauliflower or mashed turnip to soak up all that yummy sauce. This roasted cauliflower rice would also be delish paired with this recipe. Protein is super-important on a keto diet – learn more about what is a complete protein.
Storage
Leftover fish of any kind really shouldn’t be kept for more than 1-2 days in the fridge. Package your leftover salmon in an air-tight container and keep it in the fridge for just a couple of days. Reheat it in a low oven. Salmon makes a mess in the microwave and you risk overcooking it if you heat it there.
Step By Step Process
Keto Baked Salmon Pesto
Ingredients
- 4 salmon filets 4-6 ounces
- 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 ounces baby spinach wilted
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400-F.
- Heat the chicken broth until it is very hot and mix it with the cream cheese until the cream cheese is dissolved.
- Add the basil pesto, lemon zest, and cooked spinach to the sauce. Mix well to combine.
- Transfer the sauce to a baking dish large enough to hold the salmon. Spread it evenly on the bottom.
- Lay the salmon filets over the top of the sauce and season them liberally with salt and pepper.
- Bake the salmon and sauce in a 400-F oven for about 10 minutes or until the fish is flaky and cooked, or has reached an internal temperature of 145-F on a digital thermometer.
- Serve the salmon with a generous amount of sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Wilt the spinach in a saute pan with a spoonful of water, or use frozen and thawed (and squeezed dry) spinach.
- Read the ingredients on the pesto carefully, watching for hidden sugars or starches.
- Don’t overcook the salmon! Salmon is best when it is still moist and flaky.
- Fresh chopped parsley, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a grind of cracked black pepper are all you need to finish this dish.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
WANT EVEN MORE EASY KETO DIET RECIPES?
I’m always in the kitchen creating new recipes, and while some of them are big hits, I get some misses, too. But these are some of my favorite all-time recipes:
Ummm…Yummmm! Salmon is my all time favorite! I don’t cook it often because I tend to dry it out and I appreciate the internal temperature that is given in the recipe! It’s clear that you are a professional chef and it’s something that shows in your recipes and Blog! I cook and I cook…meh okay. I’m gonna give this one a try for sure! okay… a little better than meh, but, you know…
Please do try it! Don’t be afraid of cooking salmon. The biggest mistake is people tend to cook it at too high a heat and it dries out! I hope you love this recipe. Thanks for stopping by to comment! ~Jenn
This was absolutely delicious – I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. Loved the cream cheese, pesto and lemon zest combo. Will be adding to my keto recipe rotation!