Hello and Happy Halloween!
Last Thursday, I had my college BFF (and one of my bridesmaids) Turner over for dinner and some serious business: The Vampire Diaries was on TV! Yes, we’re 30 years old and addicted to a show about teenager vampires. No shame. 
For dinner, I whipped us up a delicious Pesto Baked Salmon with Veggies. Full recipe below!
Here I am rocking my favorite apron, getting ready to get the cooking party started.
I got creative with what I already had in the fridge – I had a jar of pesto that needed some love, some frozen salmon in the freezer (Matt hates salmon – perfect time to use it), and some zucchini and squash from the farmers market. Perfect! Turner also brought over some tomatoes that we added to the mix.
This recipe was SO easy and came out really delicious, too. Definitely one to try yourself (and one I’ll be making again soon – I think even Matt might like salmon this way)!
The full recipe is below, but for those who like photos of the process, I lined a pan with some foil, drizzled a little olive oil on it, popped the salmon on top, then put a spoonful of pesto on top of each piece. Homemade pesto would be even more awesome than jarred – if you want to make your own, check out my Spinach Basil Pesto recipe!
I spread the pesto around more evenly and then covered the salmon with the sliced zucchini, squash, and tomatoes, and some cracked pepper and a little salt.
Bake and serve over quinoa! So easy.
Pesto Baked Salmon with Veggies
Serves 2 to 3, depending how large your salmon fillets are.
This recipe is simple, delicious, and nutritious. Feel free to omit the zucchini or squash – or just use one or the other. The tomatoes are a must – they made this dish!
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets, fresh or defrosted
- 1 small (or half a large) zucchini, sliced
- 1 small (or half a large) squash, sliced
- 1 to 2 large tomatoes, sliced
- 2 Tbsp. pesto (jarred or homemade – try my Spinach Basil Pesto!)
- Olive oil
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (prepared according to package directions)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400.
1) Cover a baking dish with tin foil; spread a little olive oil in the pan (or use cooking spray) so the salmon doesn’t stick.
2) Place salmon fillets in dish on top of foil, put 1 Tbsp. pesto on top of each piece of salmon. Spread it around so it’s evenly covered.
3) Throw sliced zucchini, squash, and tomato on top of salmon/pesto.
4) Cover the pan with tin foil; leave a little space for steam to escape. Put the dish in the oven at 400 for about 18 minutes; check to make sure it’s cooked through before taking it out.
5) Serve on top of quinoa – about 1/2 cup quinoa per person. Enjoy!
We enjoyed ours with some red wine. 
Can’t wait to make this again!
What’s your favorite way to enjoy salmon?
The post Pesto Baked Salmon with Veggies appeared first on fANNEtastic food.