---

Jump to Recipe

This Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus makes for a delicious and nutritious dinner. Made with fresh salmon, crunchy asparagus, then topped with a creamy homemade avocado kale pesto. A sheet-pan meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes.

Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus

When it comes to salmon it is definitely one of the foods we eat the most in our home. My daughter and I love it, and even though my husband is not as crazy about it he doesn’t mind eating it. Salmon is a great protein to have in rotation as it is so versatile and rich in nutrients. Getting creative with salmon is something I enjoy doing very much.

I honestly love enjoying a good piece of salmon cooked in some lemon juice, butter, garlic, salt and pepper. It is absolutely delicious this way. However, creating tasty recipes and meals with salmon is a lot of fun and tasty too. Especially when that recipe only needs one baking sheet pan like this Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus meal does. It adds the “easy” factor that we all love so much.

This Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus is a one sheet pan meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes. It’s a great weeknight meal as it does’t require much prep work. The creamy Avocado Kale Pesto makes this dish the deliciousness that it is. Topping your salmon with this pesto makes the perfect combo.

When cooked correctly, salmon has a soft buttery texture. When you take a bite of salmon combined with this pesto it is a soft, creamy goodness. You just can’t get enough of it. Pairing it with some roasted asparagus makes for a tasty, healthy, and light dinner.

Health Benefits of Salmon:

Salmon is a very nutrient-dense food. It is a great source of vitamins and minerals and incredibly beneficial for your health. Salmon has a number of health benefits and it’s great for brain development. Which makes it an excellent source of food for the little ones. Some of these health benefits include:

• Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Excellent source of protein
• Improved brain function and memory
• Great source if vitamins and minerals like Vitamin B’s, Selenium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, etc.
• Reduces risk of cardiovascular disease
• Promotes healthy skin and hair
• Prevents cancer

Will the pesto get brown from the avocado?

The lemon juice in this Avocado Kael Pesto helps prevent the avocado in it from getting brown. You can also leave the pit from the avocado in the pesto and that will prevent it from browning too.

How to store leftover pesto:

Keep any leftover pesto in a small mason jar and keep refrigerated. For better quality and taste keep up to 2-3 days in the fridge at the most. You can also freeze and keep frozen for up to one month. This rich and creamy pesto is great to add to some pasta and chicken too!

What you need to make this Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus:

Ingredients:

• Salmon
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Kale
• Raw Pistachios
• Avocado Oil
• Fresh Basil
• Pink Salt and Pepper

Equipment:

• Food Processor or High Speed Blender
• Large Baking Sheet Pan
• Parchment Paper

How to make Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus:

1. Preheat oven at 325 degrees F. 
2. Cut about an inch off the ends of asparagus. Remove skin from salmon if needed to and slice into 4 even filets. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Place salmon and prepped asparagus on prepped sheet pan. Drizzle avocado oil over both asparagus and salmon and sprinkle both with salt and pepper to taste. Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. 
3. While salmon and asparagus bake, combine all ingredients for pesto in a food processor except for avocado oil. Start slowly pulsing and drizzle avocado oil as ingredients get blended. 
4. Remove asparagus and salmon from the oven. Top salmon with a generous amount of pesto. Reserve any remaining pesto for serving. Return salmon and asparagus to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes depending on how thick your salmon is. 
5. Remove salmon and asparagus from the oven. Serve immediately along with remaining pesto and any other desired sides.

Tips and Substitutions:

1. Line baking sheet pan with parchment paper- It will prevent salmon and asparagus from sticking to it. It also makes cleaning the sheet pan after much easier.
2. Not a fan of asparagus?- Substitute for green beans or zucchini.
3. No pistachios?- You can use raw pine nuts, cashews or walnuts.
4. Reserve the pit from the avocado and place it in the pesto- This will prevent it from browning as quickly.

What to serve Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus with:

• Instant Pot Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
• Herbed Butter Roasted Potatoes
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Corn on the Cob
• Cooked Quinoa
• Cauliflower Rice

Meal Prepping it:

To meal prep this Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon there are a few steps you can take. Prep all the ingredients for the pesto ahead of time. Rinse and measure your kale, basil and pistachios. Rinse and trim your asparagus as well. This will get some of the prep work done and make this meal even easier to put together when you’re ready to make it.

Like this Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus? You may also like these other salmon recipes:

• One Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies
• Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
• Baked Salmon with Dill Sauce
• Quinoa and Spinach Salmon Cakes

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

 **Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family. 

---

---