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I just made this for dinner and IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!! I cannot even describe how unique the flavor was and just how flavorful it was–even with the simple dressing! The texture of the lentils mixed with the quinoa was SO GOOD ahhh so good
Guys! It’s perfect baked salmon!
with black lentils because they’re adorably little and richly colored and delicious, and then lemon herb sauce because it’s spring and I can’t stop with the lemon herb everything. gahhhh I love this meal!
You know when you’re sitting down at night to read a book that you’ve REALLY been wanting to read, like, it’s been on your book list for forever and a day, and you settle in for some good reading at 10pm and you fall asleep before getting to the end of the page?
That is my reading life. Especially when it comes to nonfiction, memoirs, self help, and that whole boring crew. Not to brag or anything but my binge reading game is actually pretty strong – think Hunger Games, Gone Girl, and other mind candy books. However, for those non-fiction books on my want-to-be-a-smart-person reading list? Let’s just say the average finish time for these books should be recorded in years. YEARS. Like if this thing happens before 2020, I’m doing alright.
Enter my latest obsession not related to food but I do have a connection here –> audio books. You guys. I’m listening to those want-to-be-a-smart-person books on my way to the studio every day. 20 minutes there and 20 minutes home is 40 minutes which means I have basically become a READING MACHINE. I can get through a book in about a week. WHAT! This is amazing.
Currently reading: The Body Book by Cameron Diaz.
I’m not even exaggerating when I say that the inspiration for this super simple, super healthy, perfect baked salmon one-pot meal was literally just listening to Cameron Diaz talk to me about the health benefits of lentils on my way to work.
I parked the car at the grocery store, walked up into Whole Foods (God bless Whole Foods – I’m a new-ish grocery shopper there now that we’re located close to one and it is absolutely everything I stereotyped it to be and more), and bee-lined for the salmon and lentils.
All that to say – this delicious meal brought to you by an AUDIO BOOK! Also I’m 75 at heart.
Perfect baked salmon + lentils + quinoa all cooked together in one big pan? This recipe is a little outside my normal food brain space, but, besides a few takeout sushi runs (#hadto), it’s been my sole sustaining food for the last two weeks.
Here’s why it’s perfect.
- It’s a meal all in one pan. Perfect baked salmon, yes. But also lentils, rice, quinoa, vegetables, whatever you want, really, all up in the same pan with the salmon. It’s very one-and-done in terms of preparation.
- ONE DISH to wash. Hello. ONE. DISH.
- Sauce or seasoning? very changeable depending on what strikes your fancy in the moment. But you’re probably having an epically long moment with lemon herb sauces too, right?
- It requires zero hands-on time. We’re not sautéing or whisking or even really chopping anything here. Just poppin in the oven and that’s it.
I would consider this a minimalist approach to dinner because, in very basic terms, you put everything in a pan and bake it. No extra steps. No extra dishes to wash. And now you’re done, and you’ve got perfectly baked salmon with tons of flavor and a pan full of other nutritious deliciousness and all of it together makes a mish-mash rainbow meal that you will want to keep eating again and again.
If we can break the rules for a second here, you might even find yourself wanting to eat this for breakfast the next morning. Maybe adding an egg in the spirit of creating something between THIS and a healing bowl.
Er, wait, I don’t know. Did we cross a line there?
Just… start with dinner, okay?
Start with dinner.
Perfect Baked Salmon 101:
- If you want to go the black lentils route (do it! do it! do it!) you can order them online here.
- I am having a weird obsession with sauerkraut right now, especially purple sauerkraut. My current fave is a brand called Spirit Creek Farm and I bought it at Whole Foods, but you can also grab it online (HERE) because this is a strangely wonderful world.
- Here’s The Body Book which inspired this recipe.
Perfect Baked Salmon with Lentils and Lemon Herb Sauce
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Perfect Baked Salmon with Lentils, Quinoa, and Lemon Herb Sauce – super healthy, high protein, bakes all in one big easy dish. This stuff is SO DELICIOUS!
Ingredients
- 1 cup black lentils
- 1 cup red quinoa
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 12 ounces salmon
- 2–3 cups green beans or other vegetables
- 1 cup purple sauerkraut if you’re into the weird food zone like I am
Lemon Herb Sauce:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- generous pinch of salt (to taste)
- quick squeeze of honey or agave (to taste)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- LENTILS AND QUINOA: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the lentils and the quinoa. Place in a large oven safe skillet or casserole with the broth. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until almost fully cooked. Remove and fluff with a fork.
- SAUCE: Make the lemon dressing by blending all ingredients in a food processor or just shaking up in a jar. Set about half of the dressing aside.
- SALMON: When the lentils and quinoa are done, place the salmon and any other vegetables you want on top of the lentils (skin side down) and drizzle or brush with half of the lemon dressing. Bake for another 10 minutes. Broil for the last 2 minutes. Depending on how thick the salmon is, if it still needs time, just turn off the oven and let it sit in there for a few minutes to finish.
- SERVE: When the salmon is fully cooked, serve with reserved sauce and purple sauerkraut if you like that kind of crazy.
Notes
Some vegetables will cook just fine in 10 minutes in a hot oven, but others won’t. If you’re using something that’s going to require more time like sweet potatoes, I would suggest par-boiling them before sending them to the oven. Veggies that work great – green beans, asparagus, kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, peas… etc.
I’m okay with less, but you may want more salmon per serving – for a full 3 ounces per serving, go for a total of 15-20 ounces vs. 12 ounces as written.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: baked salmon recipe, lentils, lemon herb sauce
Last plug – you must download a book-listening app and give the audio book world a try (try Audible – they give you your first book free) and then you also must leave me comments telling me what other books you love. I am now devouring books at a rate that my little mind can’t even handle and I’m running out of book recs.
Note: this post contains affiliate links for products we recommend.
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our best healthy winter recipes page. Check it out!
Salmon and lentils….a very good couple of ingredients.
Very good
i’m a relatively new reader – i really love your blog ! i’ve made a few of your recipes already and have bookmarked numerous others. i will definitely be making this one.
( i think you meant “minutes” instead of “ounces” in your last line. )
Brand new subscriber and Wow! This is the first thing I am making. The entire dish is reminiscent to a newish ‘fast food healthy’ restaurant in our little town of Kalamazoo called ‘Core Life’. They create ‘bowls’ of ingredients the consumer chooses, i.e. red rice, purple rice, tofu, chicken, beef, lentils, and yes your red sauerkraut! Then it can be topped with the ‘dressing’ of your choice OR a warm and satisfying bone broth they make daily, either beef or chicken and now veggie. When the sauce called for parsley I had run out, but had arugula at hand and opted to toss it in! Also, I added a T of toasted sesame oil with the olive oil…The possibilities are endless, also added a few slices of avocado to top it all off…SO excited to explore your blog and Great Job on an awesome and professional site, Lindsay! I could also use some of our fresh hen eggs, poached and topped on the delicious bowl of goodness! Tres Bon!
That looks amazing! The lemon herb sauce sound phenomenal! Thanks for sharing this recipe can’t wait to try it out!
-Lauren
http://www.darlingindenim.com
This looks like heaven in a dish… ONE DISH!
I’ve totally been wanting to read that book. It’s good to know that it inspired such a healthy meal!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
This looks amazing! I have been on a lentil kick lately and salmon is my favorite fish. Love that it’s made in one pan too..making for dinner this week!
I will definitely try this. I never seem to be able to make perfect baked salmon!
Looks wonderful – but I have a question. In the write-up prior to the recipe itself, you mentioned it contained rice. I don’t see rice in the list of ingredients. Should it be there? And if so, how much?
Thanks!
Hi Sally – I believe Lindsey was saying you could use rice instead of quinoa; and vegetables other than green beans, etc. 1 cup of dry quinoa will yield about 2 cups of cooked quinoa. If you are using instant rice (probably best in this recipe), 1/2 cup of dry will give you 2 cups of cooked. If you are using long grain rice or wild rice, I believe the conversion is 1 to 3, i.e., 1 cup of dry rice yields 3 cups of cooked. I hope that helps. Delicious recipe! Love that lemon!
Hello! Should the lentils be cooked at all before you start? Mine are dry, so I’m just wondering if I should soak and boil prior.
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Lentils DO NOT have to be pre-cooked. Simply add lentils and quinoa to pan and add chicken stock. They cook in the same time it takes to cook the quinoa. This is a great dish, have had it twice and it is super easy and delicious. Enjoy!
Hi Lindsey,
I think you would like the book “Skinny Bitch.” It’s not as harsh as it sounds and it mostly discusses the Vegan lifestyle. I thought it was a very entertaining read. 🙂
-Sara
https://www.amazon.com/Skinny-Bitch/dp/B000VCEYF4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462814198&sr=1-1&keywords=skinny+bitch&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A1240885011
I totally hear you on books in the car. It’s the only way I can read those educational/self-help books. I listened to The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It would have taken me more than a year to finish the book otherwise!
That dish is a thing of beauty.
Ah the sauce! That is one more than perfect dinner <3
You never fail to take the most beautiful photos, Lindsay! I’ve never actually tried the combo but I think it’s an incredible idea!
Thank you Cassie! 😀 Appreciate that.
Wow this looks delicious. Especially that sauce!
I’m obsessed. Thanks for the comment Amy!
OMG this is the food of my dreams! Love salmon, love lentils, love quinoa. Plus anything with lemon and herbs makes everything better! 🙂
Thanks Emily! 🙂
I love Audible! I loved listening to The Girl on the Train for a more intense/gripping story, and I also love Rhys Bowen books for (very) light, funny listens. If you haven’t read it, Big Little Lies was really well-done as an audiobook. And a decade-too-late plug for the Harry Potter books read by Jim Dale because Jim Dale is EXCELLENT. I could go on for ages. Audiobooks are great.
Ahhh I haven’t read Big Little Lies OR Harry Potter! I’ve got some good reading coming up.
This looks mouthwatering delicious. Can’t wait to try.
Thanks Michelle!
Going into the oven soon…. Should the skillet/casserole be covered in the lentils and quinoa step? Assuming so…..
I didn’t cover mine!
What can be used instead of black lentils? Can other kinds of lentils be used?
sure! black lentils are a little smaller and cook a bit faster, but regular lentils could be used as long as you leave enough time for them to cook! might take a little longer.
I’ll start with dinner, but the breakfast idea sounds pretty good too! 😉
Dinner is a good place to start. 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it was ah-maz-ing! I love salmon and it was great to try a new way of making it. Love the lemon herb sauce and quinoa as well
SO glad to hear that Lindsay! Power to the salmon!
If lentils are good enough for C. Diaz – then they are absolutely good enough for me. Doubt the ones she’s eating are looking this delicious though! Lemon herb sauce has me drooling.
hahah right?! Thanks Cam!
Oh my word… this is the perfect intersection of healthy and delicious, Lindsay… Love it!
Thank you MB! Appreciate that!
I recommend pretty much everything by Carl Hiaasen, especially if you enjoy thriller/mysteries that are also unbelievably hilarious. Skinny Dip is a perfect book to start with!
I do love thrillers! 😀 thanks for the rec Karly!
This looks delicious! Lentils are one of my favorite foods. 🙂
Same here Sylvia!