Pan-Seared Salmon with Spinach

Pan-Seared Salmon with Spinach is an easy and healthy Mediterranean style dinner. Your family will love all the veggies! Ready in 30 minutes. Gluten-free, high in protein, KETO friendly dinner.

One of my favorite dinners ever is a creamy Tuscan salmon with spinach. This recipe is very similar to Tuscan salmon, except it doesn’t have any cream. Of course, salmon and spinach is not the only flavor combination there is. I also recommend salmon with asparagus, as well as cilantro lime salmon.

Mediterranean dinner

This simple recipe takes only 30 minutes. First, salmon fillets are pan-fried in olive oil in the skillet. Then, spinach is lightly sauteed together with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and capers. Pan-seared salmon fillets are served over the bed of sauteed vegetables. Delicious and healthy!

Salmon and spinach

Healthy dinner. Salmon is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Spinach is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. It’s high in fiber and a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Combining salmon and spinach together in one delicious dinner is a great way to add healthy foods to your diet!
30-minute recipe. Quickly sear the salmon in olive oil, then lightly saute spinach with other ingredients. That’s it! Your family will love this dinner, and you don’t have to spend much time to make it!
One-pan recipe. Salmon is seared in the same skillet where you saute the vegetables. One pan to clean! What’s not to love?
KETO friendly meal. Salmon is a high protein food packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Both spinach and salmon are great choices for a KETO diet!

Salmon skin: on or off?

Salmon skin is delicious especially when is the salmon is pan-fried. When you pan-sear the salmon with skin on in olive oil on medium heat, the skin gets crunchy and crispy. So good!
Salmon skin contains a good amount of nutrients.
Salmon skin protects the fish from overcooking. The skin will help salmon fillet retain its shape while you sear it. It will also protect it from overcooking. Also, it’s much easier to remove the skin once the salmon is cooked! Slide the spatula between the salmon fillet and the skin to remove the skin.

How to make pan-seared salmon with spinach

How to pan sear salmon
1) Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Season salmon fillets with salt.
2) When the oil is hot, add salmon fillets flesh side down (skin side up). Sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
4) Then, flip the salmon fillets to the other side (skin side down). Sear for another 4 or 5 minutes on medium heat until salmon is flaky. Remove salmon from the skillet.

Prepare the vegetables
1) To the same, now empty, skillet, add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic.

2) Add chopped artichokes, capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

3) Add fresh spinach.

4) Cook, stirring until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes. Season with salt if needed.

Assembly
1) Add pan-seared salmon on top of the vegetable mixture.

2) Spoon some of the vegetable mixture over the salmon.

Side dishes for pan-seared salmon

Roasted vegetables. Green vegetables go really well with pan-seared salmon. Try roasted asparagus, oven-roasted broccoli, garlic green beans with bacon, or cooked spinach.
Pasta. If you crave some carbs with your salmon dinner, serve angel hair pasta, spaghetti, penne, or ziti pasta.
Spaghetti squash. Roast spaghetti squash in the oven and scrape out the spaghetti squash strands with the fork. Roasted spaghetti squash is a great gluten-free side dish for salmon.

Salmon and Trout recipes

If you enjoyed pan-fried salmon with spinach, check out these easy recipes:

Pan-Seared Salmon with Spinach

Pan-Seared Salmon with Spinach is an easy and healthy Mediterranean style dinner. Your family will love all the veggies! Ready in 30 minutes. Gluten-free, high in protein, KETO friendly dinner.

Salmon

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb salmon fillets ((3 or 4 salmon fillets))
1/4 teaspoon salt

Vegetables and other ingredients

3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
1 cup artichoke hearts (chopped)
2 tablespoons capers (drained)
6 oz spinach (fresh)
salt

How to sear salmon

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
Season salmon fillets with salt.
When the oil is hot, add salmon fillets flesh side down (skin side up). Sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to medium.
Flip the salmon fillets to the other side (skin side down). Sear for another 4 or 5 minutes on medium heat until salmon is flaky.
Remove salmon from the skillet.

Prepare the vegetables

To the same, now empty, skillet, add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped artichokes, capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add fresh spinach, and continue cooking and stirring until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes. Season with salt if needed.

Assembly

Add pan-seared salmon on top of the vegetable mixture.

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Simple Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Simple Beet Salad with Goat Cheese is a healthy and delicious addition to your dinner menu! Use any kind of beets you like: boiled, steamed, or roasted. Top the salad with toasted pine nuts.

Beet salad with goat cheese is a perfect salad to serve with any main course. The earthy flavor of beets is balanced by the creaminess of goat cheese and the crunchiness of toasted pine nuts.

Whether you’re making salmon with asparagus or lamb chops with mustard sauce, a simple beet salad is always an elegant choice. It’s healthy and gluten-free!

Fresh baby spinach and beets are tossed with the simple dressing made with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and coarsely ground black pepper. For crunch, add toasted pine nuts and for creaminess, add crumbled goat cheese. You can use all kinds of beets in this salad: boiled, steamed, or roasted. My favorite (and the easiest and the least messy) way to cook beets is to boil them. Below I provide detailed instructions on how to boil beets.

Simple beet salad

Basic ingredients. The salad has only 4 ingredients: beets, spinach, goat cheese, and pine nuts. Simple homemade salad dressing requires only 2 ingredients (olive oil and lemon juice) plus salt and pepper.
Flexibility. This is a versatile recipe with lots of variations. You can use either spinach or arugula. You can also use a variety of cheeses and different kinds of nuts.

SUBSTITUTIONS

What is a good substitute for spinach? Arugula has a mustard-like yet soft flavor and is a great substitute for spinach.
What can you replace pine nuts with? Use toasted slivered almonds or sliced almonds instead of pine nuts. You can also use toasted pumpkin seeds.
What cheese can you use instead of goat cheese? Ricotta cheese or feta cheese are both good substitutes for goat cheese.
What other toppings can you use? To dress up the simple beet salad, add dried fruit, such as dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins. You can also add diced veggies, such as avocado or cherry tomatoes. Or, add crumbled bacon.
Salad dressing. Use a simple dressing made with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Or, use any store-bought salad dressing of your choice.

How to boil beets

There are many ways to cook beets. You can roast them in the oven or steam them. Or, you can simply boil them. The best and the least messy way to cook beets is to boil them. It’s my favorite method and the easiest way I know. Below I provide detailed instructions on how to boil beets.

Place beets in a large saucepan with water.
Bring to boil. Once the water starts boiling, boil the beets for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow the beets rest in the saucepan with hot water, with the lid on, for another 20 minutes.
Carefully pour the hot water out.
After the beets have cooled off, you can use a butter knife to easily peel the skin off them.

HOW TO TOAST PINE NUTS

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Spread the pine nuts in one layer over the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Roast for 5 minutes.
Note: pine nuts get burned really quickly. Watch them closely and remove promptly from the oven.

Best goat cheese to use in salads

Use fresh goat cheese. Fresh goat cheese is soft, without a rind. Fresh goat cheese is usually sold in logs at the store.
How to crumble goat cheese? Sometimes, using your hands to crumble a goat cheese does not work well, because the cheese is so soft. I find it easier to use a fork and scoop out just as much cheese as I need onto a small plate. Then, I crumble it with a fork on a plate.

SIMPLE SALAD DRESSING

You only need 4 ingredients: olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and coarsely ground black pepper.
Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until emulsified.

HOW TO MAKE BEET SALAD

First, combine baby spinach leaves and sliced beets in a large bowl.
Add your favorite salad dressing and toss to combine.
Next, top the salad with toasted pine nuts and crumbled goat cheese.
Finally, sprinkle coarsely ground black pepper over the salad.

Other Salad Recipes

If you enjoyed this simple beet salad, you might also like these easy and healthy recipes:

Main Course Ideas

Below are some main dishes that will go great with a simple beet salad with goat cheese:

Simple Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Simple Beet Salad with Goat Cheese is healthy and delicious! Easy homemade salad dressing is made with lemon juice and olive oil. Great recipe to use boiled beets, roasted beets, or marinated beets.

Salad Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Beet Salad

6 oz baby spinach (fresh)
2 beets (, cooked, diced)
1/3 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1/3 cup goat cheese (crumbled)

Salad Dressing

Add dressing ingredients to a medium size bowl. Whisk to combine.

Beet Salad

Add baby spinach and diced cooked beets to a large bowl.
Add the salad dressing and toss to combine.
Top with toasted pine nuts and crumbled goat cheese. Season with extra black pepper if desired.

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Paccheri Pasta with Sausage

Paccheri with Sausage in creamy tomato sauce is an easy yet elegant Italian pasta dish to make at home! Large tubular pasta is smothered in a tomato cream sauce with bell peppers and sausage.

Pasta and sausage make one of my favorite combinations. Just take a look at the sausage tortellini recipe and smoked sausage pasta.

This time I decided to use short, tube-shaped pasta I’ve seen recently at the store. Paccheri pasta got my attention because of its size – it’s about 1 inch in diameter. I knew it would go well with a tomato-based meat sauce and would look great on a plate!

Paccheri pasta has an amazing texture and flavor when combined with Italian sausage, bell peppers, and tomato cream sauce. It’s one of those recipes that a whole family will appreciate. This large pasta with ridges looks impressive on a plate!

Tomato cream sauce is made using basic ingredients, such as store-bought tomato sauce, heavy cream, and basil.

What is paccheri?

Paccheri is a large, short, tubular shaped pasta. Paccheri originates in Campania, a region in Southern Italy, and is often used in Neopolitan cuisine.
It is usually topped with sauce, such as ragu (meat-based sauce). Paccheri is also often stuffed with various ingredients, such as ricotta or burrata cheese.
Paccheri pasta usually has a smooth surface. Some types of paccheri have ridges down their length.

Paccheri vs rigatoni

Paccheri is much larger and wider compared to rigatoni, although both types of pasta look very similar in shape.
Both rigatoni and paccheri are often served with sauces.

What to serve with Paccheri pasta

Bread. Serve baguette, garlic bread, olive bread or sourdough bread with your pasta. For a crunchy crust, reheat the bread briefly in the preheated oven.
Salad. Throw some greens together with olive oil or balsamic vinegar based salad dressing. Top with toasted nuts and Parmesan cheese. Simple spinach salad is a great choice!

Substitutions

What can you use instead of paccheri? You can use other short, tube-shaped pasta. Rigatoni is the best choice. You can also use penne or ziti.
What kind of sausage to use with pasta? Use Italian ground pork sausage without casings. It’s best to use spicy sausage.
What is a good substitute for canned tomato sauce? You can use canned diced tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce.

How to make paccheri pasta

1) In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage on medium heat, until the meat is cooked through. Drain off fat.

2) Next, add tomato sauce.

3) Add diced bell peppers and basil, bring to boil.

4) Immediately reduce to simmer and add heavy cream.

5) Stir the sauce to combine.

6) Cook paccheri pasta al dente. Drain. Add cooked paccheri to the skillet with the sauce. Increase the heat, until the sauce simmers.

7) Season with salt and pepper.

Other pasta sauces to make with paccheri

Paccheri Pasta with Sausage

Paccheri with Sausage in creamy tomato sauce is an easy yet elegant Italian pasta dish to make at home! Ready in 30 minutes. Great recipe to make for a family night. Large tubular pasta is smothered in a tomato cream sauce with bell peppers and sausage.

1 lb Italian sausage (spicy)
15 oz tomato sauce (canned)
1 bell pepper (diced)
1/2 teaspoon basil (dried)
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz paccheri pasta
salt and pepper

In a large skillet, cook sausage on medium heat, until the meat is cooked through. Drain off fat.
Add tomato sauce, diced bell peppers, and basil, bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and add heavy cream.
Cook paccheri pasta al dente. Drain.
Add cooked paccheri to the skillet with the sausage and tomato cream sauce. Increase the heat, until the sauce simmers. Season with salt and pepper.

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Simple Spinach Salad

Simple Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts, Parmesan Cheese and easy homemade salad dressing. Ready in 15 minutes! This healthy spinach salad is a great addition to your family weeknight dinners.

If you want to add something healthy and easy to your weekly dinners, you HAVE to make this simple spinach salad. It goes perfectly with pasta, such as chicken pasta or shrimp pasta. It’s also a great side dish for seafood dinners. For example, serve it alongside trout recipe or with pesto shrimp.

This salad takes only 15 minutes to make. Toss fresh baby spinach with the simple dressing made with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and coarsely ground black pepper. Dress it up with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Made with baby spinach, this is the best spinach salad to prepare on a busy weeknight! The salad itself has only 3 ingredients, and the homemade salad dressing requires only 4 (olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and cracked black pepper!). You can also use your favorite salad dressing or a store-bought dressing.

If you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen, quick and easy spinach salad is what you need!

Substitutions

What is a good substitute for spinach? Arugula has a mustard-like yet soft flavor and is a great substitute for spinach.
What can you replace pine nuts with? If you don’t want to use pine nuts, use toasted slivered almonds or sliced almonds. You can also use toasted pumpkin seeds.
What cheese can you use instead of Parmesan? You can replace Parmesan with Pecorino Romano or Asiago cheese. You can also use goat cheese or feta cheese.
Salad dressing. Use a simple dressing made with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Or, use any store-bought salad dressing of your choice.

Toppings for simple spinach salad

Add simple toppings to your salad to make it a little bit more sophisticated. Here are some suggestions:

Vegetables. Top spinach salad with sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, or diced cucumber.
Berries. Sliced strawberries go really well in salads. You can also use blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
Fruit. Add sliced apple, pear, mango, or grapes to your spinach salad.
Dried fruit. Top spinach salad with raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries.
Nuts. Add pine nuts, slivered almonds, pecans to your spinach salad. Make sure to lightly toast nuts in the preheated oven. Nuts taste better and have a better, crunchier texture after light toasting.
Condiments. Capers, sun-dried tomatoes, or olives are all great toppings on salads.
Cheese. Add shaved Parmesan, Pecorino Romano or Asiago. You can also use feta, goat cheese, or Gorgonzola cheese.
Other toppings. Add diced cooked bacon, chopped eggs, or grilled chicken.

How to make spinach salad

First, combine baby spinach leaves in a large bowl.
Then, add your favorite salad dressing. Toss to combine.
Next, top the salad with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese.
Finally, sprinkle coarsely ground black pepper over the salad.

How to toast pine nuts

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Spread the pine nuts in one layer over the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Roast for 5 minutes.
Note: pine nuts get burned really quickly. Watch them closely and remove promptly from the oven.

Spinach salad dressing

This recipe features the best salad dressing for spinach salad. Why? Because it is so simple and it requires basic ingredients found in any pantry. You only need 4 ingredients: olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and coarsely ground black pepper.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until emulsified.

Other spinach salad recipes

Simple Spinach Salad

Easy Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts and Parmesan and homemade dressing made with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and black pepper. Ready in 15 minutes! The best salad for a family weeknight dinner.

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice (, freshly squeezed)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Spinach Salad

6 oz spinach (fresh)
1/3 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (shaved)

Dressing

Add dressing ingredients to a medium bowl. Whisk to emulsify.

Spinach Salad

Add spinach to a large bowl.
Toss with the salad dressing.
Top with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese. Season with extra black pepper, if desired.

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Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach

Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach – quick and easy dinner made in 30 minutes! Pan-seared salmon is combined with the delicious penne in a flavorful, restaurant-quality cream sauce.

Salmon is a great fish to cook with! It’s flavorful, flaky and packed with omega-3 fatty acids. My favorite salmon recipes include cilantro lime honey garlic salmon and Tuscan salmon. In this elegant dish, I combined pan-seared salmon together with the most amazing cream sauce and pasta.

It’s a comfort food that a whole family will love! Salmon pasta is also great for using up any leftover cooked salmon you might have.

The cream sauce is made with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, red pepper flakes, and heavy cream. And, when you add freshly wilted spinach to the mix, you get the best salmon pasta you’ll ever try! Even if you have overcooked salmon – the cream sauce will fix that and make salmon taste moist and tender!

Salmon pasta: easy and flexible recipe

Pan-seared or roasted salmon. Cook the salmon any way you like for this recipe! Pan sear salmon in a skillet or roast it in the oven. It’s up to you!
Use any type of pasta. Short pasta, such as penne, bow tie or ziti will work great. Long strand pasta, such as spaghetti or fettuccine, will work equally well.
Perfect for leftovers. Have leftover cooked salmon? Add it to this creamy pasta! The cream sauce will make leftover salmon taste amazing, even if the salmon is overcooked.
The cream sauce is what makes this pasta really special. This sauce is full of flavor, made with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, paprika, and spinach.

Substitutions

What other fish can you use? This recipe will work great with either salmon or trout.
Make this salmon pasta gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta!
What other veggies will work? You can use Swiss chard, kale or arugula instead of spinach.

Tips and tricks

Use skin-on salmon fillets. Do not remove the skin. It’s much easier to cook salmon with skin still on. It also helps prevent salmon from drying out during cooking. And, it’s much easier to remove the skin, once the salmon is cooked. Just slide the spoon between the skin and the flesh of cooked salmon to remove the skin.
Use sun-dried tomatoes in oil.
Use paprika generously. It adds lots of flavor as well as beautiful color to your salmon pasta.

What to serve with salmon pasta

Simple green salad, such as spinach or arugula salad tossed with olive oil and lemon juice.
Garlic bread or baguette.

How to make salmon pasta

First, pan-sear salmon seasoned with salt in olive oil in a large skillet. Sear salmon fillets for about 4-5 minutes on each side on medium-high heat until salmon is flaky.
Remove salmon from the skillet.
Remove skin from the salmon. Slice salmon into big chunks.
Next, make the cream sauce. In the same skillet, cook chopped sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic. Add spinach and cook until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes.
Then, add 1 cup of heavy cream, paprika, red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 1 minute, stirring.
Cook penne pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
Finally, assemble the dish. Add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce.
Then, add salmon chunks to the creamy pasta.
Season with salt, if needed.

Other salmon recipes

Other pasta dishes that you can serve with salmon

Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach

Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach – quick and easy dinner made in 30 minutes! Pan-seared salmon is combined with the delicious penne in a flavorful, restaurant-quality cream sauce.