Baked Pesto Salmon with Butternut Rice

Meal prep is one of the quieter forms of self-respect during AIP elimination. When you cook 4 containers at once, you take the daily decision off your own shoulders, so the version of you who is tired or flaring on Wednesday does not have to start from nothing. This sheet-pan dinner is built for exactly that: salmon, asparagus, a fresh herb pesto, and riced butternut squash standing in for rice, all packed and ready.

The salmon is a source of omega-3 fatty acids, involved in regulating inflammation, a real consideration when you are working with an Autoimmune condition. The pesto here is naturally AIP: it leans on basil and cilantro rather than the pine nuts and cheese a standard pesto would use, so nothing needs to be swapped out. Add the pesto only in the last few minutes of cooking, or keep it raw, to protect its flavor and color.

When you portion the containers, build them with a little care, the squash rice down first, then the salmon and asparagus on top. A meal you prepped ahead can still be beautiful, and eating it with presence is part of how the food does its work.

Ingredients

For the sheet pan:

• 2 lb butternut squash (riced; stands in for rice)
• 1 lb young asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3/4 tsp sea salt, divided
• Four 6-oz salmon fillets

For the pesto:

• 3 oz fresh basil
• 3 oz fresh cilantro
• 4 garlic cloves (omit for low-FODMAP)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste

(No swaps needed: the pesto uses no nuts or cheese, so it is already Core-compliant.)

Method

• Heat the oven to 400 F. Peel, seed, and chop the butternut squash, then pulse it in a food processor in batches until it reaches rice-size grains.
• Blend the pesto ingredients about 30 seconds, until combined. Adjust the oil and salt to taste.
• Toss the trimmed asparagus with some of the oil and salt, spread it on one side of a rimmed sheet pan, and roast for 10 minutes.
• Oil and salt the salmon fillets, add them to the other side of the pan, and roast 5 minutes. Coat the fillets with pesto, then roast 5 minutes more.
• While the pan finishes, saute the riced butternut squash in the remaining oil with a little salt for about 5 minutes, until crisp-tender and not mushy.
• Pack each container with the squash rice on the bottom, then the salmon and asparagus on top.

Air fryer variation

Salmon fillets do well in an air fryer. After ricing the squash and blending the pesto, air-fry the oiled, salted fillets at 390 F for about 7 to 9 minutes, then brush with pesto for the last minute or two. Air-fry the trimmed asparagus separately at 390 F for about 6 to 8 minutes, shaking the basket once. Saute the squash rice on the stovetop as above. Times depend on fillet thickness, so check at the thickest point.

*Adapted from asquirrelinthekitchen.com*