Simple Pesto-Parmesan Baked Salmon: Reader Recipe Of The Week

This week, Cooking with Courtney is bringing you a baked salmon recipe, courtesy of Pleasanton Patch reader Katy. It's easy enough that you can throw it together on a weeknight whim — just a few ingredients needed!

Katy said she likes to keep some salmon fillets in the freezer for nights when she's not sure what to make for dinner. This recipe features pesto and parmesan, and goes great with salad and broccoli, she said.

By the way, did you know it's way easy to make pesto at home? It's worth giving a try, and in my opinion, much better than the stuff you buy at the store! You can find my recipe for homemade pesto here.

And without further ado, let's move on to Katy's tasty recipe.

Do you have a favorite recipe that you'd like to share with Patch readers? Email Patch Editor Courtney Teague at courtney.teague@patch.com with your name, city, recipe and why you love this recipe.

Ingredients

• Salmon fillets
• Pesto, to taste
• Parmesan, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Take a piece of aluminum foil, large enough to encompass your salmon. Place fillets inside and spread desired amount of pesto on top. Wrap in foil, then bake for 20-25 minutes.
3. Remove salmon from oven and preheat oven to "broil."
4. Open foil packets and sprinkle desired amount of parmesan on top. Place back into oven and broil until cheese is melted and browned. Check to ensure salmon is fully cooked and serve.

Want to mix it up? Katy said she also likes to use this method another way — simply replace pesto with olive oil, lemon and crushed garlic.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty hungry. Is it time for dinner yet?!

New: Read previous Cooking with Courtney columns here or by clicking the "Cooking with Courtney" tag at the end of this post.

Cooking with Courtney is a weekly series featuring seasonal recipes by Patch Editor Courtney Teague and reader recipe submissions. Want to submit your recipes to be posted on Patch or submit a recipe request? Email her at courtney.teague@patch.com.