I made this last week & put the picture below on Instagram & Facebook & so many of you asked for the recipe that I had to put it up. There’s a bit of a secret to this dish though, it’s where the “cheater’s” comes from, (remember cheater’s broccoli cheese soup & the cheater’s chicken parmigana?) you don’t have to do anything more for the creamy spinach stuffing than to pick up a spoon & plop on some dip. Yup, spinach dip is your hero with this dish. (and since someone always asks…the nail polish is Big Apple Red
Start off by preheating your oven to 350, next grease (I used olive oil spray) a glass baking dish that’s large enough for all of your filets to sit comfortably. Line the bottom of the dish with about a half a bag of baby spinach.
I requested that my butcher cut me 3 salmon filets that were 80z each with the skin removed. So, that’s what I got. Simple as can be.
Now you need to cut your salmon (or chicken breasts if fish isn’t your thing) in half width-wise, I’ve found the easiest way to do this without completely butchering your piece of meat is to press one hand on top of the meat & then very slowly slice with your other hand. Every once in awhile stop & check to make sure you’re cutting evenly & stop before you get to the other end. We’re just making a pocket for the goodies. Place filets in baking dish.
Stuff each of your salmon filets with a good dollop of spinach dip & then a healthy sprinkle of 3 cheese blend. Close the fish lid & season well with salt, pepper, thyme & garlic powder. Next press a handful of panko breadcrumbs on top of each filet & then cover each filet with a good spray of olive oil cooking spray. This will help the breadcrumbs crisp up instead of getting mushy. Mushy bread & fish=gross.
Cook for 25-30 min or until salmon is opaque throughout. Serve with the spinach in the bottom of the pan as well as a creamy side like the garlic quinoa I made or perhaps a lemony orzo. Enjoy!
Shopping List:
- One salmon filet per person, 8oz, skin removed
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 3 cheese blend bag (it’s usually something like parm, asiago & mozzarella)
- 1 tub of creamy spinach dip (spinach artichoke or other variation would be fine)
- panko breadcrumbs
- olive oil cooking spray
- seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme
Looks so good! wish I liked fish!!!
mamaplusmini.blogspot.com
looks delicious!
Just wondering if your kids eat this, my kids eat some strange things but not sure if they’d eat this, looks very yummy!
Good question, I totally forgot to mention that I made one of them stuffed just with the cheese blend, not the spinach dip!
Your girls are just so cute! Where did you go strawberry picking in the area???
This looks so yummy. I plan on making it tonight with chicken!! Do I cook it for the same amount of time? Or does that change with a different meat? Also, with chicken can I still line the pan with spinach?
Thanks so much! I love your blog!
Yes to the spinach & although I haven’t actually done it myself I would say yes to the cooking time. Especially since the chicken is cut in half, that makes it cook quicker. Just to be sure I would lift the flap on one & make sure you don’t see any pink. I’m going to try the chicken next & I’ll be sure to post an update!
Hey lady, I tried out the method with pepper jelly dip, might have fangirled just a bit in my post. Thanks for the inspiration!