Meal Prep
Spicy Tomato Basil Salmon Orzo
Spicy Tomato Basil Salmon Orzo Bowls are the kind of meal prep that feels both fresh and comforting at the same time. Golden-seared salmon sits on top of tomato-basil orzo that cooks directly in a garlicky crushed tomato sauce, soaking up layers of flavor from herbs and medium heat spices. It’s hearty without feeling heavy, macro-friendly without being boring, and the kind of balanced bowl that reheats beautifully all week.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
Spicy Tomato Basil Salmon Orzo
57.3g protein775 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 15 mins
- Cook Time
- 20 mins
- Total Time
- 35 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the Pan-Seared Salmon:
For the Spicy Tomato Basil Orzo:
Instructions
Cook the Salmon
Season the salmon fillets with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
4 fillets salmon, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder
Heat a large skillet over medium high with olive oil and pan sear the salmon for a few minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Remove the salmon from the skillet and set aside.
1 tbsp olive oil
Make the Spicy Tomato Basil Orzo
3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp tomato paste
14 ½ oz canned crushed tomatoes, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, ½ tsp chili powder, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 cup chicken broth
Add the dry orzo directly into the tomato mixture and stir well. Let the orzo simmer, stirring occasionally, until it absorbs most of the liquid and becomes tender- about 12 to 14 minutes. Add more broth as needed to reach your preferred consistency.
8 oz dry orzo
Stir in the chopped basil & spinach and season with salt and pepper.
½ cup fresh basil, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 2 cup fresh spinach
Assemble the Bowls
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Calories
- 775 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 55.5 g
- Protein
- 57.3 g
- Fat
- 35.4 g
- Saturated Fat
- 7.66 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 9.77 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11.22 g
- Trans Fat
- 0.12 g
- Cholesterol
- 126 mg
- Sodium
- 1,459 mg
- Potassium
- 1,533 mg
- Fiber
- 5.4 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 255 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 29.83 mg
- Vitamin D
- 24.95 mcg
- Calcium
- 111 mg
- Iron
- 5.19 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$5.97 per serving · $23.86 for this batch
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- salmon: $17.74
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Owner-approved October 3, 2026 recipe standard: one raw Atlantic salmon fillet per serving. Nutrition and ingredient-use cost assume 8 oz (226.796185 g) per fillet. This is an editorial serving standard, not a measured or guaranteed package weight. Actual fillet size and nutrition vary. Observed sale price (regular price $9.86). Includes skin; fillet sizes vary.
Walmart: Marketside Coho Salmon Skin-On Frozen · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.18
13.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.01
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.03
3.1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 3.1 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.03
2.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.4 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- dry orzo: $0.62
226.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Orzo Pasta, 16 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- canned crushed tomatoes: $0.81
411.1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Crushed Tomatoes with Tomato Puree, 28 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- cherry tomatoes: $1.56
149 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (cherry tomatoes) = 149 g Grape tomatoes used as a price proxy for cherry tomatoes.
Walmart: NatureSweet Cherubs Heavenly Grape Tomatoes, 10oz Package, Fresh · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic: $0.16
9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
3 clove = 9 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Spice World Fresh Peeled Garlic, 6 oz, Pouch · Price checked 2026-09-21
- tomato paste: $0.09
16 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 16 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Tomato Paste, 6 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red pepper flakes: $0.05
1.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 1.8 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Crushed Red Pepper, 1.75 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- chili powder: $0.02
1.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.7 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Chili Powder, 3 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Italian seasoning: $0.04
1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 1 g; Editorial dried-leaf blend estimate: 1 g/tsp. Nutrition uses the separately documented composed blend. Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Italian Seasoning · Price checked 2026-09-21
- fresh basil: $1.63
12 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
0.25 cup (leaves whole) = 6 g; texture=leaves Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Basil, 0.5 oz Clamshell · Price checked 2026-09-21
- chicken broth: $0.39
249 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 249 g Liquid carton treated as 32 US fl oz; stock uses the broth reference where applicable.
Walmart: Great Value Gluten-Free Chicken Broth, 32 oz Carton (Shelf-Stable) · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.02
0.6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- fresh spinach: $0.42
60 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 30 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Marketside Fresh Spinach, 10 oz Bag (Fresh) · Price checked 2026-09-21
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein57.3g30%
- Carbs55.5g29%
- Fat35.4g41%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
The orzo cooks directly in the tomato mixture, so have extra broth available and stir along the bottom as it simmers. The goal is orzo with a little bite in a sauce that still moves. Stop short of a completely soft finish because the pasta keeps taking up liquid in the fridge and softens more when reheated. Crushed tomatoes form the base, while cherry tomatoes, spinach, and fresh basil give the finished meal more texture.
Cook the salmon first and let it wait off the heat while you make the orzo. Portion the pasta before placing the fish on top so you can divide both components deliberately. This is a pasta meal prep with a tomato-based sauce rather than a creamy one, making it a different direction from many of the other orzo dishes in the collection. If you started with skin-on fillets, remove the skin while the cooked fish is still hot, before you turn your attention to the orzo. It is easier to separate then and takes care of the entire batch at once.
Add a small splash of water or broth to a chilled serving if the orzo has absorbed most of the sauce. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Stir gently around the salmon at the pause and check the center of the fillet before adding more time. Keep extra basil for afterward if using. With a listed 35-minute total, this is a useful option among the quicker meal preps when you want a complete fish-and-pasta lunch. Red pepper flakes and chili powder both contribute heat, so adjust them together for a milder batch. More seafood options are in the fish archive, with related flavors in the Mediterranean-inspired recipes.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
★★★★★
This recipe exists because tomato & basil ROCKS! And pairing it with blackened salmon... oh goodness. When done, this is something you'd expect to find in a pretty upscale restaurant. Let me know if this one hit for you!