Garlic Butter Salmon with Sweet Potato & Broccoli — Solo Dinner Under $5.
Salmon for under $5 sounds too good to be true — but when you know how to shop, it’s completely doable. Frozen salmon fillets are just as nutritious as fresh and cost a fraction of the price. Pan-seared with a simple garlic butter sauce and paired with roasted sweet potato and steamed broccoli, this solo dinner hits every macro target while feeling like a proper sit-down meal. It’s the kind of plate that makes eating healthy feel effortless instead of expensive. High in omega-3s, loaded with protein, and on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the cubed sweet potato with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Spread in a single layer and roast for 20–22 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until tender and lightly caramelized.
- About 10 minutes before the sweet potato is done, start the salmon. Pat the fillet dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the salmon skin-side up and cook for 3–4 minutes without moving it.
- Flip the salmon. Add the butter and minced garlic to the pan. As the butter melts, spoon it over the salmon repeatedly for 2–3 minutes until the fillet is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
- While the salmon finishes, steam or microwave the broccoli florets for 2–3 minutes until bright green and just tender. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Squeeze lemon juice over the salmon right before plating.
- Plate with the salmon as the centerpiece, sweet potato on one side, broccoli on the other. Spoon any remaining garlic butter from the pan over everything.
Notes
Frozen salmon fillets are nutritionally identical to fresh and regularly go on sale for $4–5 for a two-pack, bringing each serving well under $2.50 for the protein alone. Always check the frozen fish section before buying fresh. Sweet potatoes are one of the cheapest high-nutrient carbs you can buy year-round — grab a small bag instead of individual ones to cut the per-serving cost even further.
