Lean Pesto Tilapia
This post may contain affiliate links, which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
This recipe is incredibly simple – and only requires 2 ingredients! I had some tilapia in the freezer, and some pesto leftover from when I made Basil-Scented Oat and Tomato Soup, so I had everything on hand to make this. I couldn’t believe how much flavor this had! It was really tender and flaky and delicious. My only complaint is that the pesto that ran off the edges of the fish burnt on the pan pretty badly. I served these on top of couscous with green onions and Squash and Zucchini Tarts.
Lean Pesto Tilapia
Sweet Basil
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 Filet
Light and flaky tilapia with a fresh basil pesto. Perfect for slimming down, but delicious enough to satisfy hunger
4 Tilapia Filets (we use frozen from Costco)
1/2 Cup Prepared Pesto
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle the pesto evenly over each filet of fish. Place in a lightly greased baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve over rice or garlic quinoa.
Notes: You can actually bake these filets frozen. No need to even let them defrost if you don’t have time, though you may want to add a few extra minutes onto the baking time.
Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars
Ashley
Ashley Covelli is a food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor based in Ossining, New York. She loves helping people become enthusiastic and adventurous in the kitchen so that they can build skills and confidence to cook for themselves and their loved ones. She can almost always be found with at least 3 different beverages within arm's reach.
2 Comments
Brandi
thank you. this is exactly what I was looking for. I usually just stock up on frozen meats and I didn’t put anything out. but this,. straight from the freezer was awesome. thank you.
Ashley
Enjoy it! I just picked up another bag of frozen tilapia. It thaws out pretty quickly, too, since the fillets are so thin. Perfect for a busy weeknight!