Tomato and Spinach Baked Tilapia with Mashed “Caulitaters”

 Happy Day before Easter! Time for egg hunts and family dinners. Hubby and I just have fur-kids these days and they’re not into egg hunting, so we’ll forgo that activity. We’ll be headed to church tomorrow morning, then maybe out to a nice lunch. If you plan to cook tomorrow, try this non-traditional Easter meal – Tomato and Spinach Baked Tilapia with Mashed “Caulitaters.”

Caulitaters? Yes, this is what was created when I only had two small red potatoes and no desire to make a trip tot the store. I’ve done mashed cauliflower before so this time it was going to be a combination of the two. I also added cheese to my mash but you can easily omit them to subtract the calories.

We order produce and other goodies from the Utah Community Food Co-Op. They carry local produce and other groceries and their mission is to provide low cost food to everyone. They are run completely by volunteers so the cost stays low. For our last purchase, we had the potatoes, cauliflower, spinach, cherry tomatoes, kiwi, lettuce, oranges and other delicious items. This meal used quite a bit of our local produce.  

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Tomato & Spinach Baked Tilapia with Mashed “Caulitaters”

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Serves	2
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	25 minutes
Allergy	Milk
Meal type	Main Dish

Delicious flaky tilapia with a healthier mash potato side dish.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Pompeian Varietals Olive Oil
• 2 tilapia filets
• 1/2 bunch fresh spinach (stems removed)
• 10 cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
• 2 cloves roasted garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 red potatoes (cut into 8 pieces)
• 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup 1% milk
• 2oz shredded cheddar jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons fat free sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Note

The caulitaters can be an excellent side for chicken or beef too!

Directions

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a rectangular glass baking dish, lay the tilapia side by side. Drizzle with the olive oil. Add the spinach and tomatoes on top of the fish. Smash up the roasted garlic and sprinkle it over the fish. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boiling. Add the potatoes, cauliflower and garlic. Cook until potatoes are soft.

Step 3

Drain the potatoes and cauliflower and return to the pot. Add butter and milk. Mash a bit with a potato masher, then smooth it out using an immersion blender. If you like yours with lumps, just use a regular masher and avoid the blender. Mix in the cheese and sour cream. Serve with the tilapia. Garnish with fresh parsley (optional)

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 Hubby is a new fan of tilapia and he thought this was wonderful. He is not a fan of cherry tomatoes, so I ate them all. The smooth creamy “caulitaters”  were so delicious. They were almost a disaster. I wasn’t paying attention and put way too much milk in them (not what the recipe calls for, but probably twice as much). I didn’t have any spare potatoes or cauliflower but I did have some instant mashed potatoes on hand and added enough in to soak up the extra liquid. Runny mashed taters are horrible!! The instant potatoes saved the day.

If you want to see other fish, shellfish or seafood recipes, check out my Pinterest board. There is something there for everyone.  How do you like to cook fish?

Follow Lori’s Culinary’s board Fish, Shellfish & Seafood on Pinterest.