Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia (Olive Garden copy-cat recipe)

Tonight for dinner we decided to try a copycat recipe of a dish at Olive Garden.  I had this dish at Olive Garden this last summer with a friend and it was soooo delicious!!  Since then I have been craving it, but since we don't ever go out to eat (don't have a babysitter & it is expensive) I decided to find a copycat recipe of it online and try that out.  The recipe I found is below (unfortunately I didn't get a picture, because I was, ahem, a little impatient to start eating it).  One note though: we actually used Sole instead of Tilapia, which seems pretty ridiculous considering that is the main ingredient of the dish.  However, we only buy wild fish, not farm-raised fish, and since the only Tilapia we can find at grocery stores is farm-raised in China, we decided to go with Sole.  If you use Tilapia, it will be a little less fishy than the Sole, but either way it is uber delicious!! :)

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia

(Olive Garden copy-cat recipe)

Tilapia fillets (or Sole, as the case may be)

1 1/4 cups alfredo sauce (homemade or 1 jar of store bought-extra can be mixed with pasta)

8 oz angel hair pasta, cooked

1 lemon, sliced into wedges (used as garnish--don't need)

3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, for crust mixture (we made our own, but you can buy)

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for crust mixture (grate really fine)

3 T vegetable oil (can use olive oil too), for crust mixture

4 cups chopped zucchini (this was the only vegetable we used)

4 cups chopped yellow squash

2 cups red bell peppers, cut into strips

2 cups red onions, cut into strips

1 T Italian seasoning, for vegetable mixture

1 T kosher salt, for vegetable mixture

1 T chopped garlic, for vegetable mixture

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for vegetable mixture

Directions

To make the crust mixture: Using a spoon, thoroughly mix all the ingredients specified for the crust mixture together in a large bowl.

Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To make the vegetable mixture: In a large bowl, combine all vegetables and ingredients specified for vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

Place on a baking sheet, forming a single layer.

Set aside until ready for baking with Tilapia.

Assembling Parmesan-crusted Tilapia:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place tilapia in a non-stick shallow baking pan (we used a casserole dish).

Pour 3 T of Alfredo sauce on top of each fillet and use bottom of spoon to coat evenly across the top of the fish.

Sprinkle the crust mixture equally between each fillet and firmly pat the breading down on the alfredo sauce.

Baking: Place pan on top rack. 

At the same time, place baking sheet with vegetables on the center rack and close oven.

After approximately 15 minutes or once the fish reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, remove the fish from the oven, and transfer onto a large platter.

The vegetables should bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until tender, and remove from oven.

Presentation: Toss the vegetables with the angel hair pasta and the extra Alfredo sauce, if desired.  Place the pasta and vegetables around the fish.

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately.

>Click here for the original recipe.<

***

What we thought:  All in all, this recipe was a very close replica of the Parmesan-crusted Tilapia that I had at the Olive Garden this summer (though it did have a little bit stronger taste to the fish, because it was Sole).  I thought that this meal was a huge success and I seriously devoured every last bite of my fillet (and seriously it was so delicious that I'm not in the least bit ashamed about this).  The fish was very flaky and the crust was delectable.  My mouth is watering all over again just writing about.  :)  This will definitely go into the favorites file for recipes.  John didn't like it as much as I did, but he is usually really picky about fish (pretty much just likes them baked with seasonings).  We try to eat fish at least once a week, so I've been trying to find new recipes besides just straight baking with spices.  Next time we make this recipe I will use Cod, because it has a lot less pungent taste and smell than the Sole (yet still wild), which I think was most of the reason why John didn't absolutely love the dish. We hardly ever agree on a dish completely; someone always like it better than the other.  John tends to like spicy or hearty meals; I tend to like less spicy and more savory meals. Either way though, we both enjoyed this meal and it will probably become a semi-regular meal in our home.  I encourage you all to try it out some time (it is really not a lot of work, though it seems like it from all the ingredients).  If you try it out, let me know what you thought! :)

[John is reading books to Johnny right now and they are giggling up a storm, so I'm going to go join them.  Good evening to you all!]