Make Easy Baked Tilapia in just 20 Minutes

Keep simple meals like this 20-minute Easy Baked Tilapia on your meal plan for busy weeknights. It’s one of the easiest ways to cook tilapia so it’s definitely a favorite of mine.

We eat a lot of tilapia, and this is my go-to recipe for busy nights when I don’t have time to cook anything more complicated.

This is also an example of a naturally gluten-free meal. It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you want to feed the family a healthy dinner.

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When you’re struggling to get dinner on the table, to save money, to feed your family healthy foods–you need quick and easy meals like this Easy Baked Tilapia recipe.

I like the easy combination of protein + grain + veggie for a simple meal that takes about 20 minutes to pull together. There’s a reason this simple recipe is in my meal plan rotation. It’s delicious and is ready so quickly!

This recipe is flavorful and so simple to make, and the flavors could go just as well with chicken or pork if you’d prefer (just increase the cooking time).

While the tilapia is baking, I pull together some brown rice or quinoa and a green veggie for a simple, healthy dinner.

If you want to try some other tilapia recipes, my kids also love Asian Fish in a Packet and these Tilapia Recipes for Kids.

If you don’t want to turn on the oven, try making Air Fryer Tilapia instead. That’s another way to save fat and calories over fried fish.

What you need to make this recipe at home

This is such an easy recipe. You’ll likely have most of what you need to make this one at home already. Just add the fish to your grocery list and you’ll be all set.

I like to keep frozen tilapia fillets on hand so that I can pull them out, thaw, and whip up this great recipe the same day! It’s perfect in a pinch and it keeps me focused on healthy options.

• 1 lb. tilapia fillets
• olive oil or melted butter
• salt and pepper
• minced garlic
• dried parsley
• lemon wedges (optional)

How to make baked tilapia

Easy recipes are the best! Just preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and prepare a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. You can also line it with foil, and then spray, for super easy cleanup.

Lay the tilapia in a single layer in the baking pan, and drizzle with olive oil or melted butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add garlic and sprinkle with parsley. Bake for 15 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

When serving, you can squeeze a lemon wedge over each fillet. My kids don’t like that, but I love the added flavor!

My favorite kitchen supplies make cooking at home easy:

• Glass 9×12 Baking Pan
• Slotted Spatula
• Oval Serving Platter

Why bake tilapia?

There are so many ways to make tilapia, but I prefer to bake it for two reasons: 1) it’s hands-off so I can focus on side dishes and 2) it’s healthier that way!

If your kids are used to fish sticks, you may want to try pan fried tilapia which is also very lightly-seasoned for kids. You can also make homemade tilapia fish sticks to avoid buying processed frozen food.

More family-friendly fish recipes

Here’s the great thing about fish…it cooks SO quickly. I love that on busy weeknights I can have a nutritious dinner recipe on the table in no time.

The problem is that not all kids like fish. Here are some great family friendly fish recipes so you can work on getting your family to eat more of these easy, wholesome, delicious meals:

• Recipe For Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
• Super Salmon Recipes that Kids Will Eat
• Lemon Butter Tilapia Fillet Recipe
• 10 Air Fryer Tilapia Recipes

That’s right, fish recipes that even young kids will beg for! I love finding creative ways to get my kids eating more fish.

Fish fillets are so healthy and easy to make. Plus, encouraging them to be adventurous eaters at a young age helps set them up for better nutrition, healthy choices later in life, and less stress in the kitchen for me.

Printable Easy Baked Tilapia Recipe

Can’t make this delicious tilapia tonight? That’s all right! Here’s an easy way to print and save the recipe for future use.

You can always come back here to find the recipe but the printable version below means you have a one page printout on hand for the next time you need a quick, simple, and delicious dinner recipe.