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You have to try this fish casserole! I knew it was a winner with the first bite. The recipe was given to us by my Mama-in-law and her friend shared it with her. When a recipe gets shared over and over, you know it’s good. Seriously, this is MOUTH-WATERING! It also tastes healthy and light. The tilapia is juicy and flaky without a hint of fishiness.
The sweet veggies complement it beautifully. If you aren’t a fan of tilapia, you can easily substitute your favorite fish and get the same delicious results. I want more! We ate it up real quick! This dish is perfect for company. It is easy to make, smells and tastes delicious and your guests and family will love it.
Tilapia Ingredients:
2 lbs (about 6-10 count) Tilapia fillets, thawed
Olive Oil to saute
1 Tbsp ketchup (several readers had great results with Sriracha instead of ketchup)
1 Tbsp mayo
Marinade Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Salt and 1/8 tsp Pepper
Vegetable Ingredients:
2 medium bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow)
2 medium/large carrots, julienned or grated
1 medium onion
How to Make Tilapia and Vegetable Casserole:
1. Whisk together marinade ingredients. Combine with tilapia in a large ziploc bag or bowl and marinate in the fridge at least 1 1/2 hours.
2. Slice onions into thin half circles, slice bell pepper into thin strips and julienne or grate carrots. In a large skillet over medium/high, heat 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute onions for 3 minutes or until softened. Add sliced bell peppers and carrots and saute another 4-5 min or until softened. Remove from pan and set veggies aside.
3. Once fish is done marinating, drain and discard marinade. In the same empty skillet over medium/high, add 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute fish lightly on the skillet just until golden on the outside (about 2 min per side) – it’s ok if it’s not cooked through completely at this point. Also, it probably would have been easier to turn the fish on a non-stick skillet :-O.
4. Layer the casserole dish with 1/2 of the vegetables on the bottom. Place fish over the vegetables. Stir together 1 Tbsp ketchup and 1 Tbsp mayo and brush this mixture evenly over the top of the fish. Cover fish with remaining veggies. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper to taste then cover tightly with foil or lid and bake at 375˚F for 15 min.
Tilapia and Vegetable Casserole Recipe

Ingredients
Tilapia Ingredients:
- 2 lbs about 6-10 count Tilapia fillets, thawed
- Olive Oil to saute
- 1 Tbsp ketchup, several readers had great results with sriracha instead of ketchup
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
Marinade Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Salt and 1/8 tsp Pepper
Vegetable Ingredients:
- 2 medium bell peppers, (red, orange or yellow)
- 2 medium/large carrots, julienned or grated
- 1 medium onion
Instructions
- Whisk together marinade ingredients. Combine with tilapia in a large ziploc bag or bowl and marinate in the fridge 1 1/2 hours.
- Slice onions into thin half circles, slice bell pepper into thin strips and julienne or grate carrots. In a large skillet over medium/high, heat 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute onions for 3 min or until softened. Add sliced bell peppers and carrots and saute another 4-5 min or until softened. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Once fish is done marinating, drain and discard marinade. In the same empty skillet over medium/high, add 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute fish lightly on the skillet just until golden on the outside (about 2 min per side) - it's ok if it's not fully cooked through at this point.
- Layer the casserole dish with 1/2 of the vegetables on the bottom, then Place fish over the vegetables. Stir together 1 Tbsp ketchup and 1 Tbsp mayo and brush this mixture evenly over the top of the fish. Cover fish with remaining veggies. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper to taste then cover tightly with foil or lid and bake at 375˚F for 15 min.
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love):
* It’s so handy to have multiple sizes of liquid measuring cups.
* This is my favorite baking casserole dish. I love that it has a lid!
* We search high & low for a perfect julienne slicer. This Swissmar is it!
* If using a slicer or mandolin, you have to try these safety gloves!
what are some good sides to go with this dish?!..
My top picks are mashed potatoes and leafy green salads.
This dish is a 5⭐️ I make it all the time. I’m just wondering if I can skip frying the fish part and just bake it longer?
I’m so happy you love the recipe! To be honest, I haven’t tried it that way, but I think sauteeing it first would work better because it seals in the juiciness of the fish, also, if you cook it too long, you risk overcooking the vegetables on top.
Natasha, thank you very much for sharing the recipe! Very delicious and super easy to make.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Our favourite fish dish hands down! Made it tonight for valentines dinner 🙂
Annie, thank you for the great review, looks like you have a new favorite 😃.
This is the best tilapia I’ve ever tried! It’s so yummy! Thank you. :)))
That’s just awesome! Thank you for the fantastic review 🙂
Hi Natasha! I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for my family this past week. It was super easy and AMAZING! It’s our new favorite way to eat tilapia! It was even yummy heated up the next day! Thanks so much for this great recipe!
Sabrina, what a nice review 😁, I’m so glad your family likes it and you are very welcome.
Hello Natasha,
I love your recipes, I am wondering if I can make marinate fish overnight, and do the rest next day?
Thanks! God Bless!
You can marinate the fish and assemble the casserole a day ahead and bake the next day. That should work fine.
Love this recipe I make it every other week
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙂
I haven’t made it but my sister in law made this fish.. It was delicious. Thank you
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂
Does it reheat well? I wanna make it today and even bake it all today for tomorrow party but will it reheat well if I just put in the oven for about 20 minutes?
Sorry for the late reply. I haven’t tried it but I think it would work. I don’t know if the colors would be as vibrant after reheating, but I think it should still taste good 🙂
This recipe is ideal for a dinner party of four or party of two – because who doesn’t like leftovers! It id easily prepared ahead and reheats beautifully! Sriracha hands down!!
Omg Natasha thanku so much for this recepie like the best fish ever, so yummy, my family keeps asking for it like every day
I’m so happy you all loved it! That is music to my ears. Thank you for sharing that with me. 🙂
Can I use anything else instead of soy sauce? I don’t have it, and I wanted to make it today
Marina, teriyaki sauce possibly will work but I haven’t tried it so can’t really make a recommendation.
This was easy to fix and scrumptious!!! Will definitely make it again😊
Cath, thank you for a great review on the casserole, I’m glad you like it :).
I made this recipe for today’s dinner. I like to eat fish since my childhood. It’s yummy and taste so good. My family loved it.
Thank you so much for the awesome review! I’m so happy to hear your family loved it.
natasha,
Im on a journey to make this recipe tommorow (: Can it be prepped a day ahead and just baked the next day or not recommended? Have you tried that?
thanks.
You can marinate the fish and assemble the casserole a day ahead and bake the next day. That should work fine.
I added shredded parm with 5 minutes left. A cajun hot sauce also works well in place of ketchup.
Thank you so much for sharing your tips. I can’t wait to try your variation.
I began this recipe by putting the fish in the refrigerator to marinate, and then had an incident happen and was not able to finish this dish last night. The tilapia has now been marinating for several hours. Do you think it will still be edible, or should I start over tonight?
Tasha, tilapia should still be fine, so just proceed with the recipe :).
I just made this and oh my goodness, it is hitting the spot for my 38 week self and my family! The fish is very tender and moist, as it is blanketed by the most delicious and well-paired veggies. It also helped that i had almost everything in my pantry, no “fru-fru” ingredients like you’ve said before :):) Thanks again Natasha for a great recipe!
Thank you Irina for such a great review on the recipe and you are welcome :).
Great recipe! I just made it for my boyfriend to try it out. It sure tastes delicious! 🙂 Thanks for sharing it. 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for sharing your great review!
Hi can I use tilapia fillets instead?
Katrina, tilapia fillets can be used as well :).