Baked Tilapia & Creamy Kale

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Place the pasta in a strainer. Thoroughly rinse under water to remove any excess starch. Once boiling, add the rinsed pasta to the pot. Cook 7 to 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel 2 cloves of garlic; using a zester, finely grate into a paste (or use the small side of a box grater). Zest the lemon to get 2 teaspoons (if you don’t have a zester, use a peeler to remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind). Quarter and deseed the lemon. In a large bowl, combine the garlic paste and lemon zest. Separate the kale leaves from the stems; discard the stems, then roughly chop the leaves.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the chopped kale; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Add 1/3 cup of water (carefully, as the liquid may splatter). Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the kale is wilted and the water has cooked off. Turn off the heat. 

To the bowl of prepared garlic and lemon zest, add the mascarpone, mayonnaise, cream (shaking the bottle before opening), romano, the juice of 2 lemon wedges, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the cooked pasta and cooked kale; season with salt and pepper. Stir to thoroughly combine. Transfer to a baking dish (making sure the kale is evenly distributed).

Pat the fish dry with paper towels; season on both sides with salt, pepper, and enough of the spice blend to coat (you may have extra). Cut the butter into 4 equal-sized pieces. Place the seasoned fish on top of the dressed pasta and kale. Top each piece with 1 piece of the butter. Cover the baking dish with foil.

Bake the prepared fish and pasta 7 minutes. Leaving the oven on, remove from the oven. Carefully remove the foil. Evenly top with the breadcrumbs. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Return to the oven. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned and the fish is cooked through.* Remove from the oven. Let stand at least 2 minutes before serving. Serve the baked fish and pasta topped with the juice of the remaining lemon wedges. Enjoy!

*an instant-read thermometer should register 145°F.