I was trying to think of what I wanted to make for dinner tonight, and clicked into my photo files on the laptop. I saw this one (Tilapia Florentine) and thought it sounded good for tonight but I then realized I don't think I ever posted this one to the recipe collection site. It's time I did!
Although I usually use tilapia for this one, I've made it with chicken and I've made it meat and poultry free and served it with pasta (you can use low carb pasta or even spiral cut zucchini). The way I make it most of the time is to serve the florentine sauce over quickly added shrimp to the pan (and I use the optional lemon pepper for sure when I make the shrimp version).
Basically it's just your basic alfredo or white sauce, with cream cheese added and then served with almost any chicken, seafood, fish or pasta. With pasta I also sometimes sprinkle the top with crumbled bacon or once in a while, some grated smoked Gouda cheese.
The amounts are approximate as you can add more or less of almost any ingredient to this one. If making for pasta or shrimp you obviously don't bake it. Just pour the sauce over your cooked shrimp or pasta; or you can throw the shrimp into the pan with the sauce and simmer for about 6 minutes or so until the shrimp is cooked through. Chicken can also be cooked ahead if you wish and just warmed through with the sauce. So many options.
Tilapia Florentine (a Spinach, cheese white sauce)
5-6 tilapia fillets (or as many as you wish)
3 T butter
2 green onions, sliced
1 c heavy cream
2-3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
handful of fresh spinach (about a cup)
Options: use a bit of lemon pepper or a tiny bit of thyme if you wish
Rinse and pat dry your tilapia. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and fresh black pepper. Melt the butter in a pan and add the green onions. Cook for about 2 minutes until soft. Add the cream and cream cheese, stirring until it melts and is smooth and thick. Add the Parmesan, salt and pepper. You can add a pinch of thyme if you wish, or a tiny dash of lemon pepper.
Turn off the heat, throw in the spinach and stir briefly. Lay the tilapia in a greased or oiled baking pan (I like to use pans lined with foil for easy clean up). Pour the sauce over all. Bake about 25 minutes at 400 or until the fish is done all the way through.