Roasted Fennel

5 from 2 votes

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Roasted fennel is a delicious answer to a question I hear often. Sometimes at the grocery store, often at the farmer’s market, someone will ask, “How do you use fennel?”

We have a few recipes to help those folks out. If you are one of them, you’re going to love this savory side dish. Be sure and try this easy roasted vegetable recipe soon!

Serving dish of roasted fennel with a fork.
Roasted fennel is a simple and inexpensive side dish.

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What is it?

Fennel is a member of the carrot family, but it is not a root vegetable. I think it is an unsung hero in the culinary world and a mystery to many.

Two bulbs of fresh fennel with their fronds
Fennel is easy to grow in your garden or in a large pot.

It has tall, wispy and beautiful green fronds, and a large bulb which is usually what we use for recipes. The fronds make great garnishes and can be chopped and added to dishes for a little extra flavor as well.

What’s in it?

A group of fennel, Parmesan cheese, lemon, garlic, oregano and olive oil

This simple recipe uses fennel, coated with olive oil and flavored with Parmesan cheese. We add fresh oregano and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a little extra flair.

A tray of roasted fennel with a baguette of bread and fresh oregano
Make and serve this roast fennel in under an hour.

How to make it

Start by making sure you have the short list of ingredients. For kitchen tools and equipment, you will need:

  • A mixing bowl
  • A cutting board
  • A chef’s knife
  • A wooden spoon or rubber spatula

Read on and learn how to roast fennel!

Roasting fennel in the oven is easy.
  1. Trim the tops and bottoms of the fennel bulbs, then wash and rinse them. Cut the bulbs into wedges.
  2. Mix the fennel wedges, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt, and pepper.
  3. Spread the mixture into s single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
  4. At 30 minutes, flip the wedges and sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and roast for another 10 minutes.

You can roast fennel in just over a half hour.

When the fennel is fork tender, take it out of the oven. Return it to the mixing bowl and add more Parmesan cheese and some chopped fennel fronds.

Mix it all together and serve this roast fennel to some happy diners!

Tray of roasted fennel with lemon garnish
Roasted fennel from Platter Talk

FAQ

What does fennel taste like?

It has a light, anise-like taste (which is where licorice gets its flavor from.) It does not make food taste like licorice though! It has fresh, savory tones to it.

What does roasted fennel go with?

This goes well with braised pork, roasted chicken, and braised beef. You can even eat it by itself as a light lunch!

What can I do with the leftovers?

You can store leftover roast fennel in a sealed container, refrigerated, for a couple of days. Reheat in a saute pan when ready to eat again.

You can also make soup. Puree the leftovers, or use an immersion blender, and make a potato soup out of it.

Season this roasted fennel to taste.

I hope you give this recipe a try. If you haven’t cooked with fennel yet, get started today. I think it can elevate ordinary dishes to an entirely new level. I’ve left you a few of my favorites recipes below to taste!

Thanks for reading Platter Talk. We love sharing our food ideas with you and would love to hear what you think of our recipes! Leave a comment below and we’ll do our best to get back to you!

Man with an apron in a kitchen
Dan

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Roasted fennel

5 from 2 votes
Learn how to use fennel with this simple savory side dish recipe.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 people

Ingredients 

  • 4 Fennel bulbs, Washed, trimmed and cut into 1/3 to 1/2 inch wedges.
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, fresh ground to taste
  • 1 tbsp Oregano leaves, fresh, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheeese, shaved
  • 1 tbsp Fennel fronds, chopped
  • 1/2 Lemon, juiced

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400° Cut the fennel into wedges and place in a mixing bowl. Stir in olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.
  • Arrange the fennel mixture in a single layer on a sheet pan. Use a rubber spatula to get all of the olive oil from the bowl as well. Roast for 30 minutes until the tops start to run brown. Then take a spatula and flip the pieces over. Sprinkle with 1/2 the Parmesan and roast for an additional 10 minutes, until they start to caramelize.
  • Return the roasted fennel to the mixing bowl and toss with the Parmesan, lemon juice, and chopped fronds.

Notes

  • I eyeball the olive oil. Use whatever it takes to coat the fennel.
Same with the Parmesan, I don’t usually measure it!
  • And, the same with the oregano.
  • You can also use other herbs but I like this combo.
  • Fennel should be fork-tender at the end.

Nutrition

Calories: 71kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 134mg, Potassium: 502mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 169IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!

Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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