Perfect Roasted Fennel

Welcome to the surprise that is roasted fennel! Baking it in a hot oven makes it sweet and caramelized: nothing like its raw flavor.

If you haven’t tried the taste treat that is roasted fennel, stop right now and make yourself a pan! Raw fennel has a crunch and black licorice flavor, making it perfect for salads (like this one). But its roasted self is something different altogether. Its flavor becomes sweet and caramelized: almost like roasted onions but even more irresistible! Baked fennel makes easy and elegant side dish, especially for a Mediterranean or Italian-style meal. Here’s how to make it, and what we’d pair it with!

How to make roasted fennel (basic steps)

Fennel is a member of the carrot family, though it looks like an onion that’s sprouted celery stalks and dill fronds! Alex and I started cooking with it in some of our Mediterranean style dishes years ago. We found that the flavor adds a beautifully unique element to soups and salads. And we recently discovered it works on its own as a side dish! Here are the basic steps to roasted fennel (or go to the recipe below):

• Chop into wedges. Cut off the large top, and the root end. Remove any very tough outer layers (you may need to remove several). Cut the bulb in half and chop it into wedges.
• Mix with olive oil and kosher salt. Then spread the slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees. You’ll want very high heat for fennel! This gets it perfectly caramelized and browned on the outside, and tender on the inside. (You’ll see the same technique with our roasted broccoli, roasted eggplant, roasted cauliflower, and more.)
• Spritz with lemon juice and serve. Adding the tang of lemon before serving brightens the flavor.

Where to find fennel in the grocery store

You can find fennel in the refrigerated section in your local grocery store. Usually it’s near the leafy greens and celery, but it depends on the grocery store. Usually the fennel comes with the top on the bulb, but sometimes it’s sold as just the bulb.

Tip: If your fennel does come with the top on, you can use some of the fennel fronds as a garnish for the roasted fennel.

Ways to serve roasted fennel

Roasted fennel sounds fancy, but as you can see it’s just as easy as roasting any other vegetable. Because fennel is a little more rare in American cooking, it’s a fun surprise for dinner parties or just to mix up weeknight cooking. Here are a few ways we’d serve it:

• Salmon or shrimp. Try it with Salmon with Capers, Lemon Dill Salmon, or Garlic Butter Shrimp.
• Pasta. It would be fantastic with Roasted Eggplant Pasta, Baked Rigatoni, Creamy Cavatappi Pasta, or Favorite Vegan Lasagna.
• Ristotto. It would even work with Asparagus Risotto or Mushroom Risotto.

How to cut fennel (with video)

Fennel might seem intimidating to cut. But after you’ve tried it for this roasted fennel recipe, you’ll see there’s nothing to fear! Here’s the basic method of cutting fennel (see the video instructions):

1. Using a large chef’s knife, cut off the top of the fennel, called the “fronds.” (You can use the wispy portions as a garnish if you’d like.)
2. Cut off the root end of the fennel.
3. Remove any tough outer layers of the fennel and discard them. This is important because they are much too tough to eat!
4. Slice down the center of the fennel bulb. For this recipe, you’ll then cut it into 1-inch wide wedges.

More fennel recipes

There are lots more ways to use fennel! Here are some fennel recipes to try:

• Fennel Orange Salad This tasty green salad features thinly sliced raw fennel to offset the citrus zing of oranges. Truly incredible!
• Tuscan Soup with White Beans This Italian-style soup with white beans has a rich savory flavor thanks to smoked paprika and fennel.

This roasted fennel recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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More roasted vegetables

Roasted vegetables make the best easy side dishes! Here are some to add to your list:

• Best Roasted Vegetables This colorful mix of veggies truly has the BEST flavor.
• Roasted Okra The best roasted okra around! Baking it might be the best way to cook this vegetable.
• Perfect Roasted Cauliflower This recipe makes it taste so irresistibly good, you can’t stop eating it. Try it in Roasted Cauliflower Pasta!
• Roasted Broccolini A hot oven is the best way to cook this veggie: it comes out even more delicious than its cousin broccoli.
• Roasted Broccoli (Best Ever!) So good you can’t stop sneaking bites! Charred, tender, and spritzed with lemon juice.
• Roasted Delicata Squash No need to peel this squash! It comes out sweet and tender every time.
• Roasted Spaghetti Squash This method makes long, luxurious squash noodles.
• Roasted Kale Baked until tender and crispy at the edges: easy and quick.
• Roasted Carrots The best way to cook this sweet vegetable!
• Perfect Roasted Eggplant Roasting eggplant makes for unreal flavor.