Roasted Fennel Recipe

Are you looking for a gourmet vegetable side dish for the holidays? How about a Roasted Fennel recipe. This Mediterranean vegetable dish pairs perfectly with fish, chicken or pasta.

If you are of Italian origin, you probably know that this aromatic licorice-scented bulb is widely used in Italian cuisine.

This crunchy vegetable is great in its raw state and contributes the perfect crunch to this fennel orange salad.

It is also great when combined with endive and radicchio to make this salad pizza.

Yes, that’s right -a salad pizza!

But that’s not all!

When the fennel is exposed to heat, the texture becomes silky with a sweeter flavor.

In fact, this taste transformation makes it the perfect vegetable side dish, whether making this recipe for grilled fennel or roasting it with oven root vegetables. 

Marcella Hazan’s book Ingredienti refers to finocchio as “the icon of Italian vegetables.”

I couldn’t agree with her more.

Today, I’m sharing yet another variation of this wonderful anise-flavored vegetable.

Ingredients to make baked fennel

As usual, the printable recipe card, found at the bottom of the page, has specific amounts for each ingredient.

• Fennel. A shoot vegetable that belongs to the carrot family.
• Olive Oil. Extra virgin, if possible.
• Garlic. An essential ingredient when roasting vegetables.
• Panko Bread Crumbs. You can also use Italian bread crumbs.
• Parsley. Italian flat-leaf. 
• Oregano. Dried. 
• Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese. Can also use Pecorino Romano Cheese.
• Salt and Pepper. Of course!
• Fennel Fronds. For garnish.

Cooking the fennel in the oven is really very simple, but first, let’s prep our fennel bulbs.

How to prepare fennel for roasting

As with all fresh produce, the first thing we will do is properly rinse this vegetable under cold running water. We need 2 fennel bulbs for the recipe.

• Cut off the stalks from the bulb;
• Trim off a skinny slice from the bulb’s base and remove any of the outer tough layers if they appear to be blemished. You can use a peeler to remove any spots.

• Place the bulb upright and slice it in half.  It is important to leave the inner core in place to prevent the fennel bulb from falling apart.

• Proceed to cut each section in half or quarters, depending on the size.

• Cook the sections of the fennel in a large pan of boiling salted water until just tender. Depending on your size, this can take 6-10 minutes.
• When fork tender, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a large baking dish that has been drizzled with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

• While waiting for the fennel to cook, prepare the crust topping by combining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 chopped garlic clove, ¾ cup of Panko bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. 
• Add 3-4 tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese or Pecorino Romano Cheese.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Set oven rack to the center.
• Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the boiled fennel.
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a knife can easily pierce through the fennel and the top is crispy looking and golden.

• Add some fresh fennel frond as a garnish.
• Serve immediately.

Tips 

• when slicing the fennel, keep the inner core in place as this will prevent the fennel bulb from falling apart.
• The total fennel cooking time will depend on the size of the fennel was cut.

Can I substitute regular breadcrumbs for panko?

Yes. The final texture might be less crispy but just as delicious. 

Can I steam the fennel instead of boiling it?

Yes. This is a great alternative. 

Recipes with fennel we love

• Lemon Fennel Salad
• Grilled Chicken with Fennel
• Celery Root and Fennel Slaw

Recipe inspiration

If you have visited here before, you know that I had an Italian upbringing. 

As a result, fennel would often be served raw, sliced, and always served after a meal. According to my grandmother, it would help with digestion. 

In this simple fennel recipe I am sharing with all of you today, I replaced my mom’s Italian bread crumb topping for fish with Panko.  I then combined it with cheese and sprinkled it over the fennel before baking it.

My mom would also love to roast fennel and potatoes together and serve it with this baked codfish recipe.

I also modified her recipe for roasted potatoes and fennel and garnished it with a bread crumb topping.

As they say, the rest is history.

I hope you and your loved ones enjoy it as much as we all do.

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community, where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

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Ciao for now,

Maria 

★★★★★ If you have made this Italian baked fennel recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!