This decadently simple recipe for Roasted Fennel is full of luscious, creamy, cheesy flavors with just a hint of mild licorice.
Have you ever had Roasted Fennel? Most people have never even tried fennel. I’m one of them. And that’s really amazing because I’ve been cooking, like…forever. And normally try almost everything. But I missed fennel.
Until this past week.
I had no idea what I was missing. I only knew fennel had a strong licorice flavor but when it’s roasted, the licorice flavor is really mellowed. And when you add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, it becomes irresistibly decadent.
As I researched fennel, I discovered that this large bulbed veggie is part of the carrot family and it’s so healthy for you. So fennel is going to be on my go-to veggie list from now on.
Ingredients for Roasted Fennel
- Fennel bulbs – The Star of the Show
- Olive oil – For health
- Sea Salt – For flavor
- Pepper – Freshly Ground is best on this
- Parmesan cheese – The true Italian way to add great nutty flavor
How to Make Roasted Fennel
First preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
Then drizzle olive oil over the bottom of a large baking dish.
Whether you buy it in the bulb form with the tall feathery fronds or buy it trimmed, cut the top as close to the bulb as possible.
Then cut the bulb in half. Next make a V-shaped wedge in the bottom to remove the core. Martha Stewart has a short video to show you this simple process.
Then cut the bulb into 1/2” slices and add them to your baking dish. Try to keep all pieces next to the bottom of the dish so the fennel will roast rather than steam if the pieces are piled on top of each other.
Next drizzle a little more olive oil over the top of the fennel and sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper. Then evenly add freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top.
Bake for about 45 minutes until the fennel is lightly browned and tender.
Information about the Ingredients
I haven’t always found fennel in the stores but Trader Joe’s does carry it.
If you don’t use the most expensive Parmesan, Parmigiano Reggiano, the less expensive Granda Padano will work wonderfully.
The difference between the two is what region in Italy the cheese comes from as well as how long it’s aged.
Really good Parmigiano Reggiano is aged at least 30 months which gives it a crumbly and nutty flavor with those special flavorful crunchy crystals that form.
Where the Grana Pardo is aged as little as 9 months to give this cheese a clean, milky flavor. But the longer it’s aged, the more complex it becomes.
Roasted Fennel
Ingredients
- 2 Fennel bulbs Trimmed and cut into 1/2" slices
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Pepper
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese Shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil over bottom of large baking dish.
- Trim each fennel bulb at the top and root end. Slice bulb in half. Make a V insertion with your knive and remove the core. Then slice the bulb into 1/2" slices. Spread the slices evenly into the baking dish.
- Drizzle with remaining Tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Then evenly add the shredded Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Bake 45 minutes until tender.
Nutrition
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