Roasted fennel with grated parmesan makes a great little appetizer or side dish. It’s certain to add some excitement to your taste buds.
I love Italian sausage. I like it when it has a little heat. But the taste I really like , is the licorice flavor of fennel seeds. The fennel just finishes the flavor combinations of the sausage.
Well that is the seeds of the fennel plant. The bulb is a different taste. It is more like a celery and has a nice nutty flavor. It is tough, but when roasted the nutty flavors really come forward.
Grab yourself a fennel bulb or two and prep it for roasting.
Chop the stems off the bulb and cut off the root, (about 1/2 inch from the bottom). Peel off the outermost layer of the bulb. This layer is quite tough.
Slice the bulb lengthwise into 1/4 to 1/3 inch slabs.
If you notice, the fennel is on my new Boos Block cutting board. I finally have started using the beautiful walnut board for it’s intended use. It is a really hard wood and the knife cuts on it are barely noticeable. I keep it well oiled and I love it! Check out Boos Blocks here.
Lightly spray a large baking pan with oil, lay out the fennel slabs and sprinkle with salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
Grate Parmesan cheese over the fennel.
Place in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the cheesy fennel is nicely browned.
Garnish with fennel greens. Serve hot.
Enjoy!
Roasted Fennel
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 fennel bulbs
- kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
- Cut stem and root off the fennel bulb
- Remove outer layer of fennel bulb
- Slice lengthwise into 1/4 to 1/3 inch slabs
- Place in greased pan in one layer, (10" X 15")
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and olive oil
- grate Parmesan cheese on fennel slices
- Bake in oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the fennel is nicely browned
- Serve hot
Notes
Nutrition
I love fennel. In Italy we use it a lot. Raw, boiled, roasted, fried, brased, you name it, we love it! 1) heat oven – you indicate farenheight, but celsius? 2) Kosher salt? Not yet found it here. Will try your recepie! Try mine – At least 1 bulb per person (I said I love fennel) – clean bulbs as you say – slice them as you say – layer them in a baking tray. 1 row at a time slightly overlapped, one row at a time, untill untill the tray is full. Sprinkle with salt – oregano, black pepper and a little chopped garlic – fine sliced taleggio cheese (or another mild cheese) and top with grated grana padana or parmisan cheese. Cook as your oven commands.Let me know if you like it. By the way, I am Scottish taught to cook by a Piedmontese Mother in Law: My mum could not cook an egg! Good job she did’nt teach me how too cook. Kid’s.hubby and Mum i law are happy! Love my Mum anyway!
Sorry, forgot to add, you love italian sausage! Seems to me you forgot it in this recepie. Or it has nothing to do with it or you forgot it! If you intended adding sausage, which has nothing to do with a side dish, I will still try it – BUT PLEASE, NO SAUSAGE!
Hi Linda,
The Italian sausage mention was because Italian sausage usually has fennel seeds in it…that’s all.
Also, 375° F is equal to 190° C.
Your recipe sounds delicious, I’m going to try it!
Thanks for the nice comment.
Oh man! I’m obsessed with fennel so I made these last night and they were incredible. I couldn’t stop eating them. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Definitely need to make it with two fennel bulbs. One is just a tease, everybody! 🙂
Thanks Amanda, glad you enjoyed it!
Omg that looks so good! I love fennel sooo much. I’ve never thought to do that with it though! We will most definitely be trying this recipe.