Fennel is one of my favorite vegetables. It makes me happy when winter comes around and the price of fennel drops to only 25-40 cents a pound, so I can buy a lot of it and make so many different types of dishes with it.
I looked through my archive and I have so many recipes here involving fennel. (I even accidentally posted very similar recipes twice without realizing it.) I love it raw and cooked, just to nibble on as crudites, in salads, roasted, in soups, etc. At the bottom of this post I'll leave links to a nice selection of other fennel recipes.
This fennel recipe is currently my favorite, and I've made it probably 3 weeks in a row by now. The flavors were inspired by my stuffed artichoke recipe. While this dish is delicious hot, I've often just eaten it cold straight from the fridge because it is so yummy. The licorice like flavor of fennel that some people dislike is very mild in this recipe, so even fennel skeptics may enjoy it.
This recipe is super easy to make, since it just involves quartering fennel and pouring stuff over it. It is very frugal if you get fennel on sale in season. It is gluten free, paleo, vegan, allergy friendly, low carb. Basically suitable for any diet other than low fiber or if you just hate fennel. What's not to like?
Lemony Herb Roasted Fennel Recipe -- Gluten Free, Allergy Freindly, and Easy
Ingredients:5 large fennel bulbs
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup oil of choice (olive is fine but more mildly flavored oils also are great)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
Instructions:
1. Cut the stalks off your fennel bulbs, then quarter them into wedges. Place them flat side down in a baking pan, in a single layer.
2. Chop up your mint and dill.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and mix well, making sure that the fennel gets coated with everything.
4. Bake covered at 350 for approximately an hour.
5. Bake uncovered for another half hour, approximately, until the fennel is fork tender.
Enjoy!
Here is the massive feast I cooked the fennel for most recently.
Do you also love fennel? Or are you one of those people who would rather do anything than eat fennel? What are your favorite ways to prepare fennel?
Here are some other delicious fennel recipes to try.
Radish, raw beet, and fennel salad
Fennel salad with mint and oranges
Fennel, orange, and pomegranate salad (similar to the previous recipe but with an extra bonus)