Pasta with Roasted Fennel

Pasta with Roasted Fennel

and pangrattato

Recipe by
Reviewed by Arturs Arnicans
Prep Time: 19m
Cook Time: 15m
Total Time: 34m
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
4.9 (18 Reviews)
Cooking Mode
Prevents your screen from turning off while cooking

Ingredients

Adjust servings:

Nutritional Information

475
Calories
18g
Fat
66g
Carbohydrate
13.5g
Protein
99mg
Cholesterol
431mg
Sodium
Pasta with Roasted Fennel

Recipe Description

This amazing Pasta with Roasted Fennel gets its flavor from charred fennel, creamy sauce, a handful of spices, and lemon pangrattato. Vibrant, powerfully flavorful, and rich, this dish comes together in about half an hour and makes for the perfect weeknight pasta dinner. I guarantee you’ll put this one on repeat.

Start with the fennel. Cut each fennel bulb into 8 wedges, reserving some of the feathery fronds for garnishing. Then roast the wedges with a little olive oil, salt and black pepper until soft and caramelized. Next, make the pangrattato. Boil the pasta. For the pasta, I opt for linguine but feel free to use spaghetti or tagliatelle. While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Add the roasted fennel and cooked pasta to the sauce. Top each bowl with a good sprinkling of the pangrattato and a few of the reserved chopped fresh fennel fronds. Serve with a wedge of lemon for squeezing over the pasta.

To make the Pasta with Roasted Fennel, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients for Pasta with Roasted Fennel

Steps to make

  1. 1

    Preheat oven

    Preheat the oven to 375 ºF.

  2. 2

    Prepare fennel

    1 min
    Step 2 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    On a large baking pan, drizzle the fennel wedges with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Arrange the fennel wedges in a single layer.

  3. 3

    Roast fennel

    20 min
    Step 3 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Roast the fennel for 20 minutes until soft and caramelized.

  4. 4

    Make pangrattato: Cook shallots and garlic

    3 min
    Step 4 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Meanwhile, in a skillet, gently melt 2 tablespoons butter and add 2 finely diced shallots and 1 finely diced garlic clove. Cook over low heat until soft.

  5. 5

    Add oregano, lemon zest, and breadcrumbs

    2 min
    Step 5 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Add in 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano), the zest of 1 lemon, and ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Cook until the breadcrumbs are crispy and golden.

  6. 6

    Season

    1 min
    Step 6 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Season the pangrattato generously with salt and black pepper, then transfer the mixture into a small bowl. Set aside.

  7. 7

    Cook pasta

    8 min
    Step 7 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Cook 14 ounces linguine pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions, minus 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

  8. 8

    Heat heavy cream

    1 min
    Step 8 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    In the same skillet set over low heat, add ¼ cup heavy cream and a pinch each of ground fennel, salt and black pepper.

  9. 9

    Add roasted fennel

    1 min
    Step 9 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Once the cream is hot, but not boiling, add in the roasted fennel.

  10. 10

    Add pasta cooking water

    1 min
    Step 10 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Add in ¼ cup pasta cooking water and stir it into the sauce.

  11. 11

    Add pasta

    2 min
    Step 11 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Use tongs to transfer the pasta to the sauce and turn to coat. Add another splash of cooking water to loosen the sauce if desired. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

  12. 12

    Serve

    Step 12 - Pasta with Roasted Fennel

    Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon, a good sprinkling of the pangrattato, and a few of the reserved chopped fresh fennel fronds. Enjoy!

Here’s a perfect 30-minute vegetarian dinner: Pasta with Roasted Fennel and pangrattato. Showcasing simple ingredients at their best, it pairs flavor-packed Italian-style breadcrumbs with caramelized fennel and creamy sauce. Give this recipe a try, and please come back to leave a comment with your thoughts.

About the author

Lilly Mathuse

Lilly is an enthusiastic and cheerful young mom. She knows as well as any parent that children can be really picky when it comes to food. And she’s had plenty of experience trying to cook meals that are both tasty and nutritious, and able to satisfy the tastes of a fussy kid right away! To save you some precious time, Lilly's going to share with you all the tricks she learned the hard way, so you don’t have to! She has a wealth of recipes for quick and easy meals for kids and families on a budget.

Recipe Reviews

Have you made this recipe? Share your experience and help other cooks!

★★★★★
★★★★★
4.9 out of 5 (18 reviews)
Zachary Webber
March 7, 2025
Verified

Absolutely loved this Pasta with Roasted Fennel! Made it last week when mates were round, and it was a proper hit. The flavours are bang on! Fairly simple to whip up too. Thundered back for seconds. Will defo be making this again!

Yvonne
February 21, 2025
Verified

Delicious and easy. Perfect for weeknight dinners.

Rachel
February 5, 2025
Verified

Delightful!

Tommy
November 13, 2024
Verified

Wow! This pasta dish made our family dinner so special! My kids loved helping with the fennel roasting, and we all enjoyed a new flavor adventure together!

Evelyn Carter
November 6, 2024
Verified

Simply divine meal!

Nina Anderson
October 30, 2024
Verified

Amazing!

Belle Johnson
July 29, 2024
Verified

Amazing! This recipe has become a family favorite. I made it on a busy weeknight, and my kids loved it! It was so easy, and I could feel proud serving it at our dinner table. Thank you for sharing!

Zara
July 6, 2024
Verified

Delicious

Ulysses
July 3, 2024
Verified

Yum!

Uncle Joe
June 25, 2024
Verified

I made this pasta for my family last night, and it was a hit! The roasted fennel adds a rich depth that pairs perfectly with the creamy sauce. My kids even asked for seconds, which is rare! Simple to make and full of flavor, it's definetly a new favorite for us.

Chris Martin
March 28, 2024
Verified

This Pasta with Roasted Fennel is absolutely superb! I made it for my wife on our date night, and it turned out deliciously creamy and packed with flavor! The roasted fennel made it unique and our new favorite. Can’t believe it took only 30 minutes to make.

Izzy
February 28, 2024
Verified

Wow, this pasta is a life saver! I made it for a dinner party and everyone loved it! Roasted fennel gave it an amazing flavor.

Annie
January 15, 2024
Verified

Superb flavor surprise. I was reluctant to try fennel but it transformed my dinner. Simple and delish. Perfect for impressing guests!

Nina
July 16, 2023
Verified

Lit!

Oliver Harris
July 15, 2023
Verified

Delicious! I made this pasta with my wife on a cozy evening, and the flavors were amazing. The fennel added a unique touch we both loved. Perfect for our dinner dates at home!

Taste of the dish
Accuracy of stated difficulty
Instruction accuracy
Would you recommend this recipe to others?
0/1000
Add photos
Upload photos of your result. This will help others see how the dish should look.

Author Information

Email will not be displayed publicly