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:
Preheat the oven to 375 ºF.
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.
Roast the fennel for 20 minutes until soft and caramelized.
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.
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.
Season the pangrattato generously with salt and black pepper, then transfer the mixture into a small bowl. Set aside.
Cook 14 ounces linguine pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions, minus 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
In the same skillet set over low heat, add ¼ cup heavy cream and a pinch each of ground fennel, salt and black pepper.
Once the cream is hot, but not boiling, add in the roasted fennel.
Add in ¼ cup pasta cooking water and stir it into the sauce.
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.
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.
Vegetarian Recipes
