Roasted Fennel (Creamy & Cheesy!)

Comfort food is not always meat or pasta; sometimes, a healthy vegetable works as well – Roasted Fennel with Cream & Cheese ticks all the boxes. Great to add to your list of favorite fennel bulb recipes. Simply delicious!

A lot of people do not like fennel because of its licorice flavor.  

Not me. I love adding fennel to salads (raw) and cooking with them. 

I make this dish all year round, but at least once a week when fennel is in season.  

If you have yet to try cooking with fennel, fall and winter are the best times for them.  

So, what are you waiting for? Don’t look for other fennel recipes; you might as well start with this one! 🙂

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Ingredients

• Fennel – you only need to use the bulbs, so ensure you prepare them properly before rinsing.

• Butter – salted or unsalted butter will work for this roasted fennel recipe.

• Parmigiano Reggiano – grated Parmigiano Reggiano; feel free to use more if that’s what you prefer.

• Breadcrumbs – if you haven’t tried them yet, you can easily make homemade breadcrumbs.

• Salt & pepper – just use your favorite brand for seasoning.

• Cream – I typically use light cream (i.e., half & half in other parts of the world).  

But you can also use double cream (heavy cream) — it all depends on how creamy you want your roasted fennel to be.

Preparation

Start making roasted fennel bulbs by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Prepare the fennel bulbs by removing the tough outer portions, including the stems. 

Rinse and cut into four or eight parts, depending on the size of the bulb.

Brush a rectangular baking dish with butter generously. (For reference, I used a 7-inch by 5-inch baking dish).

Arrange the chopped fennel, cutting them into smaller portions if they do not fit.

Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the cream on the seasoned fennel bulbs.  

Add grated cheese, distributing them evenly on top.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Place prepared fennel in the oven for forty to forty-five minutes or until the top turns golden.

Take your creamy roasted fennel bulbs out of the oven and set aside for five to ten minutes — you can still see the cream bubbling on the sides of the dish during this time.

Serve with more grated cheese, if desired.

Helpful tips

• You can also use a round or square dish for making roasted fennel bulbs; it does not make a difference as long as you arrange the chopped fennel evenly.

• Make sure you pour the cream on the entire area on top, not just on one side — same applies to the seasoning, cheese, and breadcrumbs.

Recipe variation

• Panko. You can use panko if you don’t have any homemade breadcrumbs around — completely fine with this roasted fennel recipe.

• Other cheese. As always, you can use parmesan instead of Parmigiano Reggiano. Grana Padano and pecorino Romano are also excellent alternatives.

What to serve with baked fennel with cream and cheese?

I love pairing this with roasted (or grilled) meat as with other vegetable side dishes.  

Serve as a main dish; I do not add anything else on my roasted fennel, just a glass of wine.  

But my husband, that’s a different story. He prefers to sprinkle crunchy pancetta bits on top – he says it rounds it up…? 

See how simple it is? So, give this roasted fennel recipe a try one of these nights; you will not regret it! 

OR YOU CAN GET MORE IDEAS FROM THIS LIST OF SIDE DISHES FROM AROUND THE WORLD!

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📖 Recipe