Roasted Fennel Pasta With Lemon and Capers

Fortunately, I now know that I did the fennel an injustice. When the fennel bulbs literally smiled at me from the supermarket shelf, then I just had to know. After all, I also like the nursing tea, which contains fennel seeds, among other things, and which I drank in large quantities for a few months (fortunately it is tastier than ouzo). Fennel is now also part of my own bread spice mix and also joins many other spices in the super delicious chai syrup.

So the fennel landed in my shopping basket and later in my saucepan – or in the oven. Since I’m addicted to pasta, a mountain of spaghetti wasn’t far-fetched. I’ll tell you: delicious, this combination, pasta with fennel, but also with lemon, and capers, is a pleasure! So simple, yet so sophisticated at the same time.

One great thing is that the fennel spaghetti is so easy to prepare! At first, I didn’t know at all what to do with a fennel bulb, how to clean fennel, what can and cannot be eaten, how to process or cook fennel, if you can add fennel to pasta sauce, how to cut fennel for pasta, etc. – nothing was clear to me. I always thought fennel was at least as complicated as artichokes. Luckily, the opposite is the case.

So far I have prepared this spaghetti con finocchi, capperi e limone, as it would be called in Italy, in two different ways: one with vegan cream and cheese and one without. And I have to say that both were wonderful!

The “pure version” without cream and cheese is perfect if you want a light meal. And/or because you avoid processed foods. It could also be eaten cold, as a fennel pasta salad (maybe then I would take a different pasta shape instead of spaghetti). The creamy fennel sauce version (which you can see in the photos, by the way) is more hearty, but still not heavy.

Pasta with roasted vegetables is just too good! So far I have loved making pasta with roasted broccoli or asparagus, but also with mixed oven vegetables (in which fennel is now also roasted). Since my fennel enlightenment, fennel has been at the forefront.

Whether light or rich: I prepare the fennel in the oven. It can also be fried in a pan instead. It’s probably even faster. An advantage of the variant in the oven: You don’t have to stand next to it and make sure that nothing burns. Stir once or twice and it’s good. The great thing about the oven is that the fennel stews so nicely in its own juice.

I’m curious how you are going to prepare this fennel pasta, whether you were already a fennel fan before and whether you hope the dish tastes just as good. Please let me know in a comment.

I would love to see the result. Please do not forget to tag me on Instagram: @plantbased.redhead.cooks