Fennel Pasta

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 865kcal

Author: Platings and Pairings

This Roasted Fennel Pasta recipe features fresh linguini tossed in a light lemon sauce with roasted fennel. It's topped with dollop of ricotta cheese for extra richness.

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Ingredients

1 pound linguine or other pasta like spaghetti or bucatini
2 bulbs fennel
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
4 Tablespoons butter
2/3 cup ricotta cheese part skim or full fat
6 cloves garlic minced
2 lemons zested and halved
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
2 shallots minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high.
Pick off and mince a few of the fennel fronds. Cut off and discard the fennel stems. Halve and core the fennel bulb; slice into ½-inch-thick strips. Place the sliced fennel on a sheet pan, drizzle with 2 TBSP olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss thoroughly to coat. Arrange in a single layer and roast, 18-20 minutes, tossing halfway through, until tender and golden.
While the fennel roasts, combine the ricotta cheese and the juice of one lemon half; season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, shallot and half the parsley. Cook until fragrant and softened. Add the breadcrumbs and toast over medium heat, until browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out the pan.
In the now clean skillet, combine lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon half, 1 cup water, and remaining 2 TBSP olive oil; heat to boiling on high heat and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Boil the pasta until just short of al dente. Reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and add it to the skillet of sauce. Add the roasted fennel, minced fennel fronds and reserved cooking water. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is well coated in the sauce.
Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper, to taste, top with breadcrumb mixture, a dollop of the ricotta mixture, and remaining chopped parsley. Chop the remaining lemon halves into wedges and serve with the pasta. Enjoy!

Notes

How to Cut Fennel

Trim off the fennel stalks to where they connect to the bulb. Save the leafy fronds for garnish.
Cut the bulb in half and trim the root end.
Cut the halves into quarters.
Cut each quarter at an angle to remove the core.
Starting at the top of the bulb and working towards the root, slice the fennel into strips.

How to Make Ahead + Store

This fennel pasta is best served immediately. Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge up to 3 days.

Nutrition