Baked Fennel and Apple with Breadcrumbs
Baked Fennel and Apple with Breadcrumbs is one of the easiest seasonal side dishes you can make. Fresh fennel and sweet apple are a truly delicious flavor combination that are baked with minimal seasoning to let the vegetable and fruit flavors shine through.
Fennel is the green and white, tall vegetable with a large bulb at the bottom with grassy ‘fronds’ growing on the top that look like dill. It has a mild licorice/anise flavor when raw that gets milder when cooked and it then becomes slightly sweet.
I love to roast or bake fennel. Because it is a very crunchy vegetable (similar to celery), it does take some time to become tender.
While delicious on its own, fennel is a perfect addition to dishes like Easy Mushroom, Fennel & Sage Pasta. I even like to add fennel in its raw form to Crunchy Vegetable Coleslaw.
Sweet red apples pair so well with the cooked fennel. To add texture to the dish, breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan and parsley finish the dish off nicely.
How do you cut fennel?
Start with cutting off the stems and removing any discolored outer layer. Slice off the bottom, then stand the bulb up and cut in half. This will reveal the hard center that is a triangle shape, simply cut and remove.
As far as the seasonings, I kept it very simple with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. You can’t really taste the nutmeg, but it does enhance the flavors of the fennel and apple.
If you want to make this low carb/keto or gluten free, you can use your favorite keto or gluten free bread to make the breadcrumbs. You can even find low carb and gluten free breadcrumbs in the grocery store.
Baked Fennel and Apple with Breadcrumbs Serving Suggestions:
You can pair this side dish with just about any main dish. Pistachio Pesto Pasta would be a delicious choice, or Lemon Pepper Spaghetti. If you’re looking for a meat dish, Herbed Brown Butter Chicken with Tomatoes would work, or even Sage Rubbed Pork Tenderloin.
Baked Fennel and Apple with Breadcrumbs
Video
Ingredients
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 2 red apples, peeled and sliced
- Vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Small pinch of nutmeg
- ½ cup (82 grams) plain breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup (25 grams) Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
- Cut the stems from the bottom of the fennel. Cut in half and cut in a triangle around the hard center then slice.
- Lightly coat the bottom of a large casserole dish with oil. Lay the fennel and apple slices in a casserole dish. Drizzle with more oil, ½ teaspoon salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes..
- Toast the bread slices, cool then blend into breadcrumbs (skip this step if using pre-made breadcrumbs). Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley and Parmesan in a bowl. Set aside.
- Remove the foil and sprinkle the top of the fennel and apples evenly with the breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 more minutes until the top is golden brown.
Good recipe – the fennel softens up with the 2nd bake (when you brown the breadcrumbs – as it is the holidays, I added some ghee to the apple and fennels and then some melted gree on the breadcrumbs – adds a nice richness but not sure it is needed – will try the recipe without that next time – a nice fall recipe. I might add some crushed walnuts to it as well, just for texture – a great fall dish.
I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe
Making this tonight to go with a Whole Food vegetarian stuffed roast – looks delicious and savory (and healthy)
Enjoy