Cooked Fennel With Garlic and Lemon
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Cooked fennel with garlic and lemon is an easy dish to put together. It’s a healthy side dish and a great way to use fennel.
Fennel, should be much more common than it is if you ask me. It’s an amazing vegetable. It’s not too hard to grow in the garden and it lasts fresh in the fridge for a few weeks.
It has a very unique taste to it that can add delicious yet a little different flavor to many dishes. Some say that it has a licorice taste to it.
Cooked Fennel With Garlic and Lemon…
It can be served fresh in a fennel salad (as kids we used to eat this as a snack), or it can be added fresh to just about any salad. Some like to add it to casseroles or potato dishes. But the most common way that I see people use fennel here in the U.S. is as roasted fennel. That’s great too, however, in this post, I want to share with you a cooked fennel dish that is really easy to put together, it’s lemony and fresh, and is an amazing side dish in any meal!
Ingredients…
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Black pepper
- Turmeric
- Paprika
- Chicken flavoring
- Salt
- Juice of one lemon
- Boiling water
Kitchen Tools…
How to Cook Fennel…
Step one – prepare the fennel. Start by removing the tops (they are tough) and the bottom of the fennel. Then, cut it in half and then slice it into 1/4-inch slices.
Step two – add seasonings to a pan. Next, dice the garlic cloves. Place the pan on the stovetop, add the oil, and let it heat. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant, just a couple of minutes. Add the seasonings, boiling water, and lemon juice, and mix it all together.
Step three – add the fennel. Lastly, add the fennel and mix to coat it with the seasonings. Cover the pot and let cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Uncover the pot, mix the fennel, and coat it with the sauce again. Cover the pot and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the fennel rest for a few minutes before serving.
How to Serve Cooked Fennel…
This cooked fennel is best served as a side dish. Here are a few dishes to serve it next to…
- One pan chicken and veggies – this dish is already full of veggies, add one more.
- Israeli meatballs – or serve it next to any meatball dish really.
- Whole grilled tilapia – because this cooked fennel is so lemony, it works great with any fish dish.
- Lentil patties – if you are a vegetarian, adding this fennel next to these patties will make a delicious meal. Or try adding it next to spinach patties.
- Middle eastern chicken and rice – add this cooked fennel as the veggie side to this chicken dish to make a wholesome meal.
How to Store Leftovers…
Any leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days. Reheat in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions…
We make the same exact dish with celery as well. Here, if you’d like, you can add diced celery as well. Add a cup or two of it and add it right when you add the fennel. Carrots also work great here. You can add a couple of cups of carrot coins when you add the fennel.
If you like the dish really sour, feel free to squeeze more lemon onto the fennel after it’s done cooking.
If you like spicy food you can add chili flakes or cayenne pepper to the seasonings or a few drops of the hot sauce of your choice.
Yes, you can make this dish a day earlier. let it cool and then cover the pan with a lid and store in the fridge. When it’s time to serve it, reheat on the stovetop.
I’ve never tried… Usually, I try to not freeze cooked vegetables because once you thaw them they lose their texture completely but you can try…
I hope that you’ll give this cooked fennel a try. I know that it’s a bit different (it’s an Israeli dish that is pretty common over in the middle east) but I believe you’ll enjoy this way of serving fennel. Especially if you like lemony dishes!
More Vegetable Recipes…
- Zucchini and Corn Fritters
- Tomato Garlic Confit
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Israeli Eggplant Salad
- Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
- How to Roast Poblano Peppers
- Israeli Red Cabbage Salad
- Mediterranean Zucchini Casserole
- Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Cooked Fennel With Garlic and Lemon
Fennel cooked in garlic and lemon sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 heads of fennel
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon papprika
- 1 tablespoon Knorr chicken flavoring (or replace with vegetable flavoring)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Juice from one lemon
- 1 1/2 cup of boiling water
Instructions
- Start by removing the tops (they are tough) and the bottom of the fennel. Then, cut it in half and then slice it into 1/4-inch slices.
- Dice the garlic cloves. Place the pan on the stovetop, add the oil, and let it heat. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant, just a couple of minutes. Add the seasonings, boiling water, and lemon juice, and mix it all together.
- Add the fennel and mix to coat it with the seasonings. Cover the pot and let cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Uncover the pot, mix the fennel, and coat it with the sauce again. Cover the pot and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the fennel rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions...
- Can I add other vegetables to this dish?
We make the same exact dish with celery as well. Here, if you’d like, you can add diced celery as well. Add a cup or two of it and add it right when you add the fennel. Carrots also work great here. You can add a couple of cups of carrot coins when you add the fennel. - Can I make this dish even more sour?
If you like the dish really sour, feel free to squeeze more lemon on the fennel after it’s done cooking. - Can I make this dish spicy?
If you like spicy food you can add chili flakes or cayenne pepper to the seasonings or a few drops of the hot sauce of your choice. - Can I make this dish ahead?
Yes, you can make this dish a day earlier. let it cool and then cover the pan with a lid and store in the fridge. When it’s time to serve it, reheat on the stovetop. - Can I freeze leftovers?
I’ve never tried… Usually, I try to not freeze cooked vegetables because once you thaw them they lose their texture completely but you can try…
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 88Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 1109mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.
