Roasted Fennel and Carrots with Chickpeas
- Updated on Jun 09, 2022
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These roasted fennel and carrots with chickpeas are a tray bake like no other. It makes the most of the sweet, distinctive flavour of fennel, a veggie that I, for one, did not know what to do with, before I tried this recipe.
It can be served warm or cold, for lunch or dinner, or as a show-stopping side dish at your next dinner party.
What does fennel mix well with?
Fennel and carrot are an excellent flavour pair. In this warm fennel and carrot salad, their sweetness is balanced by a citrussy, herby lemon juice and thyme dressing with a little olive oil, and tart feta crumbles.
A summer fennel salad to be enjoyed in the garden on a warm evening!
Roasted fennel and carrots: root-ing for your health!
Our roasted fennel and carrots are, of course, super healthy.
This carrot and fennel recipe is full of veggies, not just its namesakes, but also the powerhouse that is spinach.
Together, these provide crucial nutrients and also plenty of fibre, to make this salad as filling as possible. 19g fibre per serving to be exact!
Spinach contains plenty of iron, which is another vital part of your diet as iron is needed to make red blood cells which carry oxygen around your body.
It also has plenty of vegetarian protein sources – chickpeas, cashews and feta. Each serving contains 23g protein. Protein plays the crucial role of providing your body with essential amino acids.
It is also the most filling macronutrient, so a meal as high in protein and fibre as a bowl of roasted fennel and carrots is bound to keep you full for hours.
That makes it good for weight loss – if you are working with a calorie allowance, you’re going to want to use your calories on the food that keeps you full for the longest!
Check out our Vegetarian for Weight Loss E-book, to learn more about how to lose weight healthily and sustainably!
What’s so fab about fennel?
As this is a roasted fennel salad, let’s focus in on the star of this root vegetables show – fennel.
What does fennel taste like?
If you have never tried a roasted fennel recipe before, the most similar comparison flavour has got to be an anise / licorice flavor.
As it roasts, the flavour becomes milder, so even if you aren’t a huge fan of licorice, you can still enjoy the distinctively natural sweetness of roasted fennel.
If that sounds good, why not try our fennel and olive chickpea pancake too!
How do you cut fennel for roasting?
Cut the fresh fennel bulbs in half length-wise. Then cut out the small hard sections at the bottom. Finally, slice them length-wise again into six fennel wedges.
Lay them on parchment paper on a large baking sheet. This is perfect for roasting.
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What can you do with fennel fronds and the green stalks?
You can save the fronds and add them into the salad raw at the end. The stalks are a bit tougher, so I’d chop them very thinly into tiny pieces, or save them for stock.
Is roasted fennel healthy?
Fennel is a root vegetable that is entirely edible! Bulb, fennel seeds, leaves…everything! It is super rich in Vitamin C, fibre and potassium.
It can be prepared in many different ways: slice it thinly and eat it raw in salads, or sautée, braise or grill it for a milder flavour.
We hope you enjoy exploring this underrated vegetable in a deliciously large bowl of this roasted fennel and carrots recipe.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup brown rice
- 10.5 oz fennel bulb (1 medium-large fennel bulb without stems)
- 7 oz carrot (baby carrots, imperator or nantes)
- 1 ½ cup chickpeas, cooked (~1 can, 15oz/425g)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp thyme, dried
- 2 tbsp water
Dressing and Toppings
- 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp water
- ¾ tsp cumin
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 2 oz low fat feta cheese
- 2 oz baby spinach
- 1 large sprig fennel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 230 C / 450 F.
- Cook the rice according to package instructions.⅓ cup brown rice
- Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise. Remove a little bit of the base and then cut each half lengthwise into 6 wedges.10.5 oz fennel bulb
- If your baby carrots are a bit thick, cut them in half lengthwise. Otherwise leave them whole.7 oz carrot
- Mix with olive oil, salt, thyme and water.Salt to taste, ½ tsp thyme, dried, 2 tbsp water, 1 tsp olive oil
- Add the fennel, carrots and chickpeas to a baking sheet and drizzle with the seasoning. Toss to mix. Sprinkle salt and black pepper per taste.1 ½ cup chickpeas, cooked
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the fennel and carrots are tender (could be up 30 min depending on the oven). Turn the grill or broiler of the oven at the highest temp and bake until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).
- Meanwhile in a small bowl mix lemon juice, honey, olive oil, water, cumin, chilli flakes and ¼ tsp of salt. Taste and add extra salt if necessary.1 ½ tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp water, ¾ tsp cumin, ½ tsp chili flakes, Salt to taste
- On a large plate lay the baby spinach. On top place the roasted fennel, carrot and chickpeas. Finish with the honey dressing, crumbled feta and fresh fennel leaves from 1 sprig.2 oz low fat feta cheese, 2 oz baby spinach, 1 large sprig fennel
- Serve salad with cooked rice.
NOTES
Nutrition
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
Abril Macías
Creator of this wonderful recipe!
I am a culinary creator and food photographer from Quito, Ecuador. I have a Master’s degree in New Food Thinking and a Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy, my expertise lies in crafting and capturing creative dishes. Collaborating with websites and blogs worldwide, I develop recipes and bring them to life through captivating photographs.
I dedicate my work in the kitchen and through the lens to explore food from different backgrounds, origins and diets. I would describe my style as “comfort food with a twist”. My goal is to create recipes that are homely, yet attractive, delicious and have something different and exiting to them.
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