Quick and tasty, fennel alla pizzaiola is one of the many ways to cook fennel and make it flavorful and inviting even for those, adult or child, who don’t particularly like it. Excellent as an appetizer or as a vegetarian main dish that’s different from the usual, fennel alla pizzaiola is cooked in a pan along with some cherry tomatoes, some olives, and a pinch of oregano. The final touch that makes this fennel in the pan absolutely irresistible is the addition of cubes of mozzarella that, in a couple of minutes, melt and give the dish a creamy and cheesy consistency. This combination of fennel and cheese, already appreciated in other recipes like fennel with parmesan or fennel with gorgonzola, proves to be especially successful, allowing you to present a satisfying and not too caloric dish at the table.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 218.66 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 7.93 (g) of which sugars 7.51 (g)
- Proteins 8.60 (g)
- Fat 16.56 (g) of which saturated 5.02 (g)of which unsaturated 2.28 (g)
- Fibers 5.23 (g)
- Sodium 265.80 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Fennel alla Pizzaiola in Pan
- 2 fennel
- 7 oz cherry tomatoes
- 3.5 oz mozzarella
- 0.7 oz olives (pitted)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pinch oregano
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste pepper
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan non-stick with lid
How to Prepare Fennel alla Pizzaiola in Pan
To prepare fennel alla pizzaiola, start by cleaning the fennel: remove the stalks and outer leaves if they are damaged, then rinse and dry them. Cut them in half and slice them into slices about 1/4 inch thick (1). Wash the cherry tomatoes and slice them (2). Cut the mozzarella into cubes (3) and set it aside.
Pour the oil into a large non-stick pan, add the peeled garlic clove and let it sauté lightly (4). Then add the fennel and cherry tomatoes (5). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, stir briefly, and cover with the lid (6).
Let the fennel cook in the pan for 12-15 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. It shouldn’t be necessary because fennel is rich in water, but if you see that they tend to stick to the bottom, add a little water to stew them more gently.
When the fennel is tender, remove the lid (7). Locate the garlic and remove it, then add the oregano and pitted olives to the pan. Stir briefly and add the mozzarella cubes (8).
Cover the pan with the lid and let it cook for another minute or two over medium heat, without stirring, just the time needed to melt the mozzarella (6). Serve the fennel alla pizzaiola immediately, as an appetizer or as a vegetarian main dish. They are also excellent for filling delicious sandwiches or tasty crostini.
Storage
If there are leftovers, you can store the fennel alla pizzaiola in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
I used green olives, but for this recipe, tasty black olives, such as Taggiasca or Gaeta olives, are also fine.
Instead of cherry tomatoes, you can use peeled tomatoes or 3.5 oz of tomato puree.
