Baked fennel pizzaiola is a simple, easy, quick, and delicious side dish, perfect to pair with meat and fish dishes. I first blanched these fennels and then baked them with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Fennels are truly versatile, perfect for salads but also delicious when cooked. They have multiple properties, being digestive, diuretic, and rich in antioxidants. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals. Really great for everyone! Maybe even for children who don’t like vegetables much. If you want, you can also try other baked side dishes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for preparing baked fennel pizzaiola
- 2 fennel
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano (grated)
- 3.5 oz mozzarella for pizza
- 8 cherry tomatoes (Piccadilly)
- 2 pinches salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Steps for making baked fennel pizzaiola
To prepare the baked fennel pizzaiola, first clean the fennel well, wash them thoroughly, then cut off the tough tops and bottom. Then slice them not too thick. Put a pot with water and coarse salt on the stove and let it come to a boil. Blanch the fennel for about 10 minutes, not on high heat. After 10 minutes, drain the fennel and let them cool. Meanwhile, prepare the coating. In a bowl, put 4 heaping tablespoons of breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of grated Pecorino Romano, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, two pinches of salt, a little black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well with a spoon. When cooled, add the fennel and mix well in the bowl.
Preheat the static oven to 392°F (200°C). Meanwhile, take a not too large baking dish, drizzle the bottom and sides with extra virgin olive oil. Pour in the fennel, add the washed and halved cherry tomatoes on top, add the mozzarella on top, I used the pre-shredded one for pizza, but you can also use classic mozzarella. If you use the classic one, however, let it drain for at least 1 hour. On top of the mozzarella, add a little more breadcrumbs, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano, and bake.
Bake the fennel for about 20 minutes. The mozzarella should turn golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Storage and tips
You can store the fennel in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
If you want, instead of mozzarella, you can use provola or scamorza cheese.
If you want, instead of mozzarella, you can use provola or scamorza cheese.
