Roasted Fennel, Turnips and Carrots

by | Mar 25, 2020 | COTF-Clean Out The Fridge, Fennel, Recipes, Turnips, Vegetable Side Dish

Roasted Fennel, Turnips and Carrots
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Roasted vegetables are a perfect, hands-off veggie dish for a big family dinner or for when company is coming. You can wash and cut all your veggies ahead of time and just pop them in the oven when it gets close to dinner time. This is really more of an idea than a recipe, as many combinations will work here. Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite sides all times of the year, but especially now when fennel is in season. I’m in love with fennel! I get so excited when we get a beautiful bulb of fennel in our CSA box. This often overlooked veggie is delicious raw in salads, cooked in soups and stews, but my favorite way to enjoy fennel is roasted at a high temperature with other veggies. Roasting brings out the delicate flavor and sweetness. Roasting until the edges get brown and crisp caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetable. So delicious!

One reason I love getting my CSA box is that it makes me try other produce that I might not otherwise buy. Turnips fall into this category. I don’t know why, but I don’t think I ever bought turnips until I started getting them in my box. And now I look forward to getting them. I can’t say that I love turnips as much as I love fennel, but I have a new respect for them and their versatility. They can be roasted, boiled, steamed and mashed, and can be a really good substitute for potatoes. With a lower calorie and carb count than potatoes, turnips can be a good choice.

And who doesn’t love carrots? They not only add color, but a lovely sweetness to this mix. And they make good dog treats, too!  Max goes nuts when I start chopping carrots… he knows he’ll get the end piece at least.

Then for extra flavor, of course have to add onions and garlic to the mix. I like to use red spring onions for this mix to add some color, but any kind of bulb onion will do. A good olive oil, salt and pepper, and that’s about all you need.

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Roasted Fennel, Turnips and Carrots

  • Author: Stacey McNeill
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Description

This is one of my favorite combinations of veggies to roast in late winter or early spring, but you can use the same technique with many other vegetables you may have on hand.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium bulbs of fennel, trimmed and sliced (reserve some fronds)
  • 6 medium turnips, peeled and cut into quarters (or smaller)
  • 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 2 large spring onions (or one small red onion), cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss all veggies with oil, salt and pepper in a large, shallow baking pan, like the bottom of a broiler pan. Spread them in a single layer. If you can’t fit all your veggies in one pan, use two. You really want the veggies to brown and caramelize.
  2. Roast for about 10 minutes then stir them a bit, trying to turn them over. Roast another 10 to 15 minutes until they’re getting browned and carrots and turnips are getting soft enough to easily spear with a fork.
  3. Add the garlic and stir, and roast for another few minutes. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar if desired. Top with chopped fennel fronds before serving.