Name: Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 fennel bulb and reserved wispy leaves (frangs); 3 large carrots; 8 Cipollini onions (or one large onion sliced into half-moons); 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar; Juice of ½ lemon; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon Sicilian Spice Mix or Italian Seasoning; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; Salt and pepper to taste

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots is a super easy autumn side dish with roasted fennel, carrots, Cipollini onions and a delicious white balsamic herb dressing.

Something magical happens when you roast fennel and root vegetables together. The roasting process caramelizes the vegetables making them naturally sweet. In addition, the white balsamic herb dressing with a little splash of lemon juice really makes these vegetables and herbs sing.

You are going to love Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots because…

Easy and quick
Just a handful of ingredients
Fabulous side dish for thanksgiving or an autumn meal
Tangy, sweet and savory
Can be made ahead and reheated
Delicious in warm salads or on top of pasta too
Vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free

What is fennel?

Fennel is an herb that is actually part of the carrot family. Have you ever tasted a fennel bulb or fennel seed? We think fennel tastes like a delicate anise flavor. Fennel is an amazing little herb. You can eat the bulb, seeds and even the little wispy leaves called fronds. Consequently, the fennel bulbs are delicious raw in a salad with some slices of apple, roasted or tossed in with pasta and many other recipes. Fall and Winter are the best times to harvest fennel. The fennel bulbs look like a white onion and celery have mated. What do you think?

How to cut and prepare fresh fennel for roasting

To prepare your fennel for roasting, you first wash and dry it.

Next cut off the tops to where the white part of the bulb begins

Reserve the fresh wispy leaves (frands) for garnish

Cut your fennel bulbs in half (If your outer bulb sections are older and tough remove and discard.

Fresh fennel is best prepared within 3 days as the longer you let set in your crisper the outer layers become tough. In these situations, remove the outer section of the bulbs and discard.

Cut your fennel bulbs in quarters and then again into eights.

Now, your fennel bulbs are ready to roast

White Balsamic Herb Dressing is Delicious

Have you ever tried white balsamic vinegar? White balsamic vinegar is the perfect accompaniment to roasted fennel and carrots as it imparts that delicious sweetness and sourness without changing the color of the herbs and vegetables. In addition, we used Mie Radici White balsamico, Sicilian Spice herb and Nocellara organic reserve EVOO in our dressing. A little zip of fresh lemon juice makes this recipe light and delicious. If you like white balsamic vinegar, you are going to love our Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe.

White vs Regular balsamic vinegars

You can easily exchange regular dark balsamic vinegar for the white balsamic. However, not all balsamic vinegars are the same and the taste profile will be different. There are the low budget balsamic vinegars. These are really sour and may be mixed with other ingredients and are not very sweet. Balsamic vinegars that have been aged for a longer period time you get that natural sweetness.

Finding that perfect balance of sweetness to Sour

You do not want to use a prepared thick balsamic glaze for this recipe as that would burn because of the higher sugar content. It is best to use a naturally aged white or dark balsamic vinegar for your Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots recipe. If your balsamic is aged too long, there are too many natural sugars, and this can cause excessive browning or burning. You don’t want that.

On the other hand, if your balsamic vinegar has not been aged at all it will not have any caramelization and your end product maybe too sour. You are looking for something middle ground and Mie Radici white balsamic is just perfect for this recipe. Be sure to check out our Balsamic Glazed Salmon and Roasted Root Vegetables for another easy one sheet pan dinner using balsamic, salmon and root vegetables.