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    Home » Dinner » Pasta with Sausage and Fennel Fronds

    Pasta with Sausage and Fennel Fronds

    Published: Jul 22, 2015 · Modified: Mar 19, 2022 by Erica Julson · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

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    Have you ever tried fennel fronds?

    There are a zillion recipes out there using fennel bulbs, but very few that use the stalks and fennel fronds.

    But they ARE edible. Even delicious!

    They have that anise flavor, but are significantly less pungent than the bulb. And just like the bulb, that licorice-y taste diminishes as you cook it. Since the fronds especially are so thin and delicate, they are perfect after just a slight saute.

    So here we go. A recipe using fennel fonds 🙂

    You can just rip the fronds off the stalks of fennel from the store, OR if you are lucky enough to live in California and are feeling adventurous, there is plenty of wild fennel around, just ripe for the picking.

    Case in point: Wild fennel seen during a hike in Livermore.

    Wild Fennel in Livermore, CA

    Please note: Wild fennel is different than the kind you get in the store. There is no bulb! So don't try to dig it up (I learned this the hard way...). Just pluck off the fennel fronds and be on your merry way. Just be sure to wash them very very well before you use them!

    This is a really simple recipe. Follow the picture steps and see the full recipe and health tip below!

    First, pluck off all the fennel fronds from 2 large fennel stalks or gather a bunch from the wild:

    Fennel Fronds and Bulbs

    Then chop them all up.

    Chopped and washed fennel fronds

    Next, prep the sausage. Slit them down the center with a sharp knife to cut through the casing:

    Slicing Hot Italian Sausage

    Then remove the casing and crumble into your pan (the smaller the better so you don't have to do as much breaking up with your spatula while cooking).

    Removing Casing from Italian Sausage

    After browning, add the garlic and fennel fronds.

    Sausage with Garlic and Fennel Fronds

    Then cook for a couple minutes.

    Cooked Sausage with Garlic and Fennel Fronds

    Then add the pasta, some pasta water to create a sauce, and some yummy cheese. Season with pepper and enjoy!

    pasta with sausage and fennel fronds

    Health Tip: The compound in fennel responsible for that classic licorice flavor is called anethole. A study conducted out of the University of Texas in the year 2000 showed that anethole is able to block many TNF (tumor necrosis factor) cellular pathways that can increase inflammation. Anethole has been suggested to work as an anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer compound. (source here)

    Recipe

    Pasta with Sausage and Fennel Fronds

    Pasta with Sausage and Fennel Fronds

    4.9 from 13 votes
    Print
    Prep5 minutes mins
    Cook25 minutes mins
    Total30 minutes mins
    Servings: 4
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    Ingredients 

    • ¼ cup olive oil (or safflower oil for low salicylates)
    • 1 lb hot Italian sausage, crumbled
    • 8 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 cup finely chopped fennel fronds
    • 1 lb bowtie pasta
    • ¼ cup pasta cooking water
    • ¾ cup finely grated parmesan-romano cheese blend
    • ground pepper to taste (omit if salicylate sensitive)

    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
    • Add the olive oil and sausage to a large nonstick skillet. Heat over medium-high heat and cook for 8-10 minutes until browned. Take care to break up the sausage into small pieces with your spatula.
    • Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions, usually about 10 minutes.
    • Add the garlic and fennel fronds to the sausage and cook for 3-5 minutes more until garlic is fragrant. Then reduce the heat to low.  
    • Reserve ¼ cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest of the pasta.
    • Add the cooking water and pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Sprinkle on the cheese and toss again to combine. 
    • Season with pepper and serve (with additional cheese if desired).
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    Pasta with Sausage and Fennel Fronds
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.85 from 13 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cheri Klunick

      October 02, 2023 at 4:58 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! A great way to use the fronds too!

      Reply
    2. BarkingCougar

      June 01, 2022 at 7:01 am

      5 stars
      Really easy and very tasty dish. Halved the batch this first time out since I live alone, and it made for a couple very satisfying meals. I believe more people would love fennel fronds if they tried this recipe!

      Reply
    3. BARBARA FRIED

      February 01, 2021 at 11:34 am

      This was my first time using fennel fronds it was delicious I added mushroom. I used the bulb in the
      Garlic lemon and fennel thigh recipe and I enjoyed that also.
      Thanks I like treating myself to something new and different I wouldn't normally purchase.

      Reply
    4. Lina

      December 01, 2020 at 5:47 pm

      5 stars
      This was DELICIOUS!! Thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
    5. Kim

      June 13, 2020 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      I grew fennel in my garden for the first time this year and found this recipe while trying to find ways to use the fronds. I'll need to plant some more because it has become my husband's favorite meal and asks me to make it once a week. I can't handle spice so we do half mild sausage and half hot and it's perfect. An easy,, quick, delicious meal. Thank you so much!

      Reply
    6. Lilly

      January 26, 2020 at 9:47 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! I used homemade turkey sausage with extra fennel seeds mixed in. I also used a half bottle of leftover marinara sauce in the sauce just to get rid of it before it went bad. Otherwise followed the recipe as written. Came out very very good.

      Reply
    7. Noelle

      July 13, 2019 at 5:51 pm

      5 stars
      Super yummy and quick to make! Not a whole lot of recipes out there using the fronds, so thank you!

      Reply
    8. Forager

      April 28, 2019 at 1:14 pm

      WARNING: Wild fennel can sometimes look like poison hemlock, and poison hemlock can grow in the same places as wild fennel can. Poison hemlock has wider flatter leaves (unlike those of wild fennel, which are needles like dill), its stalks are splotched with red, and when you crush poison hemlock leaves and smell them, it does not smell like a strong licorice or fennel. (Crush them with something that isn't your fingers - poison hemlock juice can be absorbed through the skin...)

      Reply

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    Erica Julson Profile Picture

    Hi, I'm Erica! Food & wellness lover, cooking enthusiast, and registered dietitian nutritionist. 

    My mission is to help you reclaim the joy of cooking at home by providing you with jaw-droppingly delicious recipes you'll want to make again and again.

    More about me →

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