Our warm roasted fennel salad with cabbage and pepitas is savory, warm, crunchy and sweet. Enjoy it for lunch, or as a light dinner with your favorite protein.
An easy salad with crunchy caramelized pumpkin seeds, this fennel salad makes a gorgeous (and delicious!) main or side dish for a truly unforgettable meal.
The centerpiece of fennel salad is - no surprise here - fennel, one of nature’s most surprising vegetables. The odd-looking love child of onion, celery, and a banzai tree, fennel may look like it was drawn by Dr. Suess, but bite into one, and you’ll get a flavorful shot of sweet anise and licorice, a satisfying crunch, and a healthy dose of Vitamin C, iron, fiber, and potassium.
That is, of course, if you eat it raw. If you roast or sautee it to include, warm, in this roasted fennel salad, you’ve taken this veggie to a whole new level. (For the record, we are mildly obsessed with fennel, which you can cook every which way and pairs beautifully with all kinds of flavors. It’s no accident that we’ve included it in so many recipes. Check them out!
Other Fennel Recipes
- Braised Fennel With Apricots & Figs
- Stuffed Eggplant With Fennel & White Beans
- Persimmon Fennel Salad
- Pickled Fennel & Carrots
- Fennel, Blood Orange & Hazelnut Salad
- Fennel and Chickpea Stew
- Warm Roasted Fennel Salad for Two
How to make roasted fennel salad
You’ll notice that fennel salad is only the beginning of what you can do with this magical vegetable.)
This Warm Roasted Fennel Salad for Two, has three simple components:
- Roasted fennel
- Sauteed red cabbage with salt pepper and orange juice
- Caramelized pepitas with maple syrup, salt, pepper and oil
We recommend enjoying it undressed, with a squeeze of lemon, or balsamic glaze. It’s as simple as it sounds, and about a hundred times more irresistible. The combination of crunchy pumpkin seeds, savory fennel, and sweet red cabbage is five-fingertip-kiss-worthy, and the fennel salad is loaded enough to be a meal on its own.
Serve it to your Passover guests, and we’ll guarantee they’ll be back for Seder next year. (Just swap out the pumpkin seeds for almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts or pecans as a topping for those not eating kitniyot).
You’re welcome!
Warm Roasted Fennel Salad
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Our warm roasted fennel salad with cabbage and pepitas is savory, warm, crunchy and sweet. Enjoy it for lunch, or as a light dinner with your favorite protein.
Ingredients
FOR THE ROASTED FENNEL:
- 2 large fennel bulbs
- 1 - 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
FOR THE CARAMELIZED PUMPKIN SEEDS (PEPITAS)
- ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
FOR THE RED CABBAGE
- 1 tsp olive or vegetable oil
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
FOR THE ROASTED FENNEL
- Preheat the oven to 400F
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper ( you may need 2 baking sheets depending on the size of the fennel)
- Cut off the fennel fronds. Cut the fennel in half vertically, and slice each half in ¼" thick slices. Transfer them to a bowl
- Add the olive oil and salt and toss well, making sure the fennel gets well coated. Arrange on the lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until tender
FOR THE CARAMELIZED PUMPKIN SEEDS (PEPITAS)
- While fennel is cooking, combine the pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, salt, pepper and oil in a bowl and toss well. Transfer them to a skillet and cook over medium heat until golden. Let them cool
FOR THE RED CABBAGE
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cabbage, orange juice, salt and pepper, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly tender (cook for longer if you prefer a more tender consistency)
- Transfer the cooked cabbage to a large bowl and top with roasted fennel and pumpkin seeds
- You may squeeze a little fresh lemon to the salad or add some balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze
- Category: Salad
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Calories: 363
- Sugar: 25.5
- Sodium: 1888
- Fat: 30.4
- Saturated Fat: 3.5
- Unsaturated Fat: 18.2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 39
- Fiber: 9.7
- Protein: 9
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: fennel, salad, roasted, pepitas, cabbage
Helen Scarr says
We recently entertained four guests for two days and this was one of the recipes they were treated to. It was so delicious I wanted to eat the whole dish myself without sharing! So, so, so soooo good. Thank you so much for the recipe!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
It's definitely one of our favorites!!! Thank you so much, very happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Deborah says
I loved this warm salad and the marriage of the red cabbage and fennel. I opted for two roasted fennel bulbs and found I should have increased the amount of cabbage. I look forward to adjusting parts and making it again!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Awesome! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, feel free to share a photo of your dish on any of our social media channels. Enjoy1