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    You are here: Home » Meal Type » Salads » Roasted Fennel Salad with Apple and Radicchio

    Roasted Fennel Salad with Apple and Radicchio

    October 28, 2017 By Danielle Esposti 10 Comments

    May contain affiliate links.See our Privacy Policy and disclosure.

    Go to Recipe
    You will love this roasted fennel salad recipe! Roasted fennel is sweet and nutty and pairs perfectly with crispy apples and spicy radicchio. This easy fall salad recipe is one of my go-to paleo, Whole30 and vegan recipes when fennel is in season. It's a flavor packed side dish that's impressive enough for dinner parties and Thanksgiving dinner, but easy enough for a weeknight.

    Fennel becomes a completely different vegetable after a trip through the oven – it loses its classic licorice bite and becomes tender, nutty, and just a bit sweet. Tossed with apples and radicchio, this Roasted Fennel Salad is crunchy, savory, bright and fresh. It’s a shockingly easy recipe, but so impressive. 

    Jump to:
    • How to Make Roasted Fennel Salad
    • Dietary Accommodations
    • How to Serve, and What to Serve with, Roasted Fennel Salad
    • Recipe

    It can be difficult to get down with salads once the weather turns decidedly cooler. Once fall weather settles in permanently, I pretty much pivot from a summertime vegetarian to a staunch meat and potatoes lady.

    Fall veggies might not be as colorful or diverse as summer’s harvest, but they’re still damn tasty if you toss together the right combinations, like this roasted fennel salad. Meaty, nutty fennel, crispy sweet apples, and peppery radicchio come together to create a salad that’s nutty, vibrant, and simply perfect for sweater weather.

    If you’re not a fan of fennel, hear me out, because the character of roasted fennel is so very, very different from its raw form. It loses all of its bite and most of its licorice-y flavor profile after a trip through the oven. The result is a mildly sweet, nutty flavor profile that’s completely unexpected in a wild and wonderful way. It’s really freaking tasty and totally worth the extra step.

    How to Make Roasted Fennel Salad

    Obviously this recipe starts out with a bulb of fresh fennel. Thank you, captain obvious. You’ll remove the stalks and reserve the fronds (they’re a nice addition to the salad base), then slice up the bulb into ½″ wedges.

    Fennel can look like an intimidating vegetable, so if you’ve never worked with it before, this is a great video on how to prepare fennel.

    After you’ve sliced it up, you’ll toss the fennel wedges with some oil and then roast them until they’re soft and caramelized. The roasted fennel will be tender and golden brown, with a mid, nutty flavor. It becomes a totally different vegetable, because science. Amazing.

    While the fennel is roasting, you’ll slice up some crispy apples and some peppery radicchio. I used crimson crisps that we picked up during our annual apple picking trip, but any crisp, sweet apple will do. Go really thin with your apple slices, and use a mandoline if you have one.

    Radicchio brings some color into an otherwise very brown salad, but more importantly, it’s slightly peppery, mildly bitter flavor profile is a great contrast to the sweet apples and nutty fennel.

    The dressing isn’t even really a dressing – just some lemon juice and zest, a few glugs of really good olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Toss n’serve baby.

    If you believe as I do that most situations in life can benefit from a little bit of cheese, add a few shavings of raw parmesan or pecorino. It’s totally optional (I’m talking to you vegans!) but gives each bite a creamy, salty finish.

    A white plate on a marble background filled with a roasted fennel salad, topped with shaved raw parmesan cheese.

    Dietary Accommodations

    • Naturally Whole30 and paleo
    • Gluten free and grain free
    • Vegetarian and vegan
    • If you can tolerate dairy, add a bit of raw shaved parmesan or pecorino cheese just before serving

    How to Serve, and What to Serve with, Roasted Fennel Salad

    • I like serving a special salad like this with a very simple protein like pan-seared fish or roasted chicken. Both are mild enough not to compete with the bold flavors and easy enough to prepare.
    • This salad holds up really well at room temperature, so it’s a great option for family-style dinner parties or large events (I’m looking at your Thanksgiving day) where dishes might be sitting out for a bit.
    A 45-degree view of a white plate on a marble background filled with roasted fennel salad with apple and radicchio.

    Did you make this Roasted Fennel Salad? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.

    While you’re at it, let’s be friends – follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for the latest and greatest.

    Recipe

    You will love this roasted fennel salad recipe! Roasted fennel is sweet and nutty and pairs perfectly with crispy apples and spicy radicchio. This easy fall salad recipe is one of my go-to paleo, Whole30 and vegan recipes when fennel is in season. It's a flavor packed side dish that's impressive enough for dinner parties and Thanksgiving dinner, but easy enough for a weeknight.

    Roasted Fennel Salad with Apples and Radicchio

    5 from 2 votes
    Author: Danielle Esposti
    Print Recipe Rate this Recipe Pin Recipe
    Fennel becomes a completely different vegetable after a trip though the oven – it loses its classic licorice bite and becomes tender, nutty, and just a bit sweet. Tossed with apples and radicchio, this roasted fennel salad is a cool weather recipe you’ll turn to again and again. It’s bright and deeply flavorful, but also satisfying and nutritious.
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 25 mins
    Total Time: 35 mins
    Servings : 4
    Calories: 163

    Recommended Equipment

    • Baking Sheet
    • Mandoline
    • Microplane
    • Vegetable Peeler

    Ingredients

    • 1 fennel bulb, sliced into ½″ wedges, fronds reserved
    • 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
    • 1 crispy apple, cored and thinly sliced
    • ½ head radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
    • ¼ c parsley, roughly chopped
    • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
    • cracked black pepper, to taste
    • sea salt, to taste
    • ¼ c shaved parmesan or pecorino cheese, optional

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 400. 
    • Slice the stalks from the fennel bulb, reserving the fronds for the salad. Peel the outer layer with a vegetable peeler, then cut in half lengthwise. Remove the core, then slice into long, thin wedges lengthwise. 
    • Toss the fennel with 1 tbsp oil and spread onto a baking sheet. Roast until the fennel is cooked through and browning around the edges, flipping once halfway through, 25-30 minutes. 
    • While the fennel is roasting, prepare the remaining ingredients. Core and thinly slice the apples (a mandoline is useful here) and the radicchio, then transfer to a salad bowl. Roughly chop the fennel fronds and parsley, and add those to the bowl. 
    • Add the roasted fennel to the salad base. Zest the lemon over the salad (I love my microplane zester), then add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss, and divided onto four plates. Top with the shaved cheese if using, and serve immediately. 

    Notes

    Locally Sourced Ingredients:
    Crimson crisp apples from Catoctin Mountain Orchard
    Local fennel and radicchio, sourced from The Common Market

    Nutrition Information

    Calories: 163kcal (8%)
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @oursaltykitchen or tag #oursaltykitchen!

    Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission if you make a purchase using these links. Rest assured, we only endorse products we own and truly love! 

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    Disclaimer: This post and the recipe card may contain affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission (at no cost to you!) if you make a purchase using these links. Rest assured, we only endorse products we own and truly love!

    10 Comments
    Filed Under: 45 Minutes or Less, Fall Recipes, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Main Dishes, Paleo, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30 Recipes, Winter Recipes Tagged With: apple, fennel, radicchio, roasted

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cynthia Cochran

      November 22, 2018 at 1:30 pm

      You want to add the amount of all of oil you use for the dressing to your list as well as your calorie count

      Reply
    2. Beatrice Ifshin

      October 22, 2022 at 1:18 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for my husband and myself and served it with Grilled Salmon for dinner. I was concerned that my husband might not enjoy it. He loved it!! The two of us finished most of it then and I had the leftover for lunch the next day. I’m looking forward to having it again.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

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