This recipe from Bon Appetite magazine celebrates all that fennel has to offer in a weeknight pasta that comes together in less than an hour. Thinly sliced fennel is slowly cooked down with onion and garlic, yielding a caramelized, jammy mixture. Anchovies and Parmesan bring savory balance, while lemon zest and juice contribute brightness. Garnishing with the fronds lends fresh fennel flavor to every bite.
There are plenty of ways to customize this dish to your own palate. Don’t like anchovies? No worries—skip them. Want to take it to a meaty place? Cook Italian sausage in the skillet, set it aside, and cook the fennel in the sausage fat. Prefer a little more sweetness? Deglaze the skillet with white wine. And for even more fennel flavor, cook the stalks along with the pasta; just pluck them out before draining.
Serves 4
3 large fennel bulbs with fronds (about 3 lb. total)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
1 tsp. sugar
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 oil-packed anchovy fillets
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
12 oz. gemelli, fusilli, or other medium pasta
1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Cut stalks from 3 large fennel bulbs with fronds and cut fronds from stalks; discard stalks. Coarsely chop fronds and set aside. Remove tough out layer from bulbs and discard. Halve bulbs lengthwise (through root ends) and remove cores; discard. Thinly slice bulbs crosswise.
Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add fennel bulbs, 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. sugar; stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and fennel is beginning to brown around the edges, 8–10 minutes. Uncover and add 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 3 oil-packed anchovy filets, and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching (stir in a splash of water if scorching does occur), until fennel and onion are deep golden brown and very soft and jammy, 15–20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook 12 oz. gemelli, fusilli, or other medium pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than package directions.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta to pot with sauce. Add 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup), 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, and 2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until sauce clings to pasta, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup reserved fennel fronds, 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, and 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with more reserved fennel fronds.