This Fennel Pasta Sauce just might replace the cauliflower in your life. Or kitchen.

No, I’m not making a fennel rice or pizza crust, not yet anyway. As I am in Italy it seems appropriate to start with the pasta.

But you might find a new veggie-only super creamy pasta sauce. Vegan, gluten-free, extra healthy.

Not to mention how delicious, unique and delicate (creamy too, you’ll see) this vegan fennel pasta sauce is.

vegetable-broth-soup-after-being-strained-in-a-glass-jar

The Ingredients

Fennel: we’ll use only the bulb. With the stalks and all the remaining parts you can make a vegetable Broth, swapping for the celery.
Pasta: short or long. Here I use corn and rice flour spaghetti.
Chickpeas: they are optional, but such a nice touch. I roast them when I have time but have added only cooked too.
Broth: you can use even water ooooor go make my super easy Broth (the one mentioned above). Healthy recipe that will really improve this and any other recipe you need water.
Salt and Pepper: I do love my spices, but here the delicate flavor of the fennel needs only to be enhanced. Let’s do the Italian way.
Olive Oil: to taste, I don’t use to cook, just a bit when serving.

close-up of cut fennel on chopping board

How to Cut The Fennel

That’s how I’m used to do it:

Trim off the fennel stalks, cutting them away close to where they connect to the bulb.

Cut the bulb in half. Trim a little bit off the bottom of the fennel bulb to make the bottom stable (and cut away any tough root bits). I don’t remove the internal part of the root (the triangular white bit) as it is as soft as the bulb).

Peel off any wilted outer layers. If the outer layer of your fennel bulb feels wilted or rubbery, peel it away. Usually 1 or 2 layers, no more.

Just slice roughly to cook faster, they’ll be mixed anyway.

Still unsure? There’s a video from MarthaStuart but the cut a bit to much for me.

chickpeas in a baking tray with salt and pepper

How to Make Fennel Pasta Sauce

CHICKPEAS

Soak the dry chickpeas overnight. Preheat the oven to 390° F.

Dry the chickpeas, put them in a bowl and add a dash of oil, salt and pepper. Mix using your hands.

Place them in an oven sheet with baking paper and put it in the middle rack of the oven.

Let the chickpeas roast from 40-45 minutes. Give it a stir every 15 minutes or so.

THE SAUCE

In a saucepan put enough broth to cover the fennel cubes. Bring it to a boil and add the fennel. Cook until the fennel is soft. Should take about 15 minutes.

Put the pasta to cook as per instruction.

When the fennel is cooked, drain the excess broth leaving only enough to mix with a hand mixer, 1-2 tablespoons.

Add a pinch of pepper and blend everything very well until you get a very fluid cream. Taste and season with salt.

Your choice to add on top of your pasta or mix it. If doing the later do it just before serving. Add the roasted chickpeas on top and a drizzle of oil. Fennel leaves are cute to decorate too.

close-up of a fork with fennel pasta sauce, plate on the background

Really hope you have the opportunity to enjoy the recipe in a nice vegan dinner.

Easy, Italian, healthy and delicious, why not, right?

And if I may suggest, these pasta salad recipes are also in the same category: Italian Caponata, Creamy and Fall Pasta Salad.

With gratitude,

Carol🌶