This roasted fennel and sundried tomato pasta is delicious! It’s creamy, cheesy, packed with flavor and fairly easy to make! It has fennel, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and parmesan cheese. It can also have sausage added to it if desired.
The fennel can be roasted in the oven or sautéed in a pan for a quicker method. When the fennel gets cooked it tames the strong licorice flavor and it almost takes on a artichoke heart feel to it. I love it roasted the best!
This pasta can be made vegetarian or you can add ground sausage to it. It is delicious both ways and it really is just your preference on whether to add the sausage or not.
You can use whatever pasta you want to in this recipe. I have penne in these pictures and it works great but any other pasta will work as well.
What you need to make this roasted fennel and sundried tomato pasta: (printable recipe card is below)
Serves 4
- 8 ounces dry pasta – any will work
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic – minced
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes – chopped
- 1 cup roasted fennel – chopped (roast in a 400 F. oven with salt and pepper for 30 minutes or cook in a pan until softened)
- 1/2 pound ground sausage – cooked (optional)
- 2 1/2 cup pasta water – salted water you cooked the pasta in
- 1/2 cup cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt – more to taste at end
- 1/2 cup fresh basil – roughly torn or chopped if you don’t have fresh basil, you can use 2 tablespoons dried basil
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 2 1/2 cups of pasta water.
- In a large skillet, add olive oil, garlic, sundried tomatoes, fennel and sausage (if using it) cook until the garlic starts to get golden, we don’t want it to burn.
- Add the pasta water, cream and lemon juice and stir with the garlic, tomatoes, fennel and sausage.
- In a small dish, combine cornstarch and water and then stir into the sauce mixture along with the parmesan cheese.
- Add drained pasta into the sauce and sprinkle with salt while you stir. Taste and adjust salt to preference.
- When the sauce has thickened and coats the pasta well, remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.
- Stir and enjoy.
Here are a few other pasta recipes you may enjoy:
Lemon Cream Pasta With Shrimp
Summer Orzo Pasta Salad
Grilled Pesto Chicken Pasta
Sausage and Mushroom Pappardelle
Roasted Fennel and Sundried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry pasta – any will work
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic – minced
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes – chopped
- 1 cup roasted fennel – chopped roast in a 400 F. oven with salt and pepper for 30 minutes or cook in a pan until softened
- 1/2 pound ground sausage – cooked optional
- 2 1/2 cup pasta water – water you cooked the pasta in
- 1/2 cup cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt – more to taste at end
- 1/2 cup fresh basil – roughly torn or chopped if you don’t have fresh basil you can use 2 tablespoons dried basil
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 2 1/2 cups of pasta water.
- In a large skillet, add olive oil, garlic, sundried tomatoes, fennel and sausage (if using it) cook until the garlic starts to get golden, we don’t want it to burn.
- Add the pasta water, cream and lemon juice and stir with the garlic, tomatoes, fennel and sausage.
- In a small dish, combine cornstarch and water and then stir into the sauce mixture along with the parmesan cheese.
- Add drained pasta into the sauce and sprinkle with salt while you stir. Taste and adjust salt to preference.
- When the sauce has thickened and coats the pasta well, remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.
- Stir and enjoy.