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- Makes 8 cups
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This recipe is a great introduction to fresh fennel, which turns silky-soft when simmered with pasta. The light licorice taste of this fun root vegetable pairs perfectly with the earthy sweetness of butternut squash. Add a crunchy topping of chopped walnuts, and you have a five-star meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes. Be generous when adding the fennel fronds at the end so you get maximum flavor, and save any leftover fronds or stalks to add to salads later in the week!
Ingredients
- 2 medium fennel bulbs
- 8 oz. dry whole grain penne
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1½ cups cubed fresh butternut squash
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Remove stems from fennel bulbs; trim and coarsely chop the fronds. Halve bulbs, then cut into ¼-inch-thick slices.
- Add penne and onion to boiling water. Cook according to package directions for the pasta, adding squash and sliced fennel bulb the last 7 minutes of cooking.
- Reserve 3 cups cooking water. Drain pasta and vegetables. Return pasta and vegetables to pot. Add 1 to 1½ cups cooking water and ¼ to ½ cup chopped fennel fronds to pot; toss to coat. Add additional reserved cooking water if desired for saucier pasta. Sprinkle with walnuts.
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Comments (9)
(3 from 5 votes)i improved it! Penne with Butternut Squash and Fresh Fennel PREP-TIME: 20 MINUTES / READY IN: 40 MINUTES Ingredients • 2 medium fennel bulbs • 8 oz. dry whole grain penne • 1 cup chopped onion • 2 small bulbs of garlic (or one big) • 1½ cups cubed fresh butternut squash • ½ cup chopped walnuts • 1 tablespoon tahini • 2 lemons Method 1. Chop the top off a one or two (if small) bulbs of garlic and roast in the airfryer for 15 to 20 minutes 2. Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Remove stems from fennel bulbs; trim and coarsely chop the fronds. Halve bulbs, then cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. 3. Add penne and onion to water. Cook according to package directions for the pasta, adding squash and sliced fennel bulb the last 7 minutes of cooking. 4. Drain pasta and vegetables. Return pasta and vegetables to pot. 5. Add the juice of two lemons and ¼ cup walnuts to a mini blender. Squeeze in the roasted garlic add a tablespoon of tahini and water to change the consistency. 6. Mix sauce with pasta and vegetables 7. Sprinkle with walnuts.
Something seems wrong with the recipe. You put the fennel in with the butternut but then it's somehow separate. Needs a bit of work. Plus very bland as others have commented.
Tasteless is accurate, so add seasoning. I added salt, onion salt, chicken-style seasoning, pepper. Not bad after that. I wish I had thought of lemon, that would have brightened it a lot. I would leave the butternut out and put something else in. Almost everyone ate it thought, so not a complete failure.
Tasteless
Tasteless
Frankly, this is tasteless. Who develops these recipes? I am no longer using recipes from Forks over Knives, there are plenty of better tasting vegan recipes on the Internet.
This recipe seems unfinished. Maybe some lemon zest or garlic would help? I am not a huge fan of spice, but this is even too bland for me
Needs some “zip”. I will add halved cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning.
A bit bland even with the fennel, but it was ok