Roasted Fennel Marinara Sauce
Roasted Fennel Marinara Sauce. A subtly sweet tomato sauce that's incredibly delicious in so many recipes, from delicious lasagna to a delightful seafood dip for entertaining.
One of the oldest Italian Inspired recipes on this site. Originally published Nov 3, 2007. Updated July 2026.
I've often said that fennel is one if the most underused vegetables out there. It needs to be appreciated more for the subt anise like flavour it can bring to sommany dishes.
I see it used far more often when travelling and dining in italy. It's found there in everything from salads to sausages.
Because if the mild sweet almost licorice like flavour, I've used it for years in plenty of ways. I pair it with orange in a kind of coleslaw in a recipe for Orange Fennel Salad, which we particular enjoy beside grilled meat or fish.
Some if my favourite pizza joints use fennel seed in particular, and though you may not have noticed it in particular, it's very notable when missing from the sauce!
You'll also find it here in several recipes over the years from Fennel Cream Sauce Pasta with Bacon & Scallops to a simple but delicious Tomato Fennel Soup.
Roasted Fennel Marinara Sauce. Roasting means natural sweetness.
If you search for fennel as an ingredient on Rock Recipes, you will often find it roasted in quite a number of our dishes. That's because it's how I like it best.
The roasting process mellows and sweetens the fennel, making it even more of a stand out ingredient. I sometimes just roast it with a little toss of salt pepper and balsamic vinegar, as a smeple side dish for grilled chicken, pork chops and especially fish.
I think fennel and seafood are a natural partnership, as several recipes here will attest.
Perhaps the most used tomato sauce in our household is this very recipe for Roasted Fennel Marinara Sauce. We use it in everything from Spaghetti and Meatballs, to ravioli, baked pasta dishes or as a pizza sauce.
The recipe deliciously lends itself to any recipe where tomato sauce is called for. We even occasionally serve it cold a a dip for chilled shrimp in a Shrimp cocktail or as simple party finger food.
Once you taste it, you'll want to use it in some of your own favourites. When you do be sure to leave a comment below. We might just get some new ideas ourselves!
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Roasted Fennel Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
FOR THE ROASTED FENNEL
- 1 head fennel sliced or quartered
- salt and pepper to season
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
FOR THE SAUCE
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- The roasted fennel
- 2 large cans (32 oz can) crushed Roma or san marzano tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional if, like me, you want a more prominent fennel flavour)
- 1 large carrot finely grated
- ½ cup finely diced celery
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (optional or to taste)
Instructions
TO PREPARE THE FENNEL
- In a baking pan or casserole dish, toss the fennel slices with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until the fennel is fork tender. 30 minutes or so, depending ion the size of the fennel pieces.
TO PREPARE THE REST OF THE SAUCE
- n a large saucepan or dutch oven, sauté the garlic, onion in the 3 tablespoon oil for 1-2 minute.
- Add the roasted fennel and tomatoes.
- Puree with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to puree.
- Add the oregano, basil, bay leaf, carrot, celery, brown sugar salt and pepper. (and the optional fennel seeds and chili flakes if using them)
- Slowly simmer for about an 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Use in any recipe that calls for marinara sauce or any other tomato sauce.
Notes
You may notice that in the photos we have added the rind ends of some pieces of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese. We always save these in the freezer as we use the cheese. These add great flavour to the sauce as well if you have them. They soften when simmered and provide a nice cook's treat when pulled from the finished sauce. My kids always claimed them when they were growing up!
This sauce can be bottled and boiling water processed as directed by the Mason Jar manufacturer.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 53Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 4gSodium 10mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 0g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
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