This colorful, healthy sheet pan of roasted vegetables features fennel, turnips, sweet potatoes and leeks. Made with Paleo and Whole30 compliant ingredients, this medley of vegetables is great as a simple weeknight side dish or as an addition to your Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas table!
What's not to love about a sheet pan of beautiful roasted vegetables? Roasting vegetables is a super simple, mostly hands-off method for preparing vegetables, yet the end result is elegant enough to add to your holiday table and really impress your guests. This medley of roasted vegetables, in particular, includes turnips, sweet potatoes and leeks, but the real star of the show is the fennel.
Jump to:
- What Does Fennel Taste Like?
- Are the Fennel Stalks and Fronds Edible?
- Can the Turnips, Sweet Potatoes and Leeks be Swapped Out for Something Else?
- Other Ingredients/Substitutions for Lemon Rosemary Roasted Vegetables with Fennel
- How to Make Lemon Rosemary Roasted Vegetables with Fennel
- Can Roasted Vegetables be Prepared in Advance?
- Is this Recipe Vegan?
- What Goes Good with these Roasted Veggies?
- 📖 Recipe
- Lemon Rosemary Roasted Vegetables with Fennel
What Does Fennel Taste Like?
The flavor of fennel is similar to black licorice because the leafy parts (known as fronds) have an anise-like flavor. In this recipe, we're using the bulb of the fennel, which is licorice-y if eaten raw, but when cooked it tastes more like a cross between celery and spring onions with a hint of sweetness. Roasting fennel intensifies these flavors and makes it absolutely delicious!
Are the Fennel Stalks and Fronds Edible?
Of course! We're not using either in this recipe, but there's no need to let them go to waste! The stalks can be used in place of celery in many recipes. They make a great addition to homemade broths and are also great sliced thin and eaten raw in salads! The fronds are more herb like in nature and are a great way to add flavor to many dishes! Using the fronds in salads or in place of dill in many recipes are great options!
Can the Turnips, Sweet Potatoes and Leeks be Swapped Out for Something Else?
Yes! The great thing about root vegetables is that they are always in season! They also roast at relatively similar times, so swapping one out for another shouldn't be an issue.
For the turnips, you could use carrots, parsnips, rutabaga or celeriac instead (just to name a few). Each of these root vegetables grows underground and is similar in nutrient-density. For the sweet potatoes, you could easily swap them out for any variety of potatoes. The leeks lend a mild onion-y flavor to this dish, so any onion will work well in it's place. The possibilities are pretty much endless as to what vegetables you can use in this dish! Make it your own!
Other Ingredients/Substitutions for Lemon Rosemary Roasted Vegetables with Fennel
- Ghee: Ghee is a form of clarified butter created by removing the milk solids from butter. If you have no reason to eliminate milk and dairy form your diet, feel free to use butter in it's place!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I've said this before and I'll say it again and again. The quality of your EVOO is important and can really make or break a dish, so treat yourself to the good stuff!
- Lemon Juice and Zest
- Fresh Rosemary
- Salt, Pepper and Paprika
How to Make Lemon Rosemary Roasted Vegetables with Fennel
The most labor-intensive step to roasting vegetables is chopping the vegetables. After that, your oven will do all of the work, which leaves your hands free to work on the rest of the meal you're preparing! Gotta love that, right? This sheet pan of roasted vegetables is seriously so simple.
Begin by pre-heating your oven to 425 degrees. In my opinion, 425 degrees is the sweet spot for perfectly roasted vegetables. They come out still a bit crisp on the outside and fork-tender on the inside aka deeeeelish.
While the oven is warming up, chop your veggies. For the fennel, cut the the stems and fronds (we're not using those) away from the bulbs. There's a core in each bulb that needs to be removed. The easiest way to do this is to cut each bulb in half first and then carefully carve out the core from each half. Each half can then be cut into ½ inch thick wedges. The rest of the vegetables should also be about that size. They don't need to be cut into perfect shapes. As long as they're about the same size, they'll cook evenly and that's all that really matters.
Now that the oven is pre-heated and the veggies are prepped, simply arrange them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, toss with ghee, EVOO, rosemary, lemon juice and zest, paprika, salt and pepper and then let your oven do the rest of the work. Roast them for 40 to 45 minutes (tossing halfway through). They're done when the vegetables are still a bit crisp on the outside and fork-tender on the inside.
Before serving, I like to season to taste with a bit more salt and pepper and add a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice and more lemon zest!
Can Roasted Vegetables be Prepared in Advance?
If you're preparing roasted vegetables for a holiday gathering I recommend serving them straight from the oven, but if you're making them in advance, they will still be delicious reheated. Repeat after me: "I WILL NOT REHEAT ROASTED VEGETABLES IN THE MICROWAVE BECAUSE MUSHY VEGETABLES ARE GROSS." Got it? Good. Instead, simply reheat them in a 450 degree oven for 4 to 5 minutes or until they're firm and crisp.
Is this Recipe Vegan?
Inherently no. Ghee is derived from cow's milk, but that's an easy fix! Simply swap the ghee out for a plant-based butter alternative or just omit it completely.
What Goes Good with these Roasted Veggies?
Um, everything -and also the recipes I've linked below.
- Air Fryer "Rotisserie" Chicken
- Spicy Paleo Oven "Fried" Pork Chops
- Paleo Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs
Will you be adding this incredible Paleo & Whole30 side dish to your next holiday gathering? I sure hope so! Easter will be here before you know it (this year is flying by). If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear all about it! Let me know how things went in the comments and tag me in your food photos on social media with #paleoishkristaeats!
Until next time,
Krista
PIN NOW! ROAST LATER!
HERE'S A FEW MORE HEALTY SIDE DISHES I THOUGHT YOU MIKE LIKE!
- Grilled Veggie Skewers with Sweet Italian Vinaigrette
- Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower with Lemon & Garlic
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Paleo Oven-Roasted Maple Glazed Carrots
- Creamy Butternut Squash Mash
📖 Recipe
Lemon Rosemary Roasted Vegetables with Fennel
Ingredients
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 1 large turnip
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 head leeks
- 1 ½ teaspoon rosemary fresh
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon ghee melted
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven is preheating, prep the vegetables.
- Scrub and dry all vegetables thoroughly. Remove green stalks from fennel bulbs. Cut fennel bulbs in half and cut out the core from each half. Cut each half into quarters. Cut turnip into ½ inch thick wedges. Peel sweet potato and cut into ½ inch thick wedges. Slice the white part of the leek into ½ inch thick rounds and slice the green part into ½ inch thick strips. Remove rosemary leaves from stem and finely chop. Juice and zest lemon (divide in half).
- Arrange fennel, turnip, sweet potato and leeks in an even-layer onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with ghee and EVOO and season with salt, pepper, paprika and the juice and zest from half of the lemon. Gently toss.
- Roast for 20 minutes in pre-heated oven. Remove from oven, gently toss and return to oven for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through and fork-tender.
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and the other half of the lemon juice and zest before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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