Fennel has a strong flavor, but after cooking it loses some of its intensity. This risotto is thick and creamy, like it should be! You can substitute butter for olive oil and veggie stock for chicken stock.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 40 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 bulbs fennel
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the base off of the fennel bulbs, and cut a cone shape into the base to remove the core. Slice the fennel vertically (lengthwise) into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Cook onions and fennel in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in the rice; cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted. Stir in 1 cup vegetable broth; continue stirring until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Repeat this process with remaining broth, stirring constantly. Incorporating the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all.
- Stir in cream, 3 tablespoons Parmesan and parsley, and cook until rice is done and risotto is thick and creamy. Season to taste with black pepper. Divide risotto among 6 bowls, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 537 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 81 g |
| Cholesterol | 64 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Sodium | 725 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I never added the cream due to not everyone could have cream. We loved the recipe.
A lot of work, but turned out really good. I had a large fennel bulb so had about equal onion and fennel.
I cut the recipe in half and used one bulb of fennel. Added carrot, mushrooms and some red peppers. Olive oil to start, a little butter for flavor. A little oat milk rather than heavy cream, finished with Pecorino Romano. Lovely and fairly low in lactose. Will cut the fennel smaller next time and use my non stick saucepan!
Very nice, we all enjoyed it, especially my toddler. Good comfort food, with a rich taste, but perhaps a bit boring without a side dish.
This was absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except that I ran out of vegetable stock, so I used water (it still tasted delicious!), and I replaced dried parsley with fresh parsley. I was pleasantly surprised with how much the fennel flavor calmed throughout the process. Perfect for a spring dish!
Made this tonight! FANTASTIC! Used 4 cups fennel, sliced thinly yet irregular lengths, sauteed with onion and garlic for longer. Some fennel disappeared yet the larger pieces gave texture. Stirred in about one cup of baby peas. Will definitely make again!
Absolutely loved it! Made it for a family gathering (50 people – doubled the recipe) and the compliments were flowing! Chop the fennel small though – i also added mushrooms and fresh parsley. Now a family favv!
Very tasty recipe for fennel lovers. I didn’t have any cream so used soft cheese instead. Worked well, plus used brown rice and cooked for longer. Will make again.
followed exactly as written–it was fabulous! the fennel was not strong at all and the risotto was rich and creamy. Will definitely make this recipe again!
Followed the recipe exactly and it was absolutely delicious. I didn’t find the fennel taste strong at all and it was creamy and wonderful. I highly recommend this one.
This was delicious! It did make a lot for just 2 of us but we love leftovers here. Even my 15 year old loved it. I’ll definitely be making it again.
Love! I’m wondering though if the suggestion of 4 fennel bulbs is actually baby fennel? I went ahead and bought four large fennel bulbs here in Australia and it was just waaaaaaaaaaay too much to put in a risotto. But all’s well that ends well – I froze half the fennel and am looking forward to making it again tonight 🙂
Followed this recipe to the letter and it was a hit! Excellent, excellent! Rich, creamy, what else is there?
This risotto is wonderful, warm, yummy, creamy! Love it! Will definitely make again! Had never used whole Fennel before except in Fennel seed form in Spaghetti Sauce, it is a requirement.
I simply added the sautéed fennel to a box mix of Four Cheese Risotto and it turned out great.
This dish was excellent. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of 5 is that at 1/4″ thick, some of the fennel was underdone. I would recommend slicing the fennel about 1/8″ thick. Also, if you are not familiar with fennel, you should know that as you slice it, it will separate into thin v-shaped pieces. The core will not separate and be solid; this should be discarded. As others have noted, I used 1/2 & 1/2 instead of heavy cream and it was very creamy with wonderful flavor.
my favorite risotto!
I made the recipe just as written except that I ran out of chicken stock so finished off the last couple of cups with white wine. I also used fresh parsley. It was a very subtle wonderful rich dish.
A most excellent side dish, especially because this was the first time I made it. It took a little longer than I expected to get the crunch out of the rice, but the end result was worth the effort. Used chicken stock instead of vegetable, some fresh asparagus on the side, and a half chicken breast braised in olive oil and garlic with a little soy sauce.
Very tasty. I substituted half and half for heavy cream and used homemade chicken broth. I halved the recipe based on quantities I had on hand and ended up with more than enough to serve as a side dish to my family of four.
Wonderful vegetarian recipe! Just a few minor changes – I used light thick cream and also added some fresh mushrooms as well. Also used fresh parsley which I think gives it a bit more flavour than dried. Tasted quite yummy with some white wine! We were meant to have it as entrees before the roast turkey but hubby went back for a second plate in lieu of the main course…! Definitely a keeper!