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Creamy Fennel and Rosemary Gratin

Laura Edwards

BY The Editors

PUBLISHED October 30, 2026

I love fennel either shaved and raw, or when it’s cooked properly, so it is slide-off-the-knife tender. It doesn’t always get the love and attention it needs, in the same way that eggplant doesn’t, either. This is a lovely glamorous side dish of sweet, slow-cooked fennel. – Georgina Hayden

 

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Creamy Fennel and Rosemary Gratin

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Makes 4–6 servings 1x

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 large fennel bulbs
  • 2 onions
  • 3 rosemary sprigs
  • Olive oil
  • 1 1/2 oz (scant 1/2 cup grated) Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative, if needed)
  • 2 1/2 oz (2/3 cup grated) sharp cheddar (vegetarian, if needed)
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (gluten-free, if needed)
  • 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Trim the fennel bulbs, then cut into thin wedges. Peel the onions and cut to the same size. Pick the rosemary leaves and finely chop them. Place the sliced vegetables in a roasting pan with most of the chopped rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil, season well, toss everything together, then place the pan in the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, grate both the cheeses. In a mixing bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs with the remaining chopped rosemary and one-third of the grated cheeses, then finely grate in the lemon zest. Drizzle in a few tablespoons of olive oil, season well and toss together. Mix together the remaining cheeses with the cream and season well.

When the vegetables are ready, remove the pan from the oven. Pour over the cheese cream mixture. Scatter over the cheesy breadcrumbs and return the pan to the oven. Bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the top is crisp, golden and bubbling. Leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

– Excerpted from Medesque: Everyday Recipes with Mediterranean Roots. Used with the permission of the publisher, Bloomsbury. Text copyright © 2026 by Georgina Hayden, Photography copyright © 2026 by Laura Edwards

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