Beef and Fennel Pasta

An aromatic beef and fennel pasta is a perfect, comforting, and easy midweek meal that you’ll crave all winter long.

Fragrant, rich, and perfect on a cold night when only pasta will do. This beef and fennel pasta will cure all your pasta cravings.

This beef and fennel pasta delivers a deeply savory, aromatic flavor profile with minimal effort. Both a fresh fennel bulb and flavorful fennel pollen give this pasta a deep, earthy flavor with just the right amount of citrusy, licorice-like undertones.

It really is a great pasta recipe to add to the mix when you want a tomato sauce with a more autumnal flavor profile for the cooler months ahead.

How to make this beef and fennel pasta

What you need

• Ground beef: I used 90/10 ground beef. You could use 80/20, but be sure to drain the fat off after it cooks. You could also make this with ground chicken, turkey, or pork instead.
• Aromatics: I use onion, garlic, and a fresh fennel bulb. If your fennel comes with stalks and fronds, be sure to reserve the fronds for garnish! The stalks can be saved for salads later in the week.
• Tomato paste: This helps create a thicker sauce.
• Water or white wine: I use water to deglaze the pot, but white wine or even sweet vermouth would be a great alternative.
• Crushed tomatoes: You can use whole peeled tomatoes or even diced tomatoes, but I prefer the thickness of crushed.
• Chicken stock: You can use water instead. I don’t recommend beef stock as I find it overpowers the sauce.
• Fennel pollen, crushed red pepper, and sugar: Fennel pollen costs a pretty penny, but it’s so worth the price! Don’t replace with fennel seeds. If you don’t have fennel pollen, just skip it. I add a little heat with crushed red pepper and balance the acidity of the tomatoes with a pinch of sugar.
• Pasta: I use mafaldine pasta because I love the curly edges! Try it with pappardelle or fettuccine instead. It’s a very thick sauce, so even rigatoni would work nicely.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: This adds the perfect amount of creamy decadence to the sauce.

How to make it

• Step 1: Brown the beef until cooked through and transfer it to a bowl.
• Step 2: Sauté the fennel and onion until softened. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add tomato paste and toss to coat until it deepens in color. Deglaze the pot with water or white wine and bring to a boil.
• Step 3: Return the beef to the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, fennel pollen, crushed red pepper, and sugar. Season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes until it reduces and thickens. If the sauce reduces too quickly, add a splash of water and partially cover the pot as it finishes simmering.
• Step 4: Cook the pasta as the sauce finishes simmering. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
• Step 5: Add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to the sauce along with the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta and toss to coat.

To serve, divide the pasta between bowls and finish with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fennel fronds.

Beef and Fennel Pasta

An aromatic beef and fennel pasta is a perfect, comforting, and easy midweek meal that you'll crave all winter long.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Inactive time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Equipment

• Wide pot
• Large pot
• Colander

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (90/10)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion (peeled and diced)
• 1 fennel bulb (trimmed, cored, and small-diced; fronds reserved)
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup water or white wine
• 14.5- ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock (or water)
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen
• ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper (plus more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon sugar (plus more if needed)
• 12 ounces mafaldine pasta
• ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (plus more for serving)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Brown the beef:

• Turn the heat on a wide pot to medium heat. Add the beef and brown it for 15 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Remove the beef from the pot and transfer to a bowl.

Cook the aromatics:

• Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to the pot. Add the diced onion and fennel and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it deepens in color.

Deglaze the pot:

• Add the water or white wine and bring to a boil. Stir to lift anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Simmer the sauce:

• Return the beef to the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, fennel pollen, crushed red pepper, and sugar. Add a big pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.

Boil the pasta:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Scoop out ½ cup of the water and drain the pasta. Set aside.

Finish the sauce:

• Taste the sauce and season. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and the pasta water. Bring to a low boil and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

To serve:

• Divide the pasta between shallow bowls. Finish with more Parmigiano-Reggiano and a few fennel fronds. Enjoy!

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