Roasted Beet & Fennel With Orange Vinaigrette

This roasted beet and fennel side dish is topped with a simple orange vinaigrette and toasted almonds. It’s an easy-to-make and healthy recipe idea that’s gluten-free and plant-based (with the exception of honey in the dressing).

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I am a HUGE fan of healthy, yet flavourful twists on veggie side dishes.

While sometimes a simple roasted vegetable with a little olive oil and salt hits the spot, I often like to play up the flavours a bit to keep things exciting. And – obviously – to help you not get bored of eating your veggies (dietitian‘s duties).

This roasted beet and fennel side dish features an ingredient I’ve never shared on the blog, and one that I’m pretty new to cooking with myself (fennel!)

Raw fennel has a distinct licorice-like taste, but I find that roasting it takes that taste down a notch and brings out its natural sweetness. Fennel pairs beautifully with beets, orange, and almonds – all of which are featured in this recipe.

Have you tried cooking with fennel before? Let me know your favourite way to make it in the comments! If not, perhaps this recipe will introduce you to something new :).

Want more side dish inspiration? Check out my roundup of 20+ easy, healthy vegetable side dish recipes for more ideas!

Ingredients Needed For This Recipe

This easy beet and fennel recipe uses only 10 simple, healthy ingredients:

• fennel
• golden beetroot
• olive oil
• raw almonds
• orange, juice + zest
• white wine vinegar
• honey
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper

How To Roast Beets & Fennel

For this recipe, try your best to find a large beetroot that is a similar size to a fennel bulb. That way, you can cut the two veggies into similar sized pieces, which will allow for even roasting.

While you can use a red beetroot, I chose to use a golden one – I find it significantly less messy to cook with!

To roast these two veggies, start by preheating your oven to 350F.

Then, remove the peel and ends of a large beetroot. Cut into an even 8 chunks.

Similarly, take the fennel and remove the stalks and fronds (top bits above the bulb) and any dirty outer peel. Cut the fennel into 8 even chunks as well, so that they’re a similar size to the cut beetroot (refer to pics)!

Place the beet and fennel chunks onto a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt, using your hands. Spread the vegetables out evenly, allowing some room between each piece.

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven for about 40 minutes, or until fork-tender and lightly browned.

How To Toast Almonds

While the beet and fennel are roasting, spread the raw almonds in an even layer on a separate baking sheet.

Place them in the oven for the last 12 minutes on the timer, allowing them to toast. They should be lightly browned and fragrant when done.

Remove from the oven along with the roasted veggies.

How To Make Orange Vinaigrette

While the rest of the ingredients cook, you can make the orange vinaigrette! 

Start by washing the orange well and removing the zest with a cheese grater or microplane. Set the zest aside – you’ll use it to sprinkle on top of everything.

Then, squeeze the juice out of the half the orange into a small bowl. Add extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl and whisk everything together well.

Transfer the roasted beet and fennel to a serving dish. Top with toasted almonds, orange zest, and drizzle the orange vinaigrette overtop.

Feel free to sprinkle with a little green as well – I just used the fronds (green bits that look like dill) from the top of the fennel! It’s a great way to use up the whole vegetable 🙂

Storage & Reheating Notes

Leftover roasted beets and fennel can keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

If you’re planning on having leftovers of this recipe, try serving only what you need and keeping the orange vinaigrette separate from the other ingredients.

The roasted vegetables can be reheated in the oven, stovetop, or microwave.

Beetroot Nutrition Facts

The root portion of the beet plant is rich in nutrition. One cup of beetroot provides about 15% of your daily fibre needs, along with micronutrients like:

• vitamin C
• iron
• vitamin B6
• magnesium
• potassium
• folate

Beets are rich in different phytochemicals that give them their vibrant colours. These phytochemicals are known to support health overall!

Beetroots are also known for their dietary nitrate content, which your body converts into nitric oxide. 

Nitric oxide helps to dilate your blood vessels, increase blood flow, improve exercise endurance, and even to lower blood pressure.

Fennel Nutrition Facts

Like beets, fennel is also a vegetable that is packed with nutrition benefits!

A one-cup serving of the fennel bulb provides 3 grams of dietary fibre, along with micronutrients like:

• vitamin C
• calcium
• iron
• magnesium
• potassium
• manganese

Fennel is also rich in plant compounds with antioxidant properties, helping to fight cellular damage and benefit health overall. 

More Easy Vegetable Side Dishes

• Balsamic-Roasted Beets With Goat Cheese & Walnuts
• Garlic Sautéed Green Beans With Dijon Vinaigrette
• Maple-Roasted Carrots With Harissa Yogurt
• Curry-Roasted Cauliflower With Minty Yogurt Sauce
• Honey-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts
• Roasted Asparagus With Vegan Pecan Parm

Did you give this Roasted Beet and Fennel With Orange Vinaigrette a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!

If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!

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