The last time I went to the market, I found fresh fennel and immediately knew I wanted to make a pasta with it.

Fresh fennel is so tasty roasted, with salt and pepper. It’s a side dish to many a fish at home and my mother loves to pick at it like an onion. At first, she thought it was onions, but the taste is so distinctly licorice, she second guessed herself.

This recipe is really simple and quick to prepare. I usually make my sauce with a cauliflower to cut down on the carbs but you can make a white sauce if you like. This pasta dish is also wonderfully low in calories because there’s only one fat.

Fun fennel facts - It is one of the most heart healthy bulbs around and is a medicinal plant. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects on the body. Fennel is also low in calories but high in fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese, which is awesome for your thyroid. Fennel can also help curb your appetite, which is a huge bonus in my books.

Ingredients and method for the cauli sauce.

1. Boil 1 cauliflower in a pot of water with a vegetable stock cube for 15 minutes.

2. Add salt to taste.

3. Strain the cauli, but keep the stock liquid.

4. Add 1 cup of liquid to a blender and the entire cauliflower.

5. Blitz until it’s very fine and resembles a creamy sauce. You can add more water to your sauce depending on how runny you want it.

(TIP: If you’re looking to get more protein into this meal, add 1/2 cup of plain yogurt to the sauce, and cup 1/2 cup stock liquid)

Ingredients for the pasta

Cauliflower sauce

2 cups pasta, boiled (I use rye)

1 tsp oil

chillie flakes and rough salt/chillie salt

4 small fennel heads cut into quarters

3-4 cups of kale, sliced

1 tbsp garlic diced

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dry thyme

1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. In a large pan, on medium-high heat, add oil and chillie flakes.

2. When you start to smell the chillie, add your fennel. Let it char evenly on each side.

3. Add kale and dry thyme and spread the garlic on the top. Reduce the heat to medium at this point.

4. Cook the Kale until it starts to wilt. It will take a little longer than spinach.

5. By now you’ll probably be coughing because of the chillie flakes. It’s your cue to add the cauliflower sauce and season to your liking with pepper.

6. Add noodles finally and give it a good stir. Coat all the noodles in sauce and transfer to a serving bowl.

7. Add the lemon juice to the top of the dish and garnish with fresh fennel sprigs for more flavor. You can add whatever seeds you have in your pantry for more of a crunch or Parmesan cheese.