Slow Cooked Fennel and Lentils

Slow-cooked fennel and lentils are the perfect comforting meal for cooler evenings and busy weekdays. 

Made with the help of the 6.5L Slow Cooker.

Watch the full recipe here.

Made by Beth Adamson @boroughchef

A great bonus is that slow cooking is energy efficient and economical to run, making it ideal for easy family meals and batch cooking. Finished with buttery pan-fried fennel, fresh parsley, and grated Parmesan, this dish is hearty, satisfying, and packed with comforting flavours.

Serves

6 to 8 portions

Ingredients

• 3 heads of fennel
• 500g green or puy lentils, rinsed
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1.5L vegetable stock
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 25g parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Olive oil
• A knob of butter
• Grated Parmesan, to serve

Instructions

1. Prepare the fennel by trimming off the fronds and roughly chopping them. Finely slice one fennel bulb and cut the remaining two bulbs into wedges.
2. Add the sliced fennel, lentils, white wine vinegar, fennel seeds, shallots, garlic, vegetable stock, rosemary, and half of the thyme to the slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for around 2½ hours, or until the lentils are tender. Season to taste and add an extra splash of vinegar if needed. Stir through most of the parsley and the chopped fennel fronds, reserving a little parsley for garnish.
4. Towards the end of cooking, heat a wide frying pan over high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the fennel wedges and cook until well coloured on one side.
5. Add the butter, remaining thyme, and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat and turn the fennel wedges, cooking until tender and golden.
6. Spoon the lentils into serving bowls and top with the pan fried fennel. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, the remaining parsley, and freshly grated Parmesan. Serve warm and enjoy.