New! Fennel and leek casserole (with a buttery pretzel topping)

So far as side dishes go, veggie casseroles rank especially high in my book (particularly around the holidays). This Fennel and Leek Casserole is the object of my current affection, what with its layered vegetal flavors and buttery pretzel crumb topping … this thing is just begging to be a part of our fall and winter tables. It is especially well suited to a holiday meal table as well, I think, and I just know that you’re going to swoon over her as much as I do. Read on for more!

If this Fennel and Leek Casserole strikes your fancy, you might want to check out our Sweet Potato Gratin with Pineapple or this Ultimate Hassleback Potato Gratin. This Cauliflower Gratin is super good, too.

why we love this Fennel and leek Casserole recipe

So as I mentioned before, I just think casseroles are where it’s at, so far as fantastic side dishes go. They’re just TREMENDOUSLY cozy, what with their creamy, goopy interiors and buttery, crunchy exteriors. Texturally speaking, they are interesting to boot. I mean, sure I love mashed potatoes, but give me this crunchy hassleback potato gratin/casserole situation any day of the week. It will always win, I think.

But also, casseroles also have the two big “F’s” going for them. They’re 1) Forgiving and 2) Flexible – two things that render them pretty easy, all told. See the section below for a few “flexible and forgiving!” subs you can make if you want to say, use up some potato chips and don’t want to buy a whole bag of pretzels. Or, maybe you want to use like a coconut cream and vegan butter and nutritional yeast to keep this squarely on the vegan side.

Anyway, this casserole is truly excellent, and I’m pretty much down with anything that’s bursting with fennel or leeks, and this recipe happens to have both. Win-win.

substitutions for this fennel and leek Casserole

Okay, Let’s say you have some sour cream you’d like to use up – that’d be a great idea for this fennel and leek casserole, as you can sneak it into the creamy sauce. Same goes for buttermilk which, to be honest, I almost have to stop myself from putting in just about everything.

Furthermore, potato chips are a fantastic breadcrumb option, if you’d like to use those in place of pretzels. No harm, no foul there my friend. Just crush them up and add them like, 5 to 7 minutes before the bake time is up. They’ll get even more golden and cronchy for you.

what to serve with this Fennel and leek casserole

• Since we’re making a fancy-ish casserole, let’s try a fancy-ish Southern cocktail, shall we? Give my Southern Milk Punch a Spin.
• It would be the perfect accompaniment to my Steak au Poivre recipe.
• But it also plays nicely with chicken … Pair it with my Jezebel Chicken and have yourself a GREAT meal.
• And it’s great with “the other white meat” as well. Try it with this Cider Braised Pork and Apples. Coziest dinner ever …

how to make this Fennel and leek casserole

With the delicate, intriguing flavors of onion-y leek and anise-forward fennel, this creamy casserole is a truly lovely side dish option for just about any occasion. It’s great as part of a steakhouse spread or a holiday table, and it reheats beautifully as well. The buttery pretzel topping gives it a little edge, and makes it pretty tough to resist, we think. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the center position.
2. Add the oil to a skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the sliced fennel and leeks. Season with salt and pepper and cook just until tender; about five minutes. Add the garlic, and cook one minute more.
3. Add the half and half, nutmeg and cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook gently for five more minutes, or just until warmed through. 
4. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized baking dish (any baking vessel you have that fits is great here). Press everything down into a smooth, even layer. 
5. Combine the crushed pretzels and the melted butter, stirring to thoroughly coat. Sprinkle this all over the cheese in the baking dish. Loosely cover the dish in foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more, or until bubbly and toasty on top.

Fennel and leek casserole: Ingredient notes

The Fennel

The co-star of this show today, obviously our fennel and leek casserole wouldn’t be complete without this truly special, one-of-a-kind vegetable. The distinct anise flavor of fennel is so unique and it’s just a lovely and welcome note to add to any table. The way it combines with the oniony taste of the leeks is divine – the perfect pair, in my opinion. Fennel bulbs are large and can seem intimidating, I think, if you’ve never worked with one before.

To prepare your fennel for cooking, slice off and discard the tough stalks, saving a few of the fluffy “fronds” for garnish. You’ll want to trim the rougher bottom end of the bulb away, so you’re just working with the light green bulb itself. Then, slice the fennel crossways very thinly (I actually love a mandoline for this).

The Leeks

One of my favorite vegetables ever, leeks are a card-carrying member of the allium family and they have this perfect oniony flavor that is far more subtle than onions themselves. Similar to the aforementioned fennel, leeks might first seem a wee bit intimidating, what with their long greeb

The Cream

Casseroles make happy homes for heavy cream, they just are. In this recipe, we’ll pour some perfectly seasoned, garlic and nutmeg-laced cream over our lightly sauteed leeks and fennel and it will bubble ever so gently in the oven underneath its bed of pretzel-y breadcrumbs. It’s almost too delicious, really.

The Garlic

I mean, obviously.

Nutmeg? Really?

Nutmeg is often used in cheesy, gooey, saucy dishes as it’s a traditional component of a classic bechamel. This (very delicious if I do say so myself) cauliflower gratin with hazelnuts has some nutmeg in it too, and I swear it’s a true difference maker. So does this Swedish Meatballs recipe, and it’s SO TASTY in there. Honestly nutmeg is just the greatest …

Cheese, Please

For this recipe, I like Parm. Or pecorino! The salty, nutty bite of these cheeses works really well here, but you can honestly kind of go your own way so far as the cheese goes. Fontina is my favorite cheese of all time, as it just melts beautifully and has such great flavor. See my Marry Me Chicken, favorite breakfast casserole, this viral carrot sensation, and this four-cheese pasta number for evidence of this truth. I’ve made this Fennel and Leek Casserole with fontina before and it was killer. Just an idea. If you want to shred about 2/3 cup of fontina into the filling, that’d be a great choice … just saying.

Pretzels

Something about a pretzel right? I find them to be a very wonderful choice when making breadcrumbs, because it’s like using bread but with so much more flavor. Plus, they’re very study and keep their crunch beautifully. You can go straight pretzel here, or mix in a little bit of panko as well.

Butter

This fennel and leek casserole recipe doesn’t require any real butter specificity – no need to belabor this. Just use whatever you’ve got and you’re good to go.

Print