Roast Fennel with Tomatoes and White Beans

This is a fantastic recipe. It is a great holiday time side dish but is satisfying enough to be a main dish over pasta. For leftovers add potato, onion, and prosciutto and fry it all up together. It's good as a hash with eggs of your choice.

For pasta sauce, I add onion and sausage. You can add these to the non pasta version but I think the fennel should be more prominent in the side dish version.

2 sausage links - either cut into rounds or remove skins and chopped into pieces
2 large red onions - about equal to the amount of fennel

Pan fry sausage in skillet prior to cooking fennel and reserve the sausage leaving the oil/fat in the skillet.
Then at end, add sausage back with beans and fennel fronds.

2 large fennel bulbs with fronds
1/2 c approx of finely chopped fennel fronds (optional but add a nice savory flavor)
3/4 c olive oil (use less if desired)
Salt
Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
4 large sprigs fresh oregano
3-5 large garlic cloves chopped
1 15 oz can cannellini beans (original recipe called for 2 but I think 1 is better)
Feta cheese for garnish.

Preheat the over to 425.
Chop fronds. Trim fennel bulbs and cut in half vertically. Leave some bottom core intact.
Cut each half into 1/2 inch thick wedges.
Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet until very hot on medium-high heat. (approx 3 mins.)
Add fennel in a single layer and salt to taste.
Cook until fennel starts to brown and soften. Turn occasionally. (approx 11 mins.)
Add tomatoes, garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper, pepper and a little more salt if desired.
Mix gently.

Transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 30 mins. Stir once or twice.
Mix in beans and chopped fennel fronds.
Bake 5 mintues more to heat through. Transfer to large shallow bowl.
Garnish with feta cheese and serve.