If you’re bored of roasted broccoli, why not give its cousin, broccoli rabe, a try? Broccoli rabe is common in Italian cuisine where it’s often paired with sausage and pasta. It is a member of the brassica family — you may also know it as rapini— so it has those same nutty and slightly bitter flavors that Brussels sprouts and kale share.
When cooked the right way, broccoli rabe is tender, flavorful, and worth adding to your dinner plate. The trick to tempering broccoli rabe’s signature bitterness is to blanch it before sautéing with garlic and red pepper flakes. It’s a delicious and versatile side dish that pairs well with your favorite meats and seafood. Here’s how to do it.
What’s the Difference Between Broccoli Rabe and Broccolini?
Ingredients in Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
How Do You Reduce the Bitter Taste of Broccoli Rabe?
The easiest way to rid broccoli rabe of some of its bitter flavor is by blanching it first. Just a quick dip in boiling water extracts enough of the bitterness and jumpstarts the cooking. Blanching is an extra step, but it makes the broccoli rabe much more palatable and ready for salads, pastas, or, my favorite — a quick sauté.
A spider strainer is a useful tool remove broccoli rabe from boiling water, though tongs work too.
How to Sauté Broccoli Rabe
Broccoli rabe loves strong flavorings like garlic and red pepper flakes. For a bunch of broccoli rabe, three cloves of garlic may seem like a lot, but this is one vegetable that can handle it. Cook the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil, then toss in the blanched broccoli rabe and some kosher salt and sauté until fragrant.
Don’t assume that lemon wedges are optional. The brightness of the juice balances out some of the earthiness in the broccoli rabe.