Sautéed Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) with Garlic and Oil
This easy recipe for sautéed broccoli rabe (rapini) with garlic and oil is a classic Italian side dish that takes just 5 simple ingredients and 15 minutes to prepare.
This post may contain affiliate links.
Whenever I'm at an Italian restaurant or cooking Italian food at home, I always need to have a healthy vegetable on the side. Sometimes it's sautéed spinach or escarole, sometimes it's roasted zucchini or cauliflower. But more often than not it's this broccoli rabe recipe.
Broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, can be an acquired taste due to its slightly bitter flavor. That said, it's one of my all time favorite green vegetables and this is my favorite way to prepare it.
Blanching and then sautéing the rapini with a bit of garlic and red pepper helps to mellow its strong flavor. It's a healthy, quick, easy, restaurant quality Italian recipe that you'll want to make again and again.
Why this recipe works
- A simple, beginner-friendly plant based dish that anyone can make.
- Blanching the broccoli rabe first tames the bitterness and ensures a perfect al dente texture with a vibrant green color.
- Only needs 5 basic ingredients and 15 minutes to make!
Ingredient Notes
- Broccoli Rabe - These Italian bitter greens are actually part of the turnip family and is often also called rapini, cime di rapa, broccoletti di rape, or friarielli in Naples. It has a strong, pungent flavor and can be quite bitter, especially if not cooked properly. It has thick stems, dark green florets and leafy greens that sort of look like mustard greens, broccoli raab is typically found at grocery stores and farmers markets in regions with a large Italian population, like in the Northeastern US, but if you can't find it, you can also source it online.
- Red Pepper Flakes - Rather than seasoning with black pepper, Italians often use red chile flakes instead. These are optional but a classic addition to sautéed broccoli rabe. If you don't like a lot of spice, just add a tiny pinch for flavor or substitute black pepper if you prefer.
Helpful Equipment
- Tongs - I use these tongs pretty much every day in my kitchen - they're perfect for tossing the broccoli rabe with the chili flakes, garlic and oil.
- Spider Strainer - This is also a commonly used tool in my kitchen. A spider strainer makes it easy to scoop out the rapini from the boiling water and transfer it right to the ice bath.
Step by step instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, then drain.
- While the rapini is boiling, prepare an ice bath by filling up a large bowl of ice water. As soon as the broccoli rabe is drained, add it to the ice bath so it stops cooking immediately.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until softened and just starting to turn golden around the edges, then add the chili flakes and stir.
- Drain the broccoli rabe and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible, then add it to the pan and toss for several minutes until heated through. Taste and season with salt as desired, then serve.
Tips for success
- Be sure to trim off the tough ends of the stems of the broccoli rabe before chopping.
- Do not skip the blanching part of the cooking process - both the boiling and the ice bath. Blanching helps to tame the bitter taste, tenderizes the tough stems and gives it a bright green color. Sautéing the raw greens will not produce the same results.
- I like my rapini chopped, but you can also leave the stems whole if you prefer - just make sure you remove the bottom of the stems of the broccoli rabe first.
- I add lots of garlic, but use as many or as few garlic cloves as you like - if you prefer a less garlicky flavor, instead of slicing it, give the clove a smash with the side of your knife, then remove it from the pan after sautéing.
- Use a really high quality extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Sautéed rapini makes an excellent healthy side dish (contorni) for just about any Italian dish, like beef braciole, meatballs, Italian sausage and peppers, fried chicken cutlets, eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, and pretty much all pasta recipes.
- Add it to a pizza or pasta with Italian sausage.
- Pile it on an Italian roast pork sandwich with sharp provolone cheese.
- With a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or splash of vinegar (*note that this will turn the rapini dull and brown).
- Topped with grated or shaved parmesan cheese.
FAQ
Once prepared, this recipe will keep in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to a week. You can reheat it in the microwave or sauté pan, but I also enjoy eating it cold or at room temperature. You can also freeze sautéed broccoli rabe for up to 3 months - just thaw first before reheating.
Because broccoli rabe (rapini) is in the turnip family, turnip greens and mustard greens are similar in flavor, but they wont have the familiar florets. Try mixing in a few stems of broccolini for the full effect.
Related Recipes
Did you LOVE this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️ rating and comment to let other readers know! I absolutely love hearing from you and do my best to answer all questions and comments. I love seeing your creations so please tag me on Instagram @ColeyCooks!
Sautéed Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) with Garlic and Oil
Ingredients
- Kosher salt as needed
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe washed, ends trimmed and roughly chopped into 2-inch pieces
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, then drain.
- While the rapini is boiling, prepare an ice bath by filling up a large bowl of ice water. As soon as the broccoli rabe is drained, add it to the ice bath so it stops cooking immediately.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until softened and just starting to turn golden around the edges, then add the chili flakes and stir.
- Drain the broccoli rabe and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible, then add it to the pan and toss for several minutes until heated through. Taste and season with salt as desired, then serve.
Notes
- Be sure to trim off the tough ends of the stems of the broccoli rabe before chopping.
- Do not skip the blanching part of the cooking process - both the boiling and the ice bath. Blanching helps to tame the bitter taste, tenderizes the tough stems and gives it a bright green color. Sautéing the raw greens will not produce the same results.
- I like my rapini chopped, but you can also leave the stems whole if you prefer - just make sure you remove the bottom of the stems of the broccoli rabe first.
- I add lots of garlic, but use as many or as few garlic cloves as you like - if you prefer a less garlicky flavor, instead of slicing it, give the clove a smash with the side of your knife, then remove it from the pan after sautéing.
- Use a really high quality extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
I HAVE BEEN EATING RABE MY WHOLE LIFE (OVER 60) AND I'VE NEVER REALLY FOUND IT TO BE REAL BITTER, I GUESS IT DEPENDS HOW YOU COOK IT. YOU HAVE A GOOD RECIPE. 100% ITALIAN FRON LITTLE ITALY IN THE BRONX. NY
Thanks for the compliment! I love the bitterness but the blanching significantly reduces it. Cheers from NJ!
Thank you for this. I'm new to broccoli rabe & was peeling the tough stalks (tedious). Your recipe tenderizes the stalks, was quick & turned out great. I suppose I can use the same technique with broccoli!!
So glad you loved the recipe! The blanching makes a huge difference with bitterness and toughness!
I make a similarly flavored recipe with rapini (broccolini or baby broccoli work too). I roast the broccoli florets in the oven 400F for around 10 mins. The sauce I toss them in consists of 1part each chopped garlic, Sambal Oleek(red pepper sauce), and butter. Mix together in bowl and serve!
Yum! That sounds delicious, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Came out perfect. I always used to saute the broccoli raw but was always disappointed it didn't turn out like the restaurants. boiling first did the trick
SO glad the recipe worked for you!