Broccoli Rabe roasted with chunks of garlic and oil and a touch of crushed red pepper flakes.
Roasted Broccoli Rabe with Garlic
I love broccoli rabe, and it’s slightly bitter taste especially when sauteed with garlic and oil. It’s also great tossed with pasta, sausage, in a wrap with chicken, or eaten as a side dish.
Broccoli Rabe, otherwise known as rapini is a popular vegetable in Italian and Chinese cuisine. It has a slightly nutty, bitter flavor, and it is a good source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as potassium, calcium and iron.
Toss it with pasta, Pecorino romano and chicken sausage and you have a wonderful meal.
How to cook Broccoli Rabe so it’s less bitter
The best way to cook broccoli rabe to take away most of the bitterness is to blanch it first. Then drain it, saute some garlic in olive oil and add the drained broccoli rabe.
Adding red pepper flakes gives it a nice little kick. This shrinks to almost half its size when cooked.
Roasted Broccoli Rabe with Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch broccoli rabe, rapini, tough stems removed
- 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and fresh pepper
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- When water boils, add broccoli rabe and blanch one minute.
- Remove from water and DRAIN WELL in a colander.
- Add to a baking dish and mix with garlic, oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes.
- Roast 15-20 minutes.
