Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sautéed

Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sautéed (+video) is a healthy green vegetable, also known as rapini that has a nutty taste to it.  But when you sauté broccoli rabe with 4 ingredients, it becomes delicious!  There’s a secret to minimizing the bitter taste of broccoli rabe, and it’s simple. A perfect side dish to serve with dinner.

A platter filled with cooked broccoli and a lemon wedge on the side.

What is Broccoli Rabe?

  • Broccoli rabe or rapini is a bright green cruciferous vegetable with edible leaves, buds, and stems.
  • Its appearance is similar to broccoli, broccolini, and Chinese broccoli, but it has a bitter taste to it.
  • And you can find it in the produce section of the supermarket.

We love making vegetable side dishes all year long, especially healthy greens, like our sauteed spinach with tomatoes, mom’s sautéed escarole, and asparagus au gratin, and of course broccoli rabe. But whether you steam or sauté broccoli rabe it will have a mild bitter taste to it and that’s not very appealing to a lot of people.  If you prefer, you can look for a similar green vegetable called “broccolini” and try our easy sautéed broccolini recipe.

With that said, we will show you how to make broccoli rabe the easy way and very flavorful.

Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sauteed by 2sistersrecipes.com

But we find that our brother Danny makes it most delicious, cooking it to a perfect dark green color and crunchy texture.  He makes it BEST!

How to get rid of the “bitterness” in this vegetable?

There are two ways to get rid of bitterness when cooking broccoli rabe.

  • One way is cooking it with fresh lemon juice, and the other way is cooking it with our 4 ingredients.
  • So, to make it even better and tastier, it’s best to saute it with good-quality olive oil, fresh garlic, and crushed red pepper. Then finish it off, with a splash of chicken broth.
  • First, our brother lightly sautés the broccoli rabe in garlic and olive oil, then steams it with a bit of chicken broth, reducing and minimizing the bitterness of the broccoli, making it very tasty!
 
A white serving platter with cooked rabe and some lemon wedges on the side.
 
 
 

Reasons to LOVE this power green vegetable…

  • It’s a vegetable with great health benefits, providing a high source of Vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, and iron.
  • As a side dish, it compliments any meat and potatoes entree.
  • Our favorite is simply eating it all alone on a slice of crunchy toasted bread, for lunch or dinner with a glass of wine. What could be better?

How To Make Broccoli Rabe?

*Follow along with our step-by-step directions, or jump down to the bottom for the full recipe card. 

Ingredients Needed for Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sauteed:

  • 2 bunches (Andy Boy) Broccoli Rabe
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 7 garlic cloves, sliced in half
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup of low-sodium vegetable broth, or chicken stock
  • Optional: 1 lemon cut into quarters, to garnish

Easy to Follow Directions (Step-by-Step)

1.  Unwrap the broccoli rabe bunch and place it onto a cutting board.

Fresh bunch of rabe on a cutting board.
 

2.  If the stems at the end are thick and extra-long, cut off the bottom stems of the Broccoli rabe, about 2 to 3 inches from the bottom, and discard.

A large cutting knife slicing the ends off of the bunch of broccoli rabe on a cutting board.

3.  Take the remaining broccoli and slice across into three equal parts beginning from the top to the bottom of the stems. Then place the chopped broccoli into a colander.

Holding down the greens while cutting it into thirds.
 

 

4.  Repeat the same with the second bunch of broccoli rabe.   Then wash and rinse the broccoli under cold water.  Allowing it to drain.

 
Rinsing the green vegetable in a plastic green colander under running water.
 

5.  Meantime, in a large sauté pan, sauté garlic in oil until garlic is golden color.

A large deep silver skillet on stovetop with olive oil and garlic cloves.

6.  Turn the stove onto a high setting, for high heat.

Chopped broccoli is added to the skillet on the stovetop.
 

7.  Add broccoli, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Cover with the lid to steam for 3 to 5 minutes, and gently toss broccoli occasionally.

 
Two spoons to toss the vegetable and garlic while its cooking on stovetop.
 

8.  Add chicken stock. Cover once again for an additional 2 minutes.

A cover is placed onto the large skillet.

 

9.  Uncover and sauté broccoli for 3 more minutes, tossing occasionally.  Taste the broccoli.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Broccoli should be done when it’s tender to the bite.

Then uncovered the skillet to check the vegetable is fully cooked.
 

10.  Remove from pan and transfer onto a serving platter. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve!

Serves 6 to 8

WATCH OUR VIDEO! How to Clean, Prep and Sauté Broccoli Rabe? (1 minute!)

Options to Serve It With…

More Tasty Side Dishes You’ll Love…

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sautéed

A platter filled with cooked broccoli and a lemon wedge on the side.

Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sautéed is a healthy green vegetable that has a nutty and bitter taste to it, but when you sauté broccoli rabe in olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes, it becomes delicious! An easy side dish you will enjoy making all year long!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches (Andy Boy) Broccoli Rabe
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 7 garlic cloves, sliced in half
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup of low-sodium Chicken Stock
  • Optional: 1 lemon-cut into quarters, as a garnish

Instructions

  1. Unwrap the broccoli rabe bunch and place it onto a cutting board.
  2. Cut off stems of Broccoli rabe, about 2 or 3 inches from the bottom, and discard.
  3. Take the remaining broccoli and slice across into three equal parts beginning from the top to the bottom of the stems. Then place the chopped broccoli into a colander.
  4. Repeat the same with the second bunch of broccoli rabe. Then wash and rinse the broccoli under cold water. Allow draining.
  5. Meantime, in a large sauté pan, sauté garlic in oil until garlic is golden color.
  6. Turn stove onto high setting, for high heat.
  7. Add broccoli, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cover with lid to steam for 3 to 5 minutes, and gently toss broccoli occasionally.
  8. Add chicken stock. Cover once again for additional 2 minutes.
  9. Uncover and sauté broccoli for 3 more minutes, tossing occasionally. Taste the broccoli. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Broccoli should be done when it's tender to the bite.
  10. Remove from pan and transfer onto a serving platter. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve!
  11. Serves 6 to 8

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6 to 8 servings

Serving Size:

1 cup

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 12.8gSaturated Fat: 1.8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 169mgCarbohydrates: 1.1gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.2gProtein: 0.3g

Did you make this recipe?

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Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sauteed by 2sistersrecipes.com  

 

This post was originally posted in 2011. The recipe and all the content remain the same, only some of the photos have been updated.

Hello friends, you cooking with us?  If you make our delicious recipe for broccoli rabe, let us know!
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14 Comments

  1. Hi Karen, we make pasta and broccoli rabe also and just the way you make as well. So good! My brothers way of making the rabe is easier simply because it’s one step less, no need to blanch it. I hope you’ ll enjoy his way!

  2. So similar to how I make it when I make pasta and broccoli rabe but I blanch it then sauté it. I then use the blanching water to cook the pasta. I also use chicken broth. I’ll have to try preparing it this way.

  3. Hi, great recipe! I looked for a good Nutritarian broccoli rabe recipe and, this works beautifully if I leave out the salt and use low sodium vegetable broth. This is a keeper. Thanks

    1. So glad you enjoyed our recipe Susan! Thanks so much for leaving a comment! Have a great day! 🙂

  4. Love your blog, and your story of how it began (and love Jessica too btw!). Thanks for visiting and following… My husband & I love to cook, and I can't wait to look through and try some of your recipes =).

  5. I have cooked often with brocolini but never rabe! I want to try this soon and your recipe sounds fantastic! So glad you visited me so I could find your blog! Amazing! I am your newest follower!