Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sauteed

Broccoli Rabe Steamed and Sauteed is a healthy green vegetable that has a nutty and bitter taste to it, but when you saute broccoli rabe in olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes, it becomes delicious! There’s a secret to minimizing the bitter taste with this green vegetable, and it’s so simple you’ll be amazed next time you make this broccoli rabe steamed and sauteed.

 

We love making vegetable side dishes all year long, and especially broccoli rabe!

Whether you steam or sauté broccoli rabe it will have a slight bitter taste to it and that’s not very appealing to a lot of people.  With that said, we will show you how to make broccoli rabe the easy way so it will turn out tender and full-flavor every time.

We prefer to steam the broccoli rabe first and then saute it with garlic and pepper flakes, but still find the broccoli rabe has a bitter flavor.

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!

The only difference with his delicious broccoli rabe is how he finishes it off, cooking it with a splash of chicken broth. Yep, that’s the secret tip!

First, he lightly sautés the broccoli rabe in garlic and olive oil, then steams it with a little chicken broth, reducing and off setting the bitterness of the broccoli, making it very tasty!

Broccoli rabe steamed and sauteed happens to be a staple dish in our family, 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 and with a glass of wine. What could be better?

Just another great tip from our brother Danny who said to us “if we keep adding his recipes on our blog, then we should change the name to “2 sisters and 1 brother recipes” ! … LOL…;

He is a funny guy!

 ENJOY!!

                                             Thanks for PINNING!!

You can follow along with our step by step directions, or jump down to the bottom of this post for our full recipe. 

 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 Chicken Stock

• Optional: 1 lemon-cut into quarters, as garnish

Directions:

1.  Unwrap the broccoli rabe bunch and place 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 to drain.

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 tossing broccoli occasionally.

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

9.  Uncover and saute 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!

Serves 6 to 8

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