Sautéed Rapini (Broccoli Rabe or Raab)
Sautéed rapini is a simple side dish of Italian style broccoli. It is very nutritious, a tiny bit bitter, and definitely one of my favorite green vegetables. Use it in pasta and polenta dishes, too!
Originally published September 12, 2012
If you’re uninspired by your vegetables, you need to try sautéed rapini.
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Whether you call it rapini, broccoli raab or just rabe–this green vegetable is worth getting to know!
What is Rapini?
For those of you who don’t know what rapini are or what it looks like, it’s a type of Italian broccoli. It’s more leafy and with a little sharpness in its flavor than American/British broccoli. Also sometimes referred to as “rabe” (pronounced “rah-beh”) or “broccoli raab”, it is a green cruciferous vegetable. Rapini have small heads of florets, similar to broccolini, but with many more leaves (all the parts are edible).
I absolutely LOVE these greens! I would call it the “adult” version of standard broccoli–although, as you will learn below, I gave it to my children while they were still babies.
My Daughter’s Crazy, Goat-Hating Pediatrician
When my daughter was almost 12 months old, I took her to a new pediatrician for a well-visit check up. The doctor asked all the routine questions like what my daughter was eating, how she was sleeping, along with other developmental questions.
I told her that I was weaning her and had been supplementing her diet with goat milk.
The pediatrician was visibly shocked, and asked,
“Why goat’s milk?”
To which I responded,
“For one thing, it’s more easily digestible than cow’s milk.”
The doctor then asked me what was wrong with formula. I gave her my opinion (basically that I preferred to give my daughter something natural as opposed to something created in a lab) to which she obviously disagreed.
Broccoli lover? Make this cream of broccoli soup!
The pediatrician went on to tell me that goat’s milk doesn’t contain any folates. She also declared, with disgust in her voice, that my daughter was the only infant in her practice who was “on goat’s milk!” With one last insult, she exclaimed, “And goats are such ugly animals!” I swear, she actually said this! At this point, I realized she was grasping at straws.
So, I informed this “doctor” that I was sure that my daughter was also the only infant in her practice who was eating rapini which happens to be full of folates.
Not only was it unprofessional for this pediatrician to discuss an animal’s “looks” to defend her case, but what a total loser: goats are absolutely adorable!
Needless to say, that was my first and last visit to that pediatrician. I might add that my daughter has grown to 5’8″ in height, was almost never ill, never had an ear infection, and was rarely given antibiotics! Take that, you goat-hating pediatrician! 😝
Try this classic Italian rapini pasta with your sauteéd rapini!
Make it with or without Italian sausage.
Sautéed rapini is a good introduction to the vegetable if you’ve never had it before, but be sure to eat it with some fresh, crusty bread. It has a strong flavor, and I think you’ll find, you may want some bread alongside it.
Another recipe using rapini: rapini and besciamella orecchiette
I hope you’ll love sautéed rapini as much as I do!
Sautéed Rapini Recipe
recipe is one that is used by Italians all over Italy serves 4 as a side dish
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- rapini
- extra virgin olive oil
- fresh garlic
- salt, preferably Kosher or sea salt
- (optional: crushed red pepper flakes, or fresh/dried cayenne pepper)
How to Sauté Rapini
Put the oil, garlic and pepper in a frying pan over medium high heat. Cook until garlic just starts to brown.
Wash the rapini well, then cut the dense, bottom of the stems off and discard.
Slice into the bottom stem so that it will cook more quickly.
Add the rapini (cut in half if the bunch is really long) along with the water from the final rinse (don’t dry them).
Turn the greens quickly, then cover and sauté for a few minutes, occasionally turning. Add salt to taste. Lower the heat, if necessary.
Don’t overcook the rapini, the stalks should still be a bit firm/crunchy when done. Check doneness after about 3 minutes.
The best way to test the rapini is to pierce a stalk and taste a leaf for salt. Remove from heat when the greens are ready. The rapini will look like this.
How to Use or Serve Sauteéd Rapini
This makes a fantastic side for almost any dish. Next time you want to serve broccoli, spinach or green beans as a side, try rapini for a change. But don’t be shy; use rapini in sandwiches, like this porchetta (pork) panino!
It’s also used in polenta to add lots of flavor and nutrition. Many people, including me, love it with pasta, especially when made with fresh Italian sausage!
My daughter and I love sautéed rapini so much, we had a bowl of leek and potato soup for dinner the other night, and then an entire bowl of rapini afterwards, instead of a salad. Of course served with homemade Italian bread!
I failed to mention the wonderful nutritional benefits to eating rapini! It’s full of all sorts of vitamins and minerals. You should be able to find rapini in any large grocery store, if not, Whole Foods should have it in their produce department.
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Sauteed Rapini
Ingredients
- 1 bunch rapini (washed and trimmed, do not remove the stalks entirely, just tips)
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic or three smaller cloves
- 3 Tbsp water
- ⅛ tsp sea salt to taste
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes or fresh/dried cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Put the oil, garlic and pepper in a frying pan over medium high heat. Cook until garlic just starts to brown.
- Add the rapini (cut in half if the bunch is really long) along with the water.
- Turn the greens quickly, then cover and sauté for a few minutes, occasionally turning. Add salt to taste. Lower the heat, if necessary.
- Don't overcook the rapini, the stalks should still be a bit firm/crunchy when done; after 5 or 6 minutes is probably when I would first check to see if it's ready. The best way to check is to taste a piece (and check for salt too.)
- Remove from heat when ready.
Notes
- Use fresh, quality ingredients for the best results.
Nutrition
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Back in Iowa 40 years ago, out daughter and son each had a milking goat for 4H. They were 6 and 8 years old and did all the milking and feeding even in the cold, icy snowy winters! I learned to Chill the milk right away with a metal bowl sat in a bowl of ice water. I would stir until cold and refrigerate and it stayed fresh tasting for almost three weeks! When they and two other children showed their goats at the fair there was a lot of snickering in the audience, until the Judge began to speak. The kids were all looking at the ground and upset. He said he heard all that and obviously you people don’t know anything about goats! He went onto compare goats to cows and how much more thrifty they were. How much better goats milk was than cow’s milk. How most hospitals used it for babies (at that time) as a replacement when mother’s had breast feeding problems. When he finished, all the kids had their heads up high. Thinking… I have a goat and you only have a cow! :-)
BEST ice cream ever!! Kids would visit and not want to drink it until I offered money if they could tell the difference. 95% of the time they chose the goat milk as the best tasting! Embarrassed a lot of kids! OH and we brought out beautiful handmade milking stand to the fair for a contest and the cow milking children could not milk them and claimed they were out of milk until a goat child had to show them how it was done! Still smiling and wishing we had goats again!!
How I wish you were in that doctor’s office that day, Morgine! God, she was a twit! People who think they know everything are the most dangerous. Good for you and your kids raising goats! And you didn’t even mention the CHEESE!!! Best ever!
My daughter is now 5’8 so I don’t think the goat milk did her any harm, haha! Thanks for your comments, love them!
Goats are adorable. I wonder if that doc has ever seen a cow!
Ha ha ha ha ha!!!
There are some DOOZIES out there! Who says that going to medical school means you’re smart? I admire your advocacy skills.
Thank you for the recipe. I just bought rapini for the first time yesterday and look forward to enjoying it with my meals.
Continued blessings!
Right? Just scary. I hope you enjoy rapini as much as I do, Daisy!
Christina,
What makes you suggest that blanching rapini isn’t done in 🇮🇹?
Hi Vincent,
I’m quite sure many Italians blanch their rapini as it can be used in so many different ways, but my family (in Italy) doesn’t do it for this dish, so that’s the recipe I’ve provided. You can look at all my recipes from my family and they are all shared as we make them. CC