Broccoli Rabe with Roasted Garlic

I’m a little obsessed with broccoli rabe. I love its bitterness and how well it pairs with garlic. So a recipe offering roasted garlic with rabe was just too good to pass up. This side dish was enjoyed by all, including my 6-year-old.

I had a hard time conceptualizing this dish before I made it, as I’d never cooked broccoli rabe in so little water. I usually blanch it, but the steaming method worked great and is much quicker since you don’t have to wait for the water to come to a boil. I also wasn’t certain how the roasted garlic would meld with the rapini. But basically once it’s tossed together with the olive oil, it becomes almost like a sauce, and a delicious one at that.

This was a flavorful and pretty dish that I’d definitely make again. The recipe calls for roasting the garlic in individual cloves rather than leaving the head whole. You drizzle the cloves with olive oil and season and then proceed with roasting. This method was faster than roasting the head whole. I like it. After cooking the broccoli rabe, it’s sautéed with the roasted garlic and its oil.

Be careful not to burn the garlic! We added the optional red pepper flakes as we enjoy spicy heat. Season and voila! A very easy way to create a lovely side. I didn’t shock the rabe in cold water as it kept its color well without doing so.

I’m a big fan of bitter greens, particularly broccoli rabe, and I liked the idea of sautéing it with a lot of roasted garlic. The technique for roasting the garlic worked really well and could be used for any dish that requires roasted garlic. I can be sensitive to raw garlic, so this is a great way to keep the flavor but mellow it a bit.

The next time I make this I’ll definitely add the red pepper flakes. I didn’t this time because one of our dinner guests wasn’t a fan of spicy foods. The only change I’d make would be to use a little bit less olive oil to cut a bit of fat out of this recipe. All in all, this is a good side dish.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—roasted garlic has the most heavenly aroma! I love broccoli rabe and I love roasted garlic, so I was excited to combine the two in this easy recipe. I halved the amount of broccoli rabe since I was cooking for just 2 of us but I roasted the entire head of garlic. I recommend that you go ahead and roast 2 heads even if you follow the rabe serving size in the recipe. I’ve never separated the individual cloves from the head of garlic before roasting, but I like this method. This makes it easier to squeeze the garlic out once it’s roasted.

When I blanched the broccoli rabe, I used about 1/2 cup of water, not 1/4 cup as recommended. I strained the broccoli rabe and yes, I did rinse it off with cold water to help stop the cooking process. I love this method of cooking this vegetable! Sautéing it in oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes really gives a delicious flavor to this bitter green. I’d recommend watching how much you salt the broccoli rabe…a pinch will do just fine in my opinion. We had this on the side with a Greek-style pizza and it was a fabulous combination.

By roasting the garlic first, this recipe is elevated to a new level in side dishes. The rich, almost sinful flavor of the roasted garlic melds perfectly with the fresh, leafy taste of broccoli rabe. The addition of red pepper flakes adds a nice contrast and a bit of zing to the sweet garlic.

The amount of oil, however, is a bit much, especially when the additional oil is added from the garlic. Cutting back this amount will help keep the dish tasting light and fresh. Salt is a crucial element at the end, and tasting while seasoning is highly encouraged.

This is excellent (and I don’t particularly like broccoli rabe) because of the simple preparation and, of course, the roasted garlic. The technique used to roast the garlic is ideal—separating the cloves before roasting ensures easy and thorough removal of the garlic from the peel. I’ll never go back to roasting an intact head of garlic again! The broccoli rabe doesn’t need to be shocked in cold water to maintain its vivid green color (although the leaves are darker than the stems). I used the optional red pepper flakes and I don’t feel it overpowered the dish; it simply gave it some kick.

This is one of those recipes that you don’t really need a recipe for, except it serves the purpose of reminding you that it’s a delicious dish that needs to be made often. I had no problem with the instructions and found the broccoli rabe kept its vibrant green color even after the final quick sauté, although I was careful to not overcook it.

A tip for those with a toaster oven: I roasted the garlic in my toaster oven to keep from heating the whole house up. It took the full 40 minutes to get everything nice and soft. I’ll say that I prefer roasting whole heads of garlic—chop off the top “hat” to expose the cloves, place the head in a ramekin or in the center of a large piece of foil, drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, pepper, and salt, cover with foil, and roast. Let the garlic head cool a bit and then just squeeze to get the softened cloves to come out from the cut end of the head. Much quicker and less work than this method.

Fantastic! I’ll definitely make this recipe again and again! This recipe is so easy and flavorful. I usually roast my garlic whole, but was interested to see how it’d turn out by roasting individual cloves. It’s fantastic and less messy and I believe also less wasteful when you can squeeze the roasted garlic out 1 clove at a time rather than trying to squeeze the whole head. I’d recommend using large cloves of garlic, as the smaller cloves were a bit overdone.

Rather than boiling the flavor out of the rabe, I steamed it instead in a skillet with a lesser amount of water. It took about 5 minutes but this way all the flavor and nutrition stays within the vegetable. I then followed the recipe exactly as written, adding a big pinch of red pepper flakes.

This is a delicious variation for cooking broccoli rabe. I typically prefer to keep it crisp tender and season it simply with a little sea salt. The sweet addition of roasted garlic adds another dimension to this dish. I would definitely add the red pepper flakes. If you prefer a more mild flavor, just decrease the amount. I feel as though the pepper is necessary to cut some of the garlic oil flavor.

Personally, for ease of use, I would cut the top off the garlic head and roast it whole. In the end, you get the same result, and you can squeeze the garlic all at once instead of individual cloves.

We make broccoli rabe several times a month as one of our dinner side dishes. The method we use is nearly the same. I roasted the garlic for 30 minutes. The garlic was well-cooked, almost too cooked for it to need sautéeing for 3 to 4 minutes in the pan.

If I use this method again, I would roast the garlic for less time, slightly undercooking it to allow for it to be finished in the pan. On the other hand, I will probably stick to my current method of simply sautéeing a few cloves directly in the pan before adding the blanched broccoli rabe. The result is the same with less effort and time. I suggest squeezing some fresh lemon juice on the broccoli rabe just prior to serving.