Name: Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Roasted Red Peppers
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 large bunch broccoli rabe (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces; Salt and pepper; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup drained jarred roasted red peppers , chopped fine; 2 garlic cloves , minced

Why This Recipe Works

Broccoli rabe is widely available in supermarkets, even in the dead of winter. And while its assertive, peppery flavor (reminiscent of mustard greens or collards) is appealing, this green can sometimes be downright bitter and overwhelming in broccoli rabe recipes. To ensure that all the components in our Sautéed Broccoli Rabe with Roasted Red Peppers recipe cooked properly, we chopped the rabe into small pieces and precooked it before sautéing it with flavorful ingredients like garlic and roasted red peppers. And to make sure the broccoli rabe wasn’t too bitter, we blanched (quickly cooking in salted boiling water) the greens, which allowed some of the rabe’s bitterness to cook out.

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add broccoli rabe and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add drained broccoli rabe to pot and cook without stirring until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Push broccoli rabe to side of pot and add another 1 teaspoon oil, red peppers, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir into broccoli rabe. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to serving bowl, and drizzle with remaining oil. Serve. (Rabe can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours at the end of the first step.)