broccoli rabe

noun

-ˌräb 

variants or less commonly broccoli raab

-ˌräb 

-ˌrab

or broccoli rab

-ˌräb 

-ˌrab

: a garden brassica (Brassica rapa ruvo) that is related to the turnip and produces edible leafy branching stalks and compact clusters of yellow florets

called also rapini

Examples of broccoli rabe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In spring that means a first course of yellowtail and sea buckthorn followed by scallop and rhubarb, cod and apple, duck and broccoli rabe, and a finale of almond and maple. —Madeline Weinfield, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024

To further muddy the waters, there’s also broccoli rabe (or raab), otherwise known as rapini. —Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024

Despite the name, broccoli rabe tastes nothing like broccoli and is more closely associated with the turnip and mustard greens than anything else. —Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 30 Jan. 2024

My most satisfying encounter with pasta here was orecchiette, ear shapes that caught drops of creamy-tasting parmesan sauce and crumbles of fennel pork sausage, sepia tones contrasted with bright broccoli rabe — a common pasta combination done right. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023

Per 100 grams: 22 calories, 2.9 g carbs, 0.2 g net carbs, 2.7 g fiber, 0.5 g fat, 3.2 g protein 8 Broccoli Like its little sister broccoli rabe, the OG stalks (which are much less bitter) are a great source of fiber and vitamins K and C. —Women's Health, 16 Aug. 2023

For the pasta course, Funke offered his famous lasagna bolognese—layers of housemade ragu bolognese, bechamel sauce and sheets of delicate, fresh pasta—and orecchiette served with broccoli rabe pesto, brasicas and pangrattato (an Italian breadcrumb mixture). —Sonal Dutt, PEOPLE.com, 28 Mar. 2022

The other is the Reading Terminal, a round topped with housemade porchetta, broccoli rabe, pickled cherry peppers, mozz and provolone, Morgan’s fever-dream homage to DiNic’s roast pork sandwich. —Tim Carman, Washington Post, 21 June 2023

So is one of gummy scallops with a random combination of chickpea puree, turnips, broccoli rabe, and citrus. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

regularization (conformed to broccoli) of any of various southern Italian dialect forms, such as Neapolitan vruoccole de rapa, literally, "flower stalks of the turnip"

Note: The spellings rabe, raab reflect English perceptions of a lenis stop and reduced or absent vowel in the southern Italian forms.

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above