broccoli rabe
Americannoun
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a cruciferous plant, Brassica rapa rapa, of the mustard family, also classified by other names, especially B. rapa ruva, B. rapa rapifera, and B. ruvo.
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the slightly bitter, dark green leaves and clustered flower buds of this plant, eaten as a raw or cooked vegetable.
Etymology
Origin of broccoli rabe
First recorded in 1925–30; perhaps alteration of Italian broccoli di rapa “flowering tops of the turnip”; cf. broccoli ( def. ), rape 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ear-shaped orecchiette—Puglia’s best-known regional specialty—is often paired with broccoli rabe or a basic tomato sauce, while floppy strascinati goes with meat-rich, long-simmered sauces.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025
The broccoli rabe was turned into a kind of cruciferous pesto.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025
Grilled swordfish teamed with a bed of quinoa, jump-started with charred broccoli rabe, arrives with a haunting chipotle dressing that lingers on the tongue and in the mind, even after the entree is dispatched.
From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2022
Wondering how to make bitter broccoli rabe taste less bitter?
From Salon • Jan. 29, 2022
She found fresh whole wheat pasta and cooked it with turkey sausage and broccoli rabe.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
