Crispy, Cheesy, Roasted Broccoli Rabe

This crispy, cheesy, roasted broccoli rabe recipe is divine! Have you been looking for a recipe that could make your greens taste better than potato chips? Look no further. Broccoli rabe, also known as broccolini, has arrived.

The biggest drawback of other broccoli rabe recipes is the smell. These broccoli derivatives have tender tips and woody stems, like asparagus, and the easiest way to cook both at the same time is steaming. Well, just try that, and you might find yourself googling gas masks.

So, on the off chance you don't want to wind up smelling the odor of a bean-only diet in a windowless room, try this broccoli rabe recipe instead.

The aroma of this baking in your oven isn’t just not-bad, it's incredible.

I adapted this recipe pretty faithfully from, naturally, the first result on Google! :) The recipe is by Chuck Sillari, who has authored pages upon pages of blog posts on the restaurant website for Mortadella Head, an Italian restaurant outside of Boston. He explains that the recipe is "quick and easy," which allows the restaurant to prepare the dish in bulk. I also loved the video for the recipe, which goes into detail for how to prepare the dish with two bunches of rabe!

Estimating the portions on this family recipe was a bit tricky. I felt a little like a sardine out of water. Not to mention, I bought my broccoli rabe at Trader Joe's, which may or may not have been smaller than "a bunch" sold at a more conventional grocery store.

But we rocked out with it, and it turned out great! And if I can't mess this up, neither can you.

Then, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut off 1/4-inch from the bottom of the stems. What an ingenious idea? I'd been gnawing on woody stems forever! Little did I know that the asparagus trick worked with other veggies. Live and learn...

Then, cut your broccolini into 1-inch pieces. The more nooks and crannies for the good stuff, the better.

Mince 1 tablespoon of garlic and 2 tablespoons of Cotija cheese. As for the garlic, a few cloves is fine. And for cheese, I simply used the hard cheese I had on hand; Cotija cheese is a hard, salty Mexican cheese with a wonderfully rich flavor. The original recipe called for Pecorino Romano, but you do you.

Put the broccolini in a mixing bowl, along with the cheese, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plenty of black pepper, a pinch or two (or three) of red pepper flakes, and some olive oil. Now, in the video, they recommend using more olive oil than you think you need--and then some. But for me and my tiny bunch of broccoli rabe, I used only two and a half tablespoons! This amount is open to interpretation, of course.

Then, of course, give it a nice little massage, making sure the cheese and salt integrates with the greens. You don't have to be gentle. Get in there!

Spray olive oil would work great here--just make sure the whole baking sheet is covered. If you don't, you'll be stuck scraping the best part off of your expensive vegetable off the bottom of your pan. Womp.

Bake your greens for 15-20 minutes, giving them a toss three quarters of the way through.

...A hard task for someone like me!

What shouldn't you eat with it?

• My favorite accompaniment to this dish is steak. That's it. End of meal.

• You could also put this on some gnocchi.

• What about with lentil stew?

• Or maybe turmeric split pea soup? I love the texture combo of smooth soup with crispy greens.

• Add broccolini alongside this pesto couscous salad for a fuller vegetarian meal.

• What about on top of focaccia with a spread of herby hummus?

The choice is yours. Hope you enjoy, and if you try it, let me know how it goes!