I write a lot about how I make meals ahead and freeze them. Lasagna, manicotti, meatballs and a lot of other awesome freezer meals.
I love having a good green vegetable on the side at most meals. So let’s learn how to freeze broccoli rabe.
Life gets busy. Especially if you have kids, a job, and a million other things to do during the week.
If I can have dinner already figured out when I get home I feel like I won.
Broccoli rabe a/k/a broccoli raab is a vegetable that is really common in Italian cuisine.
It has a slightly bitter unique flavor that’s an acquired taste. Some people love it. I’m one of those people.
It’s great when I have some already cooked and ready to use in the freezer.
I use it as a side dish, I toss it into pasta dishes and I put it on pizza. Sometimes I’ll just let it defrost and eat it at room temperature.
In this article I’m going to teach you the best way to freeze cooked broccoli rabe.
Before I wrote it, I whipped up a quick batch of sauteed broccoli rabe.
I decided to saute it because I usually talk about my roasted broccoli rabe. I cook in the oven on a baking sheet. It’s a great recipe.
You can cook it either way. Roast it or saute it and freeze it.
Below I’m going to go over a simple broccoli rabe recipe and show you how I freeze it.
Is Blanching Broccoli Rabe Necessary
When I post broccoli rabe recipes and videos you will notice that I don’t blanch it. I get a lot of criticism from the old school broccoli rabe cooks who are passionate about blanching it first.
They think it’s an essential step to removing the bitter flavor of this beautiful leafy green vegetable.
First of all, I love broccoli rabe’s signature bitterness. That’s why it’s one of my favorite green vegetables.
Anyway…I did a test with a friend of mine who’s a seasoned chef one day. I made two batches of broccoli rabe. One I blanched first. One I didn’t blanch.
Guess what? He couldn’t tell which one was the blanched broccoli rabe. They both had a slightly bitter taste that was delicious. So I stopped blanching my broccoli rabe.
How to Blanch Broccoli Rabe
But I’ll go over the process anyway. It’s quick. Your blanching time will probably add about 10 minutes to the entire recipe.
Take a large pot of salted water and bring it to a rolling boil.
Toss the broccoli rabe in the boiling water and submerge it. After about one minute take it out of the pot and throw it in a bowl of ice water.
The cold water will stop the cooking process.
Remove the broccoli rabe from the ice bath and drain it in a colander. Remove any excess water by patting it dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Here’s What You Need to Freeze Cooked Broccoli Rabe
Broccoli Rabe
Head to the grocery store and get some fresh broccoli rabe. You’ll find it sold by the bunch held together by a twist tie.
You’ll know it’s fresh if it has dark green florets and lush leaves. I avoid bunches with yellow flowers, thick stems and wilted leaves.
Garlic
Always use fresh garlic. Buy it by the bulb. Try to purchase American garlic and avoid the garlic from China. American garlic tastes better.
Olive Oil
Use a decent olive oil when you cook. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive, but avoid olive oil blended with other types of oil.
Seasoning
The seasoning for this recipe is simple. You need salt and black pepper. If you like a little heat, add some red pepper flakes.
Cheese
I always add a little grated parmesan cheese or pecorino Romano cheese.
If you are dairy free you can leave the cheese out.
How to Cook Broccoli Rabe for Freezing
Cut the ends of the stems from the broccoli rabe. Then cut all of the leaves and stems into one inch pieces.
You can eat the entire plant.
Get a large skillet and add some olive oil.
Put the pan on medium heat. Add some chopped garlic. I like lots of garlic. If that’s too much for you just add a little bit of garlic.
When the garlic starts to toast, add the stems into the frying pan. Season them with salt and pepper.
I like adding the stems first. Giving them a head start allows the firm stems to soften up a bit before you add the leaves and florets.
After the stems cook for a couple minutes add the rest of the broccoli rabe in a single layer. Season it with salt and pepper and increase the flame to medium-high heat. Let it cook slowly for about 12-15 minutes, turning it every so often.
Add a tablespoon of water if you think it’s cooking too fast or if it starts to burn.
Add some grated cheese and let it cook into the leafy greens for the last 2 minutes.
Remove the broccoli rabe from the pan and let it cool.
Put it in an airtight container and date it. I like using plastic deli containers because they are easy to store in the freezer.
If you would rather store it in smaller portions you can use freezer bags.
The shelf life of broccoli rabe in the freezer is about 3 months. I always use it sooner than that so I’ve never experienced freezer burn.
How to Defrost Frozen Broccoli Rabe
Take it out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge right in its container or plastic bag.
Put the frozen broccoli rabe into a frying pan and let it slowly warm up with a little bit of olive oil.
How to Use Your Broccoli Rabe When You Freeze It
Add it to your favorite pasta dish.
Serve it on the side with some meatballs in tomato sauce.
Put the broccoli rabe in a sandwich like this one!
Pull it out of the freezer and use it as a pizza topping. I put it on the Gomorrah Pizza at Mortadella Head.
Use it to make a kick ass lasagna. My Chicken & Rabe Lasagna is so good.
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How to Freeze Broccoli Rabe: Sauteed with Garlic & Oil
Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli rabe
3–5 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of grated Romano cheese
Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Wash broccoli rabe
- Cut about ½ inch from stems
- Chop remaining broccoli rabe into one inch pieces. Separate thick stems at the bottom of the plant
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat
- Add garlic to pan and allow it to toast for one minute
- Add thick broccoli rabe stems and season with salt and pepper. Turn heat up slightly to medium-high.
- Let the stems cook for a couple minutes until they soften up.
- Add the rest of the plant (chopped leaves, florets and thinner stems) to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
- Allow them to cook for 12-15 minutes, tossing them in the pan frequently. Add a little water to the pan if necessary.
- Add grated cheese with 2 minutes of cooking left and continue to toss.
- Remove from the pan and allow them to cool.
- Place in an airtight container or freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
