If you’ve ever been to Rome, you know that you really can’t move an inch without running into “Cicoria”.

That bitter, leafy green is all over the place. It’s on just about every restaurant menu. Especially restaurants where the locals eat.

When I was a kid I’d stay far away from dandelion greens. I remember my grandparents making salads out of them or sauteing them in garlic and olive oil. I thought it was so weird.

Now that I’m getting older I love them! And with this easy recipe I think you will too.

Romans love their wild chicory, and to be honest, I don’t blame them.

I think I fell in love with this delicious way to eat them when we were in Rome making pizza with the famous pizza man, Gabriele Bonci. We made a white pizza, or “pizza bianca” as it’s called in Rome, topped with a chickpea puree, olive oil and sauteed cicoria.

It was so simple, but so good. At that moment I was hooked on the cicoria.

Here in North America we have dandelion greens which are about as close as you can get to Roman cicoria. If you’re looking for the perfect healthy food, vegetable side dish, or something different to add to your frittata or pizza, this is the recipe for you.

a wooden plate with the ingredients for dandelion greens and a knife — Ingredients for dandelion greens

The Ingredients are Simple

The Greens. First you’re going to need a bunch of fresh dandelion greens. Not every supermarket will have them. I’ve always had good luck finding them at Whole Foods rather than any other grocery store. Remember, they might be listed as “cicoria.” If you can’t find them there, check out any of your local farmers markets.

Olive Oil. You’re also going to need olive oil. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive one, but a good quality olive oil from Italy or Greece is perfect for this dish.

Garlic. Get a head of garlic. Make sure you use fresh garlic cloves and not the minced garlic that comes in a jar. There’s nothing better than the smell of garlic sauteing in olive oil. Am I right?

Red Pepper Flakes. You’ll also want some crushed red pepper flakes. I like using dried Calabrian chili peppers. But if you can’t find them it’s not the end of the world.

Sauteed Dandelion Greens

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Author: Chuck Sillari
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Our American version of a Roman veggie side dish made with dandelion greens, garlic, oil and chili peppers.

Ingredients

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1 bunch of dandelion greens
2 tablespoons of good olive oil
3–4 thinly sliced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried Calabrian chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
The juice from half of a lemon

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Instructions

Cut about ½ inch off of dandelion green stems
Wash dandelion greens in cold water and drain. Sometimes they have some sand on them when they get home from the supermarket, so make sure you clean them good.
Place dandelion greens in a pot of well salted water for about 10 minutes. This will take out some of the bitterness and soften the greens.
Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
When olive oil starts to shimmer, add sliced garlic, Calabrian chili flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the garlic to toast and become fragrant and let the chili flavor the oil.
Add dandelion greens and toss in olive oil.
Cover and allow to cook for about ten minutes.
When the stems of the dandelion greens are tender to the bite, transfer to a plate and give them a squeeze of lemon. Let them come to room temperature (that’s when they taste the best).
Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15