broccoli rabe

noun

Rapini, a leafy-green vegetable.

Similar
rabebroccoli raabBrassica rapa ruvo

Meanings

nounbroccoli rabe (countable and uncountable, plural broccoli rabes)

plural broccoli rabes · alternative broccoli raab · alternative broccoli rape

  1. countableuncountableRapini, a leafy-green vegetable.

    Broccoli rabe is a classic Italian bitter green and it's a favorite in our family.

    2012, Claire Criscuolo, Welcome to Claire's, page 119
    3 more examples

    She uses broccoli rabe instead of aka takana (spicy mustard greens), shops in the Caribbean markets of her Washington Heights neighborhood for batatas rather than Japanese satsumaimo (yellow sweet potatoes), and has learned to love the local mofongo, the Dominican version of mashed plantains with lots of garlic.

    2007 December 26, Julia Moskin, “A Celebration of the New Year Ushers in a Bit of Japan”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022

    Profiled by Sarah Di Gregorio in The Village Voice, Fratelli's is famous for its broccoli rabe specialties.

    2010, Anthony Di Renzo, Bitter Greens, page 96

    All the baking is done in-house, from the impressive selections in the breadbasket, including a stuffed bread with cheese, salami and broccoli rabe, to the desserts, like the feathery-light flourless chocolate cake, paired with a caramel gelato and topped off with a crisp chocolate tuile.

    2015 July 16, Joanne Starkey, “Restaurant Review: Scarpetta Beach in Montauk Offers Meals to Match the View”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 04 Jan 2022

    Synonyms: rabe

Synonyms & antonyms

nounRapini, a leafy-green vegetable.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nounplant grown for its pungent edible leafy shoots

Similar
broccoli raabBrassica rapa ruvo
Broader
crucifercruciferous plant

nounslightly bitter dark green leaves and clustered flower buds

Broader
cruciferous vegetable
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Italianbroccoli di rapa“sprouts or stalks of the turnip”
  2. Englishbroccoli rabe

Ultimately from Italian broccoli di rapa (“sprouts or stalks of the turnip”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

broccoli rabe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broccoli%20rabe

MLA

“broccoli rabe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broccoli%20rabe. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “broccoli rabe,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broccoli%20rabe.

Source: broccoli rabe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.