Jacques Pépin's Cheap Broccoli Method You'll Start Making Every Week

If you're looking to make a delicious and hearty meal that's also packed with fiber and protein, we've got the perfect dish for you. It's actually a quick and easy broccoli rabe recipe by culinary legend Jacques Pépin, who has great advice for cooks facing unfamiliar ingredients. Per Pépin, who shows his followers on Instagram how to make the dish, it is perfect as an accompaniment or main dish. 

To make Pépin's dish, heat about three tablespoons of good olive oil, as the chef recommends, in a skillet or large saucepan. Add a generous amount of sliced garlic, pinch of chili flakes, and once aromatic and softened, add cut broccoli rabe. Pépin cooks the broccoli rabe for a few minutes before adding julienned ham and a can of beans. You can season with salt and pepper as desired. Then, heat everything until the beans are warm, plate the dish, and drizzle with more olive oil before serving.  

Pépin enjoys the crunch and bitterness of broccoli rabe but his finished dish has pops of savoriness, thanks to ham, an umami-rich pantry staple. The beans, with their mild and creamy taste, tempers the leafy vegetable's bitterness. Each bite feels rustic and comforting, like you're eating with the chef himself, in a cottage in France.

The beauty with Jacques Pépin's broccoli rabe dish is how easy it is to transform to suit almost any palate. Let's say you're not a ham lover. Instead of using ham, you could incorporate another umami-rich protein or ingredient, like pancetta, bacon, anchovies, or a vegan chorizo. And if you've run out of olive oil or it's a bit heavy on the budget, you can use melted, unsalted butter.

While the legendary French chef enjoys bitter notes, you can add a drizzle of honey to balance out bitter broccoli rabe before serving. Blanching the green leafy vegetable before cooking it is another simple method to take the bitterness out.

For those who enjoy spice and heat — and if the pinch of chili flakes doesn't suffice — drizzle chili crisp over the dish. You can also incorporate chili crisp while cooking the dish. For those who want to brighten the dish further, incorporate freshly squeezed lemon juice or some grated lemon zest. The acidity will cut through the bitterness and balance out the richness of the olive oil.