Broccoli Rabe Peanut Soba Noodles
This Asian soba noodle bowl features sautéed broccoli rabe tossed with spicy peanut sauce. It’s a weeknight meal that’s hearty, quick and full of greens!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Have you ever tried broccoli rabe? It’s new to me and took a little getting used to, but I have to say, I’ve become quite a fan. Contrary to what the name suggests, broccoli rabe (also called rapini) is not related to broccoli. It has some small, broccoli-like buds, but it’s actually more closely related to turnips.
Broccoli rabe is best cooked; even then, it is on the bitter side, but delightfully so. If you need it, an extra sprinkle of salt helps reduce the bitterness. The flavor reminds me a bit of kale, and I know there are a lot of kale lovers out there, so I hope you will give broccoli rabe a shot. It plays nicely with flavors that complement broccoli and kale, like garlic, lemon and red pepper flakes.
Since that’s the case, I thought there was a good chance that sautéed broccoli rabe would go well with savory peanut soba noodles (since they are also fantastic with broccoli). I was right! Sautéed rabe is right at home with peanut sauce and soba noodles; once cooked, it becomes almost noodle-like and twirls right around the fork with the pasta.
If you want to lighten this dish or make it extra green, you can cook up even more broccoli rabe than specified below.
Broccoli Rabe Peanut Soba Noodles
This soba noodle bowl features sautéed broccoli rabe tossed with spicy peanut sauce. It’s a simple weeknight meal that’s hearty, quick and full of healthy greens! Feel free to double the amount of broccoli rabe for extra greens. Recipe yields 2 large or 4 modest servings.
Ingredients
Soba and broccoli rabe
- 6 ounces soba noodles or whole grain spaghetti
- 1 pound broccoli rabe
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Peanut sauce
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling
Garnishes
- Small handful of chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 small lime wedge
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the broccoli rabe by rinsing it well and patting it dry. Slice off the tough lower ends of the stems and discard. Slice off any remaining stems that are over ¼-inch in diameter and discard those as well, since they will be too fibrous even after cooking.
- Next, prepare the peanut sauce. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together the ingredients until well blended. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli rabe and season with the salt and a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Toss to combine and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the leaves have wilted and the stems are easily pierced by a fork, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Once the water is boiling, add the soba noodles and cook just until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain the noodles, then return them to the pot, add the broccoli rabe and toss with peanut sauce (you might not quite need all of it) until blended.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls and top with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, a small squeeze of lime juice, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and red pepper flakes, if you’d like some extra heat.
Notes
Make it vegan: Use agave nectar instead of honey.
Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce and substitute firm gluten-free spaghetti (adjust cooking time accordingly) for the soba noodles.
Storage suggestions: This dish is best served fresh but will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to three days.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
My soba noodles turned out soooo sticky and clumped together. Could barely toss them with the broccoli and sauce. Your recipe said to cook noodles for 5 mins and the package said 3-4. I ended up cooking them around 4-5mins. Not sure if the brand makes a difference..? Any ideas?
I’m sorry it wasn’t perfect! The difference in the cook time could impact it. Thanks for the review and feedback, Lisa!
It was delicious otherwise, as always. Your recipes are amazing and feed my family of 6 probably 5/7 days of the week! Thank you for helping keep me sane and healthy!
Loved the peanut sauce! I doubled the broccoli rabe and wouldn’t have wanted any less. Will definitely make again and could imagine adding tofu or chicken next time!
I am salivating looking at this recipe, and I cannot wait to try it tonight! I’m wondering if you might share where you found your dishes? I love them! Thank you!
This is delicious!!! I used kale and shitake mushrooms but next time I’ll try rapini! This is my new go to peanut sauce thank you!!
This is my favorite peanut sauce, I put it on everything. I added some of your crispy tofu and it was the perfect meal.
I just wanted to leave a comment because my husband is very fussy with sauces and I made a stir fry tonight using this teriyaki recipe and he loved it as did I! So thank you. We also don’t eat garlic and even with leaving out this ingredient it tasted superb
Wow, this turned out really REALLY good! I love to experiment in the kitchen with Thai food and at first I wasn’t sure about the oil in the peanut butter mixing well with the noodles. I will be making this again but with the addition of mushrooms and chicken.
Thank you for your review, April!
Just made this tonight and it was sooo gooddd. My husband couldn’t get enough of it. I loved the broccoli rabe as I never really cook with it. This is the 2nd recipe I’ve tried from you and I can’t wait to try more. Thank you!
I have used this peanut sauce recipe a bunch of times and it is delicious!!! Can’t speak to the full recipe as I have done it without using broccoli rabe – made soba with tofu and sweet potato and regular broccoli instead to accommodate a three year old. But the sauce is quite good! Tbh I have not encountered one bummer recipe on this site yet !!! They are all great. Thank you so much CandK!
You’re welcome, Eve!
I’m always looking for a good peanut butter sauce, and I think this one is it! Definitely will be adding this to our regular rotation, although without the broccoli rabe. I’ve made with kale and swiss chard, but our favorite was raw julienned zucchini.
I also use toasted sesame oil to drizzle instead of sesame seeds. So good!
Great to hear, Bethany! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
This is a recipe that you keep coming back to time and time again. It is delicious, nutritious and perfect for a weeknight meal! I often add rotisserie chicken to mine.
I love to hear that, Carly! Thank you for your review.
I picked up rapini at the farmers market and this turned out delicious! The only change I made was I used glass noodles instead of soda. Planning to incorporate the peanut sauce in other recipes..or even as a veggie dip. Yum
Great to hear, Debra! I appreciate your review.
We had this for dinner last night. My husband really didn’t like it and he is a foodie. He thought the rabe was very bitter and maybe the raw ginger and garlic in the sauce. I thought it was good, but maybe do small broccoli heads or ? You could add chicken too.
The sauce tastes similar to a Vietnamese peanut dipping sauce crossed with the flavor of Kung Pao stir fry. I preferred having the broccoli Rabe plain and the sauce with cucumbers.