Lemony Roasted Broccoli Rabe & Potatoes
This delicious side dish features golden roasted potatoes and tender broccoli rabe with Parmesan cheese, tossed in a zippy lemon dressing!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Have you tried roasted broccoli rabe? Broccoli rabe looks like long, flat broccoli but tastes more like kale. Roasting the broccoli rabe tempers its bitterness, and Iโm obsessed with the crispy edges that it develops under high heat.
Here, itโs tossed with roasted potatoes and just enough Parmesan cheese to tempt the skeptics.
The dish comes together fairly quickly. You can prepare the broccoli rabe and the dressing while the potatoes roast for the first 20-ish minutes, then roast the broccoli rabe on the upper rack until itโs tender and the leaves are a little crisp.
The simple, zippy dressing of lemon, mustard and garlic soaks right into the potatoes and makes this dish extra flavorful.
How to Serve This Dish
This hearty side dish would be welcome on your dinner table from fall through winter. It would be a lovely side dish on Thanksgiving, or serve it in the morning as breakfast hashโtop individual servings with fried eggs or scrambled eggs.
More Side Dishes to Try
Like this recipe, these fun side dishes feature vegetables roasted to golden perfection.
- Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Pecans
- Cheesy Smashed Broccoli
- Colorful Roasted Vegetables
- Perfect Roasted Cabbage
Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Lemony Roasted Broccoli Rabe and Potatoes
This delicious side dish features golden roasted potatoes and tender, roasted broccoli rabe with Parmesan cheese melted into it. This recipe would also make a great breakfastโjust serve with eggs! (Fried, poached, scrambled or hard boiled.) Recipe yields 4 side servings.
Ingredients
Roasted broccoli rabe and potatoes
- 1 ยฝ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ยพ pound broccoli rabe (about 1 bunch)
- ยผ cup grated Parmesan
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about ยฝ lemon, juiced)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the middle of the oven and upper third of the oven. Slice the potatoes into ยพ-inch pieces. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway.
- Meanwhile, prepare the broccoli rabe by rinsing it and spinning it dry in a salad spinner or patting it dry. Slice off the tough lower ends and any stems that are greater than ยผ-inch in diameter and discard those pieces. Roughly chop the remaining broccoli rabe into 2- to 3-inch pieces.
- On a separate large baking sheet, combine the broccoli rabe with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the Parmesan, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Use your hands to rub the ingredients into the broccoli rabe, so itโs lightly but thoroughly coated in oil. Arrange the broccoli rabe in a single layer. Once the potatoes have only 8 minutes baking time remaining, place the baking sheet on the upper rack in the oven.
- While the potatoes and broccoli rabe finish cooking, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Once the timer goes off, the broccoli rabe should be tender and turning crispy in places, and the potatoes should be golden and tender throughout. If not, bake leave one or both pans in the oven a couple more minutes.
- Transfer the contents of both pans to a bowl and drizzle the dressing into the bowl. Toss to mix well, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Skip the Parmesan!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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This looks delicious, definitely trying this soon! I love your recipes, they always looks so fresh & healthy. Keep them coming!
Thanks, Allie!
Thanksgiving is over already for us Canadians but I would certainly like to make something like this right now!! I love the lemon with the potatoes!
I love lemon with potatoes. Itโs not done nearly enough and Iโm so glad you shared this recipe! Lemon, garlic, Dijon โ whatโs not to love about that?!
Thanks, Amy! Iโm definitely a fan of that combo!
This is one dare Iโd probably take you up on. (Iโm not big on most dares.) For one thing, roasted makes vegetables better. For another, this isnโt going to add 5000 calories to the Thanksgiving or other dinner. Or breakfast. Raw garlic is difficult for me, though, so Iโd make sure I used only a small clove of it.
Woohoo! Pouring the garlicky dressing over the hot potatoes helps temper the flavor a bit, but sounds like a small clove would be just right for you.
Iโm all about adding a little variety to the Thanksgiving table, we usually try to introduce 2-3 new dishes each year in addition to all the traditional sides (we typically have A LOT of people over), and one usually ends up being a constant in years to come. Love this healthier, fresher option โ Iโm a sucker for broccoli rabe!
Sounds like you have an epic Thanksgiving feast every year! Hope to see you soon, Nicole!
Love the flavor of lemon and potatoes together. Never thought to add the broccoli rabe or to eat it for breakfast. But why not? Happy fall!
Thanks, Karen!
I love lemony potatoes but this looks incredible. I am definitely going to have to make this, maybe for breakfast (never even though about potatoes for breakfast though!).
This sounds right up alley! I love broccoli rabe but never know what to do with it besides roasting it and eating it plain.
I donโt think my family would be down for replacing the traditional trappings, but this is totally my jam. I might take you up on your suggestion to turn this into a hash some lazy morning.
I wouldnโt dare try it for ThanksgivingโฆI mean, showing up at my momโs house and asking for oven space probably wouldnโt go over so wellโฆ but mustardy-garlicy roasted vegetables are basically my favorite. I hadnโt thought to add lemons. So good.
Yeah, that part could be problematic. Theyโd be a great side dish for any weeknight dinner, though!
THANK YOU for giving me some guidance as to what to do with the five billion potatoes that my CSA has sent me this month. I have potatoes coming out of my ears. :)
Perfect! Hope you love it!
Iโm super excited to try this tonight! I impulsively bought 2 bunches of broccoli rabe and had no idea what to do with it. This sounds delicious.
In my family we always do different dishes for holidays! At christmas we do a different meal every year its so fun!
I love the simplicity and I am so sure I would like this. It is saved!
Thanks, Adina! Hope you love it!
This looks totally yummy. Still havenโt had any luck in finding Broccoli Rabe here in South Africa, but I am sure I can substitute it, it may not be 100% like yours, but hopefully it will be great. :-)
Thanks, Lynne! I think broccolini or broccoli or maybe even de-stemmed kale would be great here!
This looks delish!
I have never tried Broccoli Rabe, ok now I need to make a trip to the grocery store so I can make this! :)
Hurry! :)
Well, this is interesting. I have never tried broccoli rabe before, but I certainly love the simplicity of this dish. I could eat this for breakfast, and yes, with eggs.
Thanks, Joshua! I hope youโll give it a shot soon!
i have yet to try broccoli rabeโฆ
Made this last night, but couldnโt find broccoli rabe at the store! I subbed broccolini and it was amazing and delicious and will be lunch today, too. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for broccoli rabe so I can try it again by the book!
Sounds like a great sub! Glad you enjoyed this one, too, Mandy!
This looks great! I am of a mind to make it just a bit naughtier, though- so in addition to a fried egg Iโm going to borrow a trick from a favorite breakfast spot, and add a bit of garlic aioli for dipping :)
Made it. Stellar! I will probably need this weekly forever more. We subโd vegan โparmesanโ (finely ground raw cashews and nutritional yeast) and presto. Standout delicious dish, Kate! Thanks yet again.
Thank you, Anna! I love your vegan Parmesan sub.
hurray for lemony potatoes! I love the challenge of making something different for Thanksgiving, itโs so easy to make the same things year to year. and yes, we all need to give broccoli rabe more of a chance!
Oh yes, another excuse to eat delicious potatoes! Looks wonderful, thank you.
Yum! I made a similar lemon roasted vegetable recipe from the Vegetarian ATK cookbook last week and wasnโt thrilled with it (though my husband absolutely loved it). I want to try this one because I prefer yukon potatoes to red, grated parm makes everything better, I think the addition of dijon mustard to the lemony dressing sounds divine :) I may throw some capers in there too!
I hope you love this one, Alexa! Parmesan, Dijon and lemon are a few of my favorite flavors, too. I tried this dish with red potatoes, but the Yukons turned out much more crisp and delicious.
Thank you so much. Absolutely delicious. As a semi-new vegetarian I need extra inspiration this time of year to not feel like Iโm missing out on all the meat dishes. And this does the trick and then some :)
Hooray! Thank you, Cassandra.
I made this tonight and without a doubt, the flavors are spot-on fantastic. It seems a stretch that such simple ingredients can culminate into such a lovely flavor experience but your recipes never fail to deliver that special, complimentary pop of wholesome goodness in each bite!
My version variance was vegan, no oil so my Yukonโs were roasted with a bit of broth and my parmesan was homemade vegan and it was still a delight! Thank you!
Thank you very much, Christy! I really get a kick out of turning simple ingredients into something really special. Glad to hear itโs appreciated!
This looks great! I am always looking for good side dish recipes to switch it up! This dish will be a perfect addition to our holiday table!
Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks, Jena! Hope you get a chance to cook this one soon!
Hi Kate โ I made this recipe tonight and it is a hit with my whole family. I did not have broccoli rabe on hand, so I substituted spinach which I added for last 2 minutes in oven so that is was just beginning to wilt. I also used half yukon gold and half sweet potatoes. I really love the dressing โ this will be a keeper in my recipe box. Thanks once again for a fabulous recipe. I look forward to getting your cookbook when its available.
Thank you, Sloan! Really happy to hear it. Canโt wait for you to see my cookbook!
the broccoli rabe and potato recipe sounds real good, but what can i use instead of parmesan cheese?
i donโt think you need it, the main flavour is from the lemon/garlic sauce. but you could use nooch (nutritional yeast)
Would love to try this for NYE! Any tips on getting bitterness out of broccoli rabe or does roasting do the trick?
Made this for a small dinner party last night, and it was well loved by all! Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Youโre welcome, Kate! Happy it was a crowd-pleaser :)
I thought I should finally comment on and review this recipe since Iโve made it SO many times. We make it as a side for a salmon steak and the combination is just amazing.
Iโve actually never been able to find broccoli rabe so iโve just used broccoli every time โ I slice them into long thin stalks, so they look like thinner brocollini. I roast them for a bit longer than the recipe calls for, but they taste amazing with the same sauce.
Last night I planned to make this but didnโt even have potato on hand! Luckily I had sweet potato so I thought iโd try that and it was pretty damn good too. NOT as good as regular olโ potato, but great nonetheless :)
Thanks! One of our faves from your site.
I would actually like to try this with broccoli rabe one day if I can ever find it. I might try with kale next time as it seems similar.
Iโm glad this works, even with the broccoli rabe/broccoli substitution! Thanks so much for commenting, as always, Asako!
Love this recipe. I make it using nutritional yeast on the broccoli rabe
to replace the parmesa.
This is hands down deceptively simple but one of the best potato dishes ever. I canโt stop eating it!
Probably my new favorite recipe until I make another one from your blog. My co-op didnโt have rabe, so I used mini broccoli. So good!
Thank you for your review!
AMAZING!
Thank you!
What can you use instead of broccoli rabe? Itโs not easy to find in the grocery..
Hi Aubrey, you could use broccolini or kale, I think. Hope that helps! The potatoes are great on their own accord.
Do you think I could bring this to a St. Patrickโs Day potluck as a potato dish? Or would the Herbed Red Potato Salad be a better option. If you have an Irish Potato recipe like Colcannon or Dublin Coddle or Roasted Potatoes, please let me know. Thank you.
I think either would be! (and stay tuned for another one coming in time for St. Patrickโs day!)
Super yummy recipe and super easy. We loved this and will make it again and again.
Made this tonight! Tasted wonderful. I served it with a soft boiled egg.
All I can say is wow. I have never had lemony potatoes before. This was also my first time cooking with broccoli rabe and man was it delicious. This is recipe just became on of my favorites. The only thing I did differently is I halved petite potatoes. I also added rosemary. Thank you this recipe has me wanting more.
Thank you! I appreciate your review, Jasmine.
Easy, delicious, and you donโt have to be too precise. I was a bit worried when I realized that an awful lot of the โreviewsโ for this recipe were by people who hadnโt made the dish (unusual for a C&K recipe, in my experience). I used different potatoes โ I had a giant bag of russets, mind you the potatoes I chose looked more like basic โwhiteโ potatoes. I have roasted russets in a similar manner and they always turn out well. I also used a larger proportion of potato than called for as I didnโt have much rapini to use up, but I liked the balance. The dressing really does soak in, leaving you with a vegetable dish that is amazingly tasty without it being obvious why.
This is really good, and easy. It works very well with kale, too.
This is DELICIOUS!! Just made it and am blown away by the flavor. The dressing takes it over the top. Easy too, thanks!