Saint InnocentRapini generally is a dark green leafy cruciferous vegetable, famous for its buds, which have gotten quite a whole lot of similarities in terms of appearance to broccoli or broccolini, the reasons why it is oftentimes referred to as broccoli rabe.
Commonly known for being used in European cooking, particularly in Italian cuisine, rapini is a choice of vegetable known for its flavorful bitter taste, especially when used as an easy side dish or just by merely adding to soups or stews, not forgetting to g making a tasty salad. In this regard, it is always advisable to have the rapini vegetables blanched before use to have their bitter flavor tamed.
Though rapini has plenty of good benefits to offer inside of your recipes or dishes, it is always difficult to find in stores or marketplaces depending on your location, for example being a resident of the UK, and that can be frustrating, especially if you still want to carry on with using a leafy green vegetable inside of your meals.
Well, there is little or nothing to worry about in that regard as there are some excellent substitutes for rapini out there you can always trust to come to your rescue on days like this, and below have been highlighted 7 of the best of such substitutes for rapini.
7 Best Substitute For Rapini to Try out
1. Arugula
Arugula is an ingredient commonly found in the United Kingdom, one which is known for its spicy, bitter taste, which shares a resemblance with that of rapini, thereby qualifying it as an excellent substitute for rapini itself.
Talking about its spicy, bitter taste, it should not be mistaken for the bitter taste of herbs as that is not the case, since it simply has a ‘softer’ taste that is great inside of salads, top pizza, or pasta dishes.
2. Kale
Kale, as a substitute for rapini, comes in different varieties, with the most common of these varieties being curly kale and lacinato kale. It is considered a like-for-like substitute for rapini since they both happen to share the same bitter flavor.
Generally, kale is known to be a tasty green leaf popular for its antioxidants, vitamins C & K, and beta-carotene content, making it a healthier choice of a substitute for rapini you can always stick with inside of your salads, soups, and stews.
To get the very best results from sticking with this option of a substitute, all that is expected of you to do is massage them first in a little oil, vinegar, and salt to get their tough texture softened before proceeding to put them into use.
3. Mustard Greens
Mustard greens, aa yet another excellent substitute for rapini, are known for their bitter taste as well, accompanied by a peppery flavor. Oftentimes being referred to as Chinese mustard and Indian mustard, mustard greens hails from the Brassica genus of vegetables which are known for their health benefits.
As a substitute for rapini, you can always try them inside of your soups, stews, and salads, though there is also the choice of experimenting with them as a flavorful side dish with meat, fish, or plant-based main dishes.
4. Broccoli
Broccoli is a nutritious cruciferous vegetable that is literally on almost everyone’s shopping list when it comes to exploring substitute for rapini. This option of a substitute for rapini is one you can always find in its raw and steamed or boiled form, with the former known for its crunchiness and the latter known for its soft texture and slightly sweet taste.
Although they might not share the same peppery flavor as rapini, the fact that they can always play the role of being a tasty green vegetable inside of your stir-fry and salad makes them a better fit as a substitute for rapini.
Read also, 14 Top Best Substitute For Broccoli Rabe
5. Broccolini
Broccoli, which is preferably called tenderstem broccoli in certain regions and countries, shares a whole lot of similarities with the aforementioned broccoli, with the only difference lying between them both being its longer stems with smaller flowers.
Interestingly enough, aside from not sharing the same peppery flavor, broccolini happens to be closest in appearance to rapini, making it slot in easily as one of its substitutes, especially when it is put into use as a vegetable in pasta dishes or as a salad with broccolini slaw.
6. Collard Greens
Collard greens fall next under our list of ideal substitutes for rapid, a choice of a substitute that also happens to be a member of the cabbage family and can be easily swapped in for rapini inside recipes and dishes that call for a leafy green.
As a substitute for rapini, the choice is yours and left in your hands to decide if you want to have your collard greens sauteed or steamed to enjoy as a side dish. However, it is worth noting that this option of a substitute for rapini is very popular in the Southern United States.
7. Spinach
Is there anyone who doesn’t know what spinach looks like? I doubt there is any. But if you still don’t have a clear image of what spinach looks like in your head, well, it is a dark green leafy vegetable characterized by its bitter flavor, which also happens to be a similarity shared with rapini as well.
Easy to find in any of the grocery stores or marketplaces in the neighborhood, spinach as a substitute for rapini is one you can always find either in its fresh or frozen form, to be used inside of your salads, smoothies or tossed into a stir-fry, soup or stew.
However, it is also worth noting that since it also happens to be a high histamine food, as suggested by the SIGHI list, this option of a substitute for rapini is one you should not stick with should you be on a low histamine diet.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in the course of preparing your meals, should you be looking for something with a more or less bitter taste that doesn’t require blanching compared to rapini, each and every single one of the aforementioned substitutes can always come to your rescue inside of your green meals.
Ranging from Arugula down to kale, not forgetting spinach substitutes, you have little or nothing to worry about. Each of these mentioned above substitutes easily replaces rapini.
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