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Sautéed Garlic Scapes

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These delicious garlic scapes are sautéed with a little olive oil, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. It's an easy and quick side dish that highlights the flavors of the scapes.

Garlic scapes are the tender stem of the hardneck garlic plant. They're a longer vegetable, but they can be cut and cooked like green beans or asparagus. They have a lovely light, garlicky flavor and taste a little like a chive.

A plate of sautéed garlic scapes.

What are garlic scapes?

Garlic scapes are the tender stem that's cut off the hardneck garlic plant to encourage larger growth of the garlic bulb.

Scapes can be found at farmer's markets and some specialty grocery stores.

Garlic scapes, a bowl of rice wine vinegar, a bowl of soy sauce, and a bowl of olive oil.

When are garlic scapes in season?

Garlic scapes are in season from late spring to early summer.

The tenderest scapes will be cut earlier in the season and will be slightly curled. These can be used like green beans or asparagus and are delicious when sautéed, roasted, or fried.

Scapes that have curled fully are tougher but can still be used! Roast them and use them in pesto or pasta sauce.

Ingredients You'll Need

You don't need much to make these scapes taste great! Here's what to get.

  • Garlic scapes - you'll need 8 ounces of tender garlic scapes. Look for ones that are green with no dried tips and that haven't fully curled into a circle.
  • Olive Oil - after the scapes have browned in the pan, you'll add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  • Soy Sauce - you'll add ½ tablespoon of soy sauce after the oil.
  • Rice Wine Vinegar - after removing the scapes from the heat, you'll finish the dish with 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar.
A plate of chopped garlic scapes.
Cooked garlic scapes in a frying pan.

More Great Side Dish Recipes to Try

Love a fresh vegetable side dish? Try some of our other favorite easy side dishes.

An overhead shot of a plate of cooked scapes.

Tips for Making this Recipe

Cooking Tips - Use a heavy-bottomed skillet for this recipe, if you have one. It will distribute the heat more evenly. I don't recommend using a cast iron skillet for this, though as there's acid (vinegar) in this recipe.

Storing Tips - Uncooked scapes will keep for up to 2 weeks in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. You can store the cooked scapes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a skillet (not a microwave) to keep them a little crunchy.

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Yield: 2 servings

Garlic Scapes Recipe

Sautéed garlic scapes on a white plate.

These delicious sautéed garlic scapes are easy to make and ready in a few minutes.

Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Additional Time 1 minute
Total Time 9 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces garlic scapes, cut into 4-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Instructions

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the scapes and allow to cook, tossing occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until they begin to brown.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium and add olive oil. Toss to coat the scapes. Cook for an additional minute.
  3. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat for 30 seconds. Be careful as the pan will be hot and might spit.
  4. Turn off the heat and add the rice wine vinegar. Toss to combine and allow to rest in the pan for 30 seconds before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 238mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 8g

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