This Easy Weeknight Pasta with Sautéed Fava Beans and Mint may take a little time up front in the prep work of shelling the fava beans, but the end result is a delicious dinner that feels incredibly elegant yet easy enough to pull off for a weeknight dish.
It all starts with the fava beans. We have been getting a pound of these fresh favas with each CSA delivery and, to be honest, I've never cooked with them before. A quick Google search and after seeing a few of my favorite chefs on Instagram talk about the ways to shell fava beans, I'm passing those tips along to you. In this post you'll learn:
- What are fava beans,
- How to shell fava beans to prep for cooking and,
- An easy recipe for a weeknight pasta dish recipe that celebrates the fruits of our fava shelling labor.
What are fava beans?
Fava beans, also known as broad beans (aka their scientific or botanical name: Vicia Faba), are believe to have originated along the Mediterranean region though are now grown in various parts of the world. A part of the legume or bean family, they are typically available in the spring and early summer months. In some parts of the country, the season for fresh fava beans is so short, they're considered a seasonal delicacy.
Nutritional Benefits of Fava Beans
Highly nutritious and a good source of protein, fava beans are known to be in high in fiber, folate (vitamin B9), B vitamins, iron, and manganese. They are also known to contain significant amounts of essential vitamins and minerals including Vitamin K, Vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium.
How to Shell Fava Beans
If this is your first time cooking with fava beans, I don't want to disappoint you: the shells may look like the yield will be high, but it will not. The first step in the cooking process begins by removing the outer pod to remove the bean. To do this, snap off the tip of the pod and pull the string down to open the pod, as if unzipping it. Next, remove the beans, depending on the size of the pod you'll have anywhere from 3 to 5 beans in the pod. Place your shelled beans in a small, heat safe bowl.
Blanching & Removing the Outer Skin
Next, use a sharp knife to cut a small slit near the top of the bean. This will make it easier to remove the outer skins after blanching. Pour boiling water over the shelled beans just until they are covered. We will blanch the beans in the boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes then let sit about another 7 minutes. This will help soften the outer skins making them easy to remove and retrieve the peeled fava beans, which we will use for our pasta dish.
To peel the large beans, remove the outer skins and remove the fresh fava bean. The yield of peeled fava beans will really depend on the size and weight of the large fava pods. Here, we had approximately one pound of fava bean pods that yielded a generous ¼ cup of freshly shelled fava beans. Now, onto the pasta!
A Pasta Dish That Celebrates These Large Beans
Now that we've shelled our large fava beans, we can prep the remaining ingredients for our pasta dish. First, we'll bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta. Once the water is boiling, add a few generous pinches of kosher salt then add your desired pasta. Here, we're using Pasta di Martino which we find at our local Whole Foods.
Next, we'll prep the rest of our ingredients that include:
- Leeks: You can also use shallot here but I'm using leeks as we had those in leftover from our last CSA box delivery. Regardless, a milder onion flavor works well here.
- Garlic: Our aromatics here. We're using just one clove of minced garlic in this simple recipe.
- Peas and Fava Beans: Since we're only getting about ¼ cup of freshly shelled fava beans, we'll round this out with some frozen peas.
- Fresh Herbs: A mix of freshly chopped mint and basil leaves offer a sweet and fresh aroma to this simple dish.
Preparing the Pasta Dish
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the leeks become soft and translucent. Add garlic and stir for a minute just until fragrant. Season with a pinch of salt and ground pepper. Add peas and fava beans and sauté until the legumes are just soft, about 7 minutes. Add butter and lemon zest. Melt butter and stir all ingredients together until a sauce begins to form, about 2 minutes.
- Drain the cook pasta, reserving about ¼ cup of pasta water to help sauce, if needed. Add the cooked pasta to the sauté pan and stir to combine. Finish with grated parmesan, if using, and the chopped fresh mint and basil.
- Ladle pasta into bowls and garnish with more chopped fresh mint, basil, and cheese.
Cook's Notes and FAQ's
This recipe focuses on pasta as the vehicle to enjoy these fresh ingredients and seasonal fava beans but there are a few other ways to enjoy these sauteed fava beans:
- Saute favas in a large skillet as outlined in the recipe card below. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and top with a slice of crusty bread as a dinner toast. They also make a delicious side dish that is perfect with a grilled or roasted meat of choice.
- Use the sautéed fava beans on top of a bed of greens to make a fava bean salad with a lemon vinaigrette.
- Puree the sautéed fava beans with a mix of mint and basil to make a pesto that yields a creamy texture for a pasta or mix with ricotta for a ravioli filling.
- Can we use lima beans instead? Yes! Lima beans and fava beans can be used interchangeably here. The taste of the beans are somewhat similar, so use what you can find at grocery stores or at your farmer's markets.
- Are there other herbs I can use? The freshness of mint pairs beautifully with the cream texture and buttery, earthy flavor of the favas. That said, basil is also really good along with Italian flat leaf parsley.
Moral of the story: my Easy Weeknight Pasta with Sautéed Fava Beans and Mint is sure to become your new favorite fava bean recipe. Whether you keep it as a pasta dish or use the sautéed favas in a lovely side dish, this is a recipe that's sure to celebrate the beauty of nature's bounty.
Leave a comment to let me know how it turns out and show me your creations over on Instagram. In the meantime, cheers to the next nourishing meal.
More Easy Weeknight Pasta Dishes
Searching for more pasta dishes for the Easy Weeknight Dinner Rotation? Start with these:
- Pesto Pasta with Sausage and Peas
- Sausage and Ricotta Pasta Bake
- Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini
- Easy Pasta with Broccolini and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Easy Weeknight Pasta with Sautéed Fava Beans and Mint
Ingredients
- ½ lb pasta shape of choice
- 1 lb fava beans when shelled they'll about ¼ cup
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 medium leek, cleaned and sliced into half moon slices
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Grated parmesan for garnish optional
Instructions
Preparing and Shelling Fava Beans
- Prep the fava beans by first removing the outer pod. Snap off the tip of the pod and pull the string down to open the pod, as if unzipping it. Next, remove the beans, depending on the size of the pod you'll have anywhere from 3 to 5 beans in the pod. Using a sharp knife, cut a small slit near the top of each bean to help the outer skin remove more easily post blanching.
- Place your shelled beans in a small, heat safe bowl. Bring a couple cups of water to a boil in a separate pot or tea kettle, then pour the boiled water over the shelled beans. Allow beans to blanch for about 5 to 10 minutes to help soften the outer skin. Once cool enough to handle, remove the outer skin of each bean to reveal the fresh fava bean. Note: For one pound of beans, it will yield about ¼ cup of freshly shelled beans.
Preparing the Pasta Dish
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté for 3 minutes until the leeks become soft and translucent. Add garlic and stir for a minute just until fragrant. Add peas and fava beans and sauté until the legumes are just soft, about 7 minutes. Add butter and lemon zest. Melt butter and stir all ingredients together until a sauce begins to form, about 2 minutes.
- Drain the cook pasta, reserving about ¼ cup of pasta water to help sauce, if needed. Add the cooked pasta to the sauté pan and stir to combine. Finish with grated parmesan, if using, and the chopped fresh mint and basil.
- Ladle pasta into bowls and garnish with more chopped fresh mint, basil, and cheese.
Leave a Reply