How to Prep and Cook Fava Beans

This is my take on a kale pesto pasta – it’s vibrant, packed with greens, and screams spring.

To balance out the greenness of the kale itself, we’re also incorporate beautiful pink roasted radishes, burrata, and fava beans.

That leads me into introducing Bring on Spring Episode 3, featuring FAVA BEANS!

This was one of my favorite ingredients I learned about in culinary school, and I try to incorporate them into a recipe at least once a year. They are quite labor intensive to prepare, but are worthwhile to have at least one time during the spring season. Last year, I incorporated them into a spring ribollita, but this year I went for a pasta.

We can often get comfortable preparing the same 4-5 vegetables throughout the year – my staples are broccoli, spinach, zucchini, celery, and chard, but the seasonal vegetables are where I start to get creative and really enjoy new flavors and textures of that season.

Of course, asparagus and peas is a must during the spring time, but there are a few other of mother nature’s bounty that I feel we must enjoy a few times a year. And fava beans fall into that category.

So, today, I’m going to show you how to prep and cook with fava beans.

Table of Contents

• Ingredient Notes
• How to make Kale Pesto Pasta with Roasted Radishes, Fava Beans, and Burrata Step by Step
• Recipe and Cooking Tips
• Storage and Reheating
• Additions and Substitutions
• FAQ
• Video Tutorial
• The Recipe
• Looking for more similar recipes?

Ingredient Notes:  

Fava Beans! The golden little nuggets of spring

What are they?

Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are a type of legume with a unique flavor and buttery texture. They have a slightly sweet and nutty taste, and are beautifully vibrant green when blanched.

If you’ve ever used doubanjiang (Chinese broad bean pasta that’s essential in mapo tofu), these are made from fermenting fava beans.

How to prep and cook them?

To prepare fresh fava beans, start by removing them from their pods. Then, blanch the little beans in boiling water for about 15-30 seconds. Transfer them immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking (this helps keep the vibrant color). Once cooled, remove the tough outer skin (yes a SECOND peel is required!).

How to make the Kale Pesto Pasta with Roasted Radishes, Fava Beans, and Burrata – Step by Step Instructions:

This is just a high level overview with photos. Refer to the full recipe below for exact instructions and measurements.

Step 1: Prep and roast the radishes.

Step 2: Prep and blanch the fava beans, and then transfer to an ice bath.

Step 3: Blanch the kale then transfer to an ice bath. Also blanch the basil then transfer to an ice bath.

Step 4: Remove the fava beans from the ice water and peel one more time.

Step 5: Make the kale pesto.

Step 6: Bring the pot of water back up to a boil and cook the pasta

Step 7: Add the pesto and the reserved pasta water to a pan. Let this come to a simmer, then toss with the pasta.

Step 8: Plate the pasta and top with roasted halved radishes, fava beans, and burrata with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Recipe & Cooking tips:

Tip 1 – If your kale pesto starts to look like it’s starting to separate (you’ll start to see oily bits and white spots), it means that it “broke”. This actually happened to mine, and it was probably because I didn’t squeeze out enough water after I blanched the basil and kale. You’ll want to fix this, as a broken sauce won’t stick to your pasta and you’ll be left with an oily feeling sauce. To fix it, I blended mine in a vitamix (or any blender you have) and that did the trick. You can also make sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from your blanched greens.

Tip 2 – If you want to make this an easy weeknight dinner, you can do so by getting store bought pesto. That would make this a 30-ish minute meal (yes – even including peeling and blanching the fava beans!)

Tip 3 – Make sure to taste your pesto. I added a teaspoon of sugar to balance out the bitterness of all that kale. You can omit the sugar initially and just add it in if you desire.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: For the pesto – store the pesto in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also portion this up and freeze it.

For the cooked pasta – store the cooked pasta in the refrigerator (if you know you’re not going to eat all of it, don’t top it with the burrata). When ready to reheat, add the pasta to a pan along with 2 tablespoons of water. Heat on medium until warm, about 3-4 minutes, then plate, top with the burrata, olive oil, more salt on the burrata pieces, and serve.

Reheating: I don’t recommend freezing this dish.

Substitutions

For the kale pesto:

• Dino kale – can skip or sub arugula
• basil – can sub cilantro or mint
• sugar – can skip or sub honey or maple syrup
• lemon zest– can skip but do not use lime
• lemon juice – can sub champagne or white wine vinegar
• parmesan cheese – can sub pecorino cheese
• garlic – skip or sub 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• pine nuts – sub almonds or pistachios

For the pasta:

• radishes – can skip or sub asparagus or parsnips
• fava beans – can skip or sub English peas
• pasta – can sub gluten free pasta, farro, or even lentils
• 4 ounces of burrata – can skip or sub roasted portobello mushrooms, or silken tofu

FAQ

When are fava beans available?

Fresh fava beans are typically in season during the spring and early summer months. Look for them at farmers’ markets or neighborhood produce shops during this time.

How to store fava beans?

Store unshelled fava beans in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Once shelled (removed from their skin after their second peel), they should be used within 2-3 days for the best flavor and texture.

Where can I get them?

Fresh fava beans can often be found in the produce section of supermarkets or purchased directly from local farmers’ markets when in season.

Can I eat fava beans raw?

You technically can … but just note that you can’t eat the pod itself, just the beans, and I personally prefer the texture of the lightly blanched beans mush more. You’ll also need to soak the pods to loosen the outer skin so you can peel it without blanching.

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