Recipe Roundup

19 Fava Bean Recipes That Are Ready For Spring

Long hours of shelling. Limited availability. Bad Anthony Hopkins impersonations. Fava beans come with baggage—most of it unfair. Here are 19 easy recipes to bring favas into your spring cooking repertoire.

By The Epicurious Editors

April 19, 2018

One of the best cucumber recipes is this tasty flatbread with Fava beans cucumbers and burrata.

Photo by Peden & Munk
1/19
Flatbread with Fava Beans, Cucumbers, and Burrata
Top grilled pizza dough with creamy burrata cheese, quick-pickled cucumbers, and tender fava beans for a wonderful spring starter or vegetarian main.
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Julian Broad
2/19
Fava Bean and Pea Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Buy cultured buttermilk and make your own tangy base for this spring salad’s poppy seed dressing.
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Photo by Cedric Angeles
3/19
Fresh Pasta with Favas, Tomatoes, and Sausage
Maltagliati, or “badly cut," is your go-to shape for weeknight pasta. It doesn't have to be fancy, making it perfect for a rustic sauce like this one with fava beans and sausage.
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Photo by Roland Bello
4/19
Arugula and Fava-Bean Crostini
How to top your toast like a Tuscan: use a fava bean and arugula purée. Blend in Pecorino to up the nuttiness.
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Christopher Baker
5/19
Spring Vegetable Risotto with Poached Egg
To win at this seemingly scary dish, poach your eggs after you prepare the beans and before you cook the risotto. With everything else out of the way, you’ll be able to concentrate on stirring constantly—the key to a creamy risotto.
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Photo by John Kernick
6/19
Fava Beans with Red Onion and Mint
To preserve a fava beans' vibrant green color, cook them in unsalted water and with a little olive oil.
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Photo by Marcus Nilsson
7/19
Rice Salad With Fava Beans and Pistachios
Not your ordinary side of rice. Two types means more textures to layer with crunchy nuts and tender beans.
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Photo by Stephen Hamilton
8/19
Fava Bean, Radish, and Corn Salad
Any side dish or salad that includes corn is pretty, but fava beans and striking-looking breakfast radishes—with their elongated shape, rosy red color, and creamy-looking root ends—make this dish more appealing and appetizing than most.
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Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
9/19
Spiced Fava Bean Soup with Rice and Tomatoes
Always soak dried beans for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight prior to cooking. In this tomato-and-rice soup, the crunch should come from the pistachio garnish, not from underprepared beans.
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Gentl & Hyers
10/19
Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Fava Beans
Braised chicken and beans aren't exclusive to a chilly winter evening. Swap in bright lemon juice for acidity and colorful fava beans for a lighter, ready-for-spring main.
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Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott
11/19
Poached Salmon with Artichoke Confit
Both the salmon and the artichokes are poached in spice-and herb-infused liquids, adding layers of subtle aromatic flavor.
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Hirsheimer & Hamilton
12/19
Pea, Asparagus, and Fava Bean Salad
Top this warm vegetable salad with a shallot-bacon dressing. Can't seem to score fresh favas? Buy frozen at Middle Eastern markets. Plus side: no shelling required.
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John Kernick
13/19
Shrimp And Fava Beans
The gentle butter poaching method for the shrimp yields tender, succulent meat that contrasts beautifully with the spring fava bean.
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Photo by Jennifer Causey
14/19
Spring Vegetable Risotto
This risotto is dotted with beautiful green spring vegetables and makes a lovely vegetarian lunch or dinner. Delicious with a roasted beet and arugula salad, it's simple to make. There is no arduous stirring; the rice cooker takes care of everything.
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Photo by Andy Sewell
15/19
Quinoa Solterito
In Peru, Quinoa is one of the most nutritious grains cultivated by our ancestors, which we are once again sharing with the world.
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Christina Holmes
16/19
Green Minestrone
Adding the veggies in phases, from longest cooking first to fastest last, guarantees the ideal texture for each.
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Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott
17/19
Chicken Salad with Crème Fraîche and Rye
We'd serve this dressed-down chicken salad for brunch, pack it for lunch, or make it as a light dinner on a hot summer night.
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Photo by Maren Caruso
18/19
Fava Beans with Crème Fraîche and Mint
Party foul: peeling beans in front of dinner guests (unless you have friends that want to chip in). For cold salads—like this one with mint and crème fraîche—peel and blanch the beans a day ahead.
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Photo by Lisa Hubbard
19/19
Halibut on Mashed Fava Beans with Mint
Fava is smoother than most beans—ideal for purees and mashes. This mint-and-lemon mash cuts through the fatty halibut, with some bonus points for presentation.
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