By David Tanis
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- 4(172)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Fresh fava beans are a great addition to a spring vegetable stew or a pasta primavera. But savored on their own, mashed and smeared on toast for crostini, they are sensational. It is a fussy job, though — each bean must be peeled by hand. Try to get a friend to help; the work goes faster with more hands. You will need about 5 pounds of fava beans in the pod to yield 2 cups of mashed favas, but this labor of love is worth it.
Featured in: When It Comes to Fava Beans, Naked Is Best
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:2 cups, about 36 small toasts
- 5pounds fava beans in the pod
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 4cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- ½teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary
- 1baguette, thinly sliced
- Coarse sea salt, optional
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
316 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 610 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Shuck the beans from their pods, discarding the pods.
Step
2
Blanch the beans: Drop shucked favas in boiling water for 1 minute, then plunge into ice water. When cool, drain in a colander, then pierce outer skin from each bean with thumbnail and squeeze to slip off skins. Discard skins and set peeled favas aside. (May be prepared up to 24 hours ahead of time.)
Step
3
Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add peeled favas and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir to coat with oil, add garlic, and let sizzle for a few minutes without browning. Add ½ cup water, cover and let simmer until beans have softened and most of the liquid is gone, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.
Step
4
Using a potato masher or wooden spoon, mash favas roughly. (If favas are larger and starchier, they may have begun to fall apart already, which is fine.) Put pan back on stove and turn heat to medium. Stir in crushed red pepper and rosemary (and a little water if the mash is too thick), adjust seasoning, and transfer fava beans to a warm bowl.
Step
5
Lightly toast baguette slices. Smear each toast with a tablespoon or so of mashed fava. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired.
Ratings
4
out of 5
172
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
LivingInFrance
I go one step further: when I have 2 cups of favas, I toss them into my food processor adding salt, fresh lemon juice, and a clove of garlic and process this with some good French olive olive. Once it reaches a slightly chunky stage, it is ready to be spread on a crostini. Shards of Pecorino optional. Beautiful and delicious.
am1
This was my first time cooking fava beans, and this recipe is so delicious that my husband and I can't wait to make it again. I'm growing fava beans for the first time (they grow easily in So. Cal), and I made this recipe with a half pound of favas, so I adjusted the other ingredients. I used 4 small cloves of garlic for my small portion, so I suggest upping the ratio if you're a garlic lover. The addition of rosemary at the end really heightens the dish, so don't skip it.
Rob Budny
I made this tonight, with fava beans from my garden. I first made this last year, when the recipe was first published. I remembered that I loved it, but I forgot how delicious it was. I am a huge David Tanis fan, and this recipe has all the hallmarks of a David Tanis recipe. Not fussy, simple, and absolutely delicious. If you are looking to cook something that celebrates the arrival of spring, look no further.
Charlotte Ann Marie
I made this according to the recipe on Sunday, and it has kept beautifully in the refrigerator in a glass jar for the past three days. My zyliss herb scissors were perfect for making a small opening in the outer skin so the bean can just be popped out. Wonderful recipe for a very daunting legume!
James A
Delicious! I had no coarse sea salt so I used 2 rinsed anchovies. MMM.
Veej
To make peeling MUCH easier, just cut off the tip of the bean with a knife or scissors. Bean squeezes right out, and the amount lost is not even measurable. Made just as written and it was a hit served with thinly sliced baguette rounds toasted with olive oil.
patricia
Needs more moisture and seasoning —was very dry and also a bit bland.
pga955md
Favas are such a lovely sign of spring! Made this last night with a few modifications: added some grated pecorino to the fava mash, then topped the spread with grated lemon, shaved pecorino and drops of sherry vinegar. Delish!
Margaret A
For the love of all that is holy, do not peel your fava beans! Most of the flavor is in the skin, and it is delicious.
Karen
I love fava beans and this is a delicious way to eat them.
SusanSF
This is delicious! I’ve made it three times alreay and will continue as long as favas are available at my farmers market.
James A
Delicious! I had no coarse sea salt so I used 2 rinsed anchovies. MMM.
Lisa
My first time making fava beans. Very good, and would absolutely recommend replacing the minced garlic with roasted garlic if you can.
Rob Budny
I made this tonight, with fava beans from my garden. I first made this last year, when the recipe was first published. I remembered that I loved it, but I forgot how delicious it was. I am a huge David Tanis fan, and this recipe has all the hallmarks of a David Tanis recipe. Not fussy, simple, and absolutely delicious. If you are looking to cook something that celebrates the arrival of spring, look no further.
K
Made this after a fashion, using pre-shelled and cooked favas. Not bad.
Gaynia Battista
I cannot eat fava beans (G6PD). Can I substitute butter beans?
Jenny B
I would say yes, just probably don't need to steam butter beans as long as the fava beans as the favas are larger. It won't be exactly the same flavor but I think the texture would be almost identical.
Anne
This recipe took several hours to prepare and the end result was just okay. A bit dry and left me with quite a bad case of gas.
Charlotte Ann Marie
I made this according to the recipe on Sunday, and it has kept beautifully in the refrigerator in a glass jar for the past three days. My zyliss herb scissors were perfect for making a small opening in the outer skin so the bean can just be popped out. Wonderful recipe for a very daunting legume!
Hank
This is pretty easy to make and tasty.
am1
This was my first time cooking fava beans, and this recipe is so delicious that my husband and I can't wait to make it again. I'm growing fava beans for the first time (they grow easily in So. Cal), and I made this recipe with a half pound of favas, so I adjusted the other ingredients. I used 4 small cloves of garlic for my small portion, so I suggest upping the ratio if you're a garlic lover. The addition of rosemary at the end really heightens the dish, so don't skip it.
Private notes are only visible to you.
