spaghetti with fava bean sauce

I love fava beans. A lot. So much so, I had them both for breakfast and dinner yesterday.  My birthday was on Saturday and after a day of french fries, boba tea, and Eritrean food, I was ready to eat something a lot more simple. Though shucking  fava beans is a time consuming process, it is truly a labor of love. Did you know fava beans were the only beans Europeans ate until the discovery of the New World? Fresh fava beans are so cheap and I don’t buy them as often as I’d like since it can take up to an hour to prepare them, but it is well-worth the effort.  I wanted to create a non-tomato based pasta sauce, so I tweaked my pesto recipe to incorporate fava beans. This sauce was slightly nutty, simple, and absolutely comforting. If only I had the time to prepare fava beans every week…

Spaghetti with Fava Bean Sauce
(inspired by the fava bean puree from this NPR article)
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2.5 cups shelled fava beans (that’s roughly 2.5 pounds in the pod)
butter and olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, chopped
red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
salt & pepper
1.5-2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 lb spaghetti or bucatini

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove the beans from the pod and listen to an episode of This American Life to make time go by much quicker. By now, the water should be boiling. Blanch the beans for about 2 minutes and drain in a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Peel off and discard the outer shell. Set the bright-green beans aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, some salt, pepper, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add a cup of broth and the fava beans to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Add salt, pepper, parmigiano reggiano, parsley, olive oil, a half cup of broth, and the fava bean and onion mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is still too thick, add the remaining half cup of broth to the mixture and blend again. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Serves 3-4

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Related posts:

1. puréed fava bean soup
2. ful mudammas (egyptian fava bean breakfast)
3. green bean curry
4. kuku loobia sabz (persian green bean frittata)
5. white bean soup with olives

Tags: dinner, gluten-free, pasta, sauce, vegetables, vegetarian