Stewed Italian Broad Beans, aka Fava Beans, with spring onions, is one of our family's favorite side dishes in the Spring! It's such a simple Calabrian recipe with so much flavor, and the texture of these beans works for the whole family.
If you love these old-school Italian side dishes, try our Classic Creamy Polenta or Roasted Carrots and Fennel!
A Quick Look at The Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Stewed Italian Broad Beans
- ⏲️Ready in: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- 👪Makes: 6 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Broad beans (fava beans), spring onions, paprika.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: It's simple, but when done right, the broad beans are delicious and tender with flavors of paprika and spring onions.
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Why This Recipe
Spring onions and broad beans, aka fava beans, are easy to find at farmers' markets during the mid to late Spring. They both come into season at the same time, making them an obvious pairing for a simple Italian dish.
This is a recipe from Calabria, Italy. Our family loves this recipe because it's only 6 simple ingredients, extremely affordable, and made with fresh local vegetables. This makes it perfect to serve with a simple Italian classic like Pork Chop Milanese or Baked Red Snapper.
Stewed Broad Beans are a flavorful and nutritious way for me to get Spring vegetables on the table. If you're trying to cook with more dried beans, this is a really easy recipe to get started with.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Broad Beans: Broad beans, or Fava beans, are a common ingredient in Italy, especially in the Spring. This minestra or stewed beans is a common recipe in Calabria, and usually calls for fresh fava beans, but we used dried beans since they're hard to find fresh in the United States. Soaking overnight is a "must" to get the right texture.
- Spring Onions: This is the perfect Spring recipe because spring onions and fava beans are just coming into season! Substitute shallots, onions, or fennel for different flavors!
- Seasoning: We season these with a simple combination of paprika, salt, and crushed red pepper. This creates the beautiful red color in this dish, plus adds that sweet paprika flavor. Note: Use sweet paprika, not smoky paprika.
- Crushed Red Pepper: Substitute chopped long red peppers or Calabrian chili peppers in oil.
*Please see the recipe card below for ingredient amounts.
How to Make Stewed Italian Broad Beans
*It's important to soak your beans for at least 8 hours. The longer they soak, the quicker they will cook.
Step 1: Place the dried broad beans in a bowl and cover with water. Let them sit out overnight to soften. 8-12 hours.
Step 2: Chop most of the green off the spring onions. Set them aside for garnish. Cut the spring onions in half, lengthwise. Then chop into 1-inch pieces. This is a great way to add flavor to the final dish with an ingredient you'd otherwise end up throwing away.
Step 3: In a large saucepan, add 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the spring onions with a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Lower the heat if they start to brown
Step 4: Stir in the broad beans, paprika, crushed red pepper, and the rest of the salt. Stir well to combine. Pour in the water and raise the heat to high. Bring the water to a boil and then immediately lower the heat so the liquid stays simmering.
Step 5: Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. If the pan starts to dry out, add another cup of water.
Once the beans reach the desired texture, remove from the heat and set aside to rest for ten minutes. The beans should have bite on the outside but be starchy and softer on the inside. I prefer an al dente texture.
Serve these Italian Broad beans with the chopped green side of the spring onions for garnish as shown above. Even though this is a stew or minestra, the texture is very thick and looks like sauteed beans. It's really flavorful and perfect for serving with Italian Chicken Cutlets or a loaf of focaccia bread.
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Pro-Tips
- If using fresh fava beans, shell them but don't peel them before cooking. If you use dried broad beans or fava beans as we did, make sure to soak them in water overnight; otherwise, they can take two hours to cook.
- Make sure to use a big bowl for soaking beans. Beans soak up water quickly, and if there isn't enough water in the bowl, they will soak it all up.
- It's best to taste as you cook the broad beans. After 60 minutes, start taste testing the beans for texture. Once they're somewhat tender on the inside but still have their bite on the outside, they're ready.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Stewed Fava Beans in the Spring with some other delicious Spring recipes!
FAQs on Stewed Broad Beans
Yes, they are from the same plant, but depending on where you are, people may call them different names. Mediterranean countries refer to them as fava beans, whereas in the UK and a lot of the US, they are referred to as broad beans. But they are both from the same bean plant, Vicia Faba.
Scafata di Fave. Essentially, it's just bean stew. A pretty straightforward translation for once!
There are plenty of types of beans similar to fava beans. I spoke with a bean farmer in North Carolina named Jackie, whose family had owned the farm since the 1700s. Beanstalk beans and Ford Hook beans are great options.
No, any canned beans will break down too quickly to really absorb all the flavor. You could try it by using less stock and dramatically lowering the cooking time, but the beans will still be mushy.
More Delicious Stewed Recipes
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Stewed Italian Broad Beans
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried broad beans (fava beans), soaked overnight
- 1 cup spring onions, chopped Only the white part
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2.5 cups water
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Place the dried broad beans in a bowl and cover with water. Let them sit out overnight to soften. 8-12 hours.
- In a large saucepan, add 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add in the spring onions with a pinch of salt and saute for 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Lower the heat if they start to brown.
- Stir in the broad beans, paprika, crushed red pepper, and the rest of the salt. Stir well to combine. Pour in the water and raise the heat to high. Bring the water to a boil and then immediately lower the heat so the liquid stays simmering.
- Cover and simmer for 60-75 minutes. If the pan starts to dry out, add another cup of water.
- Once the beans reach the desired texture, remove from the heat and set aside to rest for ten minutes. The beans should have bite on the outside but be starchy and softer on the inside.
- Cool for 5 minutes. Serve with chopped green side of the spring onions for garnish.
Video
Notes
- If using fresh fava beans, shell them but don't peel them before cooking. If you use dried broad beans or fava beans as we did, make sure to soak them in water overnight; otherwise, they can take two hours to cook.
- Make sure to use a big bowl for soaking beans. Beans soak up water quickly, and if there isn't enough water in the bowl, they will soak it all up.
- It's best to taste as you cook the broad beans. After 60 minutes, start taste testing the beans for texture. Once they're somewhat tender on the inside but still have their bite on the outside, they're ready.
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