Fava bean, lemon & ricotta ditalini.
Fava beans, I love them. When I was little I would eat them fresh out of the pods with pecorino cheese ( I was not plant based yet) on the side. They were my favorite summer snack. This recipe brings back those memories. This recipe is easy and delicious and you should add this to your dinner rotation asap!
Where to find fava beans.
You might be wondering where to find them. Should they be frozen, fresh or dried?
Well all work perfectly. I used frozen fava’s for this recipe, I found them at my local supermarket, but if I could get my hands on fresh ones I prefer fresh! usually you can find fress ones at a local produce market. But you could also use dried ones and cook them yourself. It’s up to you! But still, if you find fresh ones…then use them!! And eat some fresh out of the pod while you’re at it ;).
Let’s get cooking.
This recipes serves 4-6 people.
Ingredients
for the sauce
1 small courgette, cut into small cubes
50 ml of olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
small handful of flat leaf parsley, minced
250 g of (frozen) fava beans + extra for garnish
10g of vegan parmesan, My favorite brand is ‘gondino’
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
400-600 g of ditalini pasta or other small pasta, according to how many you portions you want to make
How to
Start by heating up the olive oil in a frying pan, add the courgette and fry on low heat for about 15-20 minutes until very soft.
Once the courgette is cooked, add the garlic and parsley and cook for another 2 minutes. Set aside too cool a little.
Bring a pot with salted water to a boil and blanch the fava beans.This step does not apply if you are using dried ones. Then you already cooked them. Rinse with cold water after draining the peas. Set aside.
Bring a pot of boiling and salted water to a boil for the ditalini pasta
Meanwhile add the fried zucchini with all of it’s oil, fava beans, parmesan, juice of 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to a blender. Blend until a smooth and creamy pesto. Set aside.
Once pasta is cooked al dente, reserve a cup of the pasta water, drain and add the sauce to the pasta.
Toss and add some of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
Garnish with extra fava beans, ricotta and some extra minced parsley.
Buon appetito!
