Roman-style baked fava beans

1
Points® value
Total Time
1 hr 10 min
Prep
45 min
Cook
25 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Moderate
This classic Italian side dish features fresh fava beans packed with subtle sweet flavor and ready in about an hour. Fresh fava beans appear in early spring and are actually a member of the pea family. As such, it requires a little work to access the delicious, consumable bean but the work pays off big time when prepared with the deeply flavored, umami-filled anchovies, fragrant rosemary and panko for crunch. The complex flavors of this special side dish pair well with richer red meat such as grilled flank steak, seared filet mignon or lamb chops. A simple crisp green salad bring the veggies and round out the plate.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 spray(s)

Anchovies packed in oil

2 item(s), minced

Jarred minced garlic

2 tsp

Rosemary

2 tsp, minced leaves

Crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp

Fresh fava beans in pod

3 cup(s), (blanched and peeled)*

Fresh lemon juice

2 tsp

Lemon zest

2 tsp, finely minced

Whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

3 Tbsp

Grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp

Instructions

  1. 1. Position rack in center of the oven; preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. 2. Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray; set over medium heat. Add anchovies, garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute, stirring often, until very fragrant.
  3. 3. Stir in fava beans, lemon juice and lemon zest until well combined. Remove skillet from heat.
  4. 4. Stir breadcrumbs and cheese in a small bowl. Sprinkle in an even layer over fava bean mixture in the skillet. Spray the top of the dish with cooking spray. Set the skillet in the oven and bake 20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are brown and crunchy. Serving size: 1/2 cup

Notes

* Preparing fava beans takes work. You must shell the beans from their thick pods, blanch the beans in boiling water 1 minute, and drop them into a bowl of ice-cold water. Holding the beans one at a time, you must then skin the individual beans from their translucent membranes. Once you’ve done all that you're ready to go.Like this recipe? Share it! (The icons at the top make it easy.)