Fresh fava bean pasta with pecorino and ricotta recipe from Sicily
This amazingly delicious and super simple one-pot fresh fava bean pasta recipe from Sicily is so much more than the sum of its parts! All you need is pasta, fresh fava beans, spring onions, wild fennel or dill, pecorino and ricotta to make this traditional Italian spring pasta recipe.
Servings: 4
Calories: 683kcal
Ingredients
- 400 g short pasta (14oz) I used snail shell pasta. Or ditali or pasta shells
- 400 g fresh fava beans (14oz) shelled and peeled (if necessary)
- 1-2 spring onions or leeks Peeled and chopped
- 1-2 sprigs wild fennel or dill or mint washed and chopped
- 2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 lt water or half water and half vegetable stock
- 90 g Pecorino Romano (3oz) or vegetarian parmesan
- 120 g fresh ricotta (4oz) drained
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients.
- Shell the fava beans and remove the outer skin if they are quite large. Wash and peel the spring onion and chop into small pieces. Wash and chop the wild fennel, dill or mint. Grate the pecorino or vegetarian parmesan if not grated. Drain the ricotta if using.
Cook the beans.
- Sauté the spring onion in olive oil until it starts to soften. Add the beans and sauté for a minute then add the wild fennel and enough water (or vegetable stock) to just cover the beans. Add salt and pepper and simmer covered for about 10-15 minutes.
Add the pasta and finish the dish
- When the beans are cooked add enough hot water (it needs to be hot) so the beans are covered again. Add the pasta and cook stirring continuously (like for risotto). Add more hot water as required. Once the pasta is al dente season with salt (if needed) and more black pepper.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the grated cheese. Stir the cheese into the pasta and beans until it has melted. Finally plate the pasta and fava beans. Add a generous dollop of ricotta to each plate (if using) and serve.
Notes
Traditionally this recipe would be made with ditali, small pasta tubes. I used lumache rigate, grooved snail shell pasta. My pasta came from a company who make pasta in Gragnano, a town near Naples that’s very famous for dried pasta. You can also use small shell pasta.
Pecorino isn’t vegetarian so strict vegetarians will want to use a vegetarian parmesan or just use ricotta.
Nutrition
Calories: 683kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 307mg | Potassium: 550mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 361mg | Iron: 3mg