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  • Mashed Favas with Warm Tomatoes and Feta

    3 votes
    Mashed Favas with Warm Tomatoes and Feta
    Cook: 20 min Servings: 4
    by Mark Bittman
    3 recipes
    >
    Fava beans come in many forms, and you can use any of them in this recipe. If you have the time to cook a batch, dried favas (the most traditional) will give you a nuttier flavor and a deep, coffee-colored dish with complex flavors. (Buy split dried favas instead of whole, or you'll have to squeeze them out of their skins after you cook them,) Fresh or frozen shelled favas--the green ones that look like neon lima beans--have a brighter taste and are by far the most convenient.

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups fresh, frozen or cooked dried fava beans
    • 1 cup stock, water, or bean cooking liquid
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • Salt and black pepper
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 1 red onion chopped
    • 2 tsp minced garlic
    • 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
    • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
    • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or mint for garnish
    • Lemon wedges

    Directions

    1. Put the favas, 1/2 cup liquid, the lemon juice, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. As the beans begin to heat, roughly mash and stir them with a potato masher or fork. If they begin to stick to the skillet, add more liquid--a little at a time--to loosen them to the consistency you like. Transfer the beans to a shallow serving bowl or platter.
    2. Wipe out the pan, add the oil, and return it to medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, feta, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, only until the tomatoes are warmed through and the cheese softens, just another minute or 2. Spoon the tomato and feta mixture over the mashed favas, making sure to drizzle the pan juices over everything. Garnish with the herb and serve with lemon wedges.

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    Reviews

    • John Spottiswood
      John Spottiswood
      This was really outstanding! I love warm bean salads, and the combination of the warm starchy beans with the flavorful tomatoes, garlic and onions was just phenomenal. I added quite a bit of salt and pepper to flavor the beans. I used 1/2 cup vegetable stock and about a full cup of water when cooking the beans. I couldn't find frozen fava beans, so I substituted frozen baby lima beans. I thought they were wonderful. I used less feta than called for, but the feta was really good so you probably want to use the full 1/2 cup. This is definitely a winner!
      • Salad Foodie
        Salad Foodie
        I took this to Christmas Day dinner expressly for a vegetarian relative. The green base of beans, the red tomato onion mixture, the feta cheese as a "snow" garnish on top (rather than cooking it in), and served in a silver oval dish - this was all just a holiday beauty - what a shame to eat it! I also had to sub baby lima beans for favas but would like to try the recipe again when I hunt the real beans down!

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