Fava Bean Mint Ramen
Fava beans are one of those vegetables that require more work than they're worth until you taste them and realize they absolutely are worth it. You have to shell them, blanch them, and then peel off the outer skin to get to the bright green bean inside, and by the time you're done, you've spent twenty minutes on what amounts to a cup of beans. But those beans are creamy and sweet with that fresh, springtime flavor that makes you forget you just committed to all that prep work. Pairing them with fresh mint and lemon in a light broth turns this into a bowl that tastes like Mediterranean spring in the best possible way. It's bright, it's fresh, and it's the kind of dish you make when you want something that feels light and clean and vaguely virtuous, even if you're eating it standing in your kitchen.
Green splits from the pod—mint cools the afternoon heat—spring bleeds into broth.
Let Me Tell You...
I avoided fava beans for years because the one time I tried to cook them, I gave up halfway through the peeling process and threw the whole bag in the trash.
I'd bought them fresh from the farmers market because they looked pretty and spring-like, and then I got home and realized I had no idea what to do with them.
I found a recipe online that told me to shell them, blanch them, and then peel off the waxy outer skin to reveal the green bean inside.
I made it through shelling them before I got bored and decided it wasn't worth the effort.
The skins slip off easily.
A few years later, I tried again at a friend's house where she was making some kind of fancy Italian pasta with favas and mint.
She handed me a bowl of shelled beans and told me to start peeling while she made the pasta, and I groaned but did it anyway because it would've been rude to say no.
We sat at her kitchen table, peeling beans and drinking wine, and by the time we were done, I had to admit the beans were actually beautiful, bright green and smooth and almost jewel-like.
We tossed them with pasta, mint, lemon, and Pecorino, and when I tasted it, I understood why anyone would bother with all that work.
If you can't find them, use frozen and skip the blanching step.
I started making fava beans at home whenever I could find them, usually in the spring when they showed up at the farmers market for a few brief weeks.
I'd shell them and peel them while listening to music or a podcast, turning the tedious process into something almost meditative.
One night, I had a bunch of prepped fava beans in the fridge and some fresh mint from the garden, so I decided to throw them together into a ramen bowl.
I made a simple broth with vegetable stock, lemon juice, and a little white wine, and added the fava beans at the end so they stayed bright green and tender.
Overcooking them turns them gray and mushy.
I cooked the ramen noodles, ladled the broth over them, and topped the whole thing with the fava beans, torn mint leaves, and a handful of grated Pecorino.
I added lemon zest because lemon and mint are best friends, and a drizzle of good olive oil because that's what you do with Mediterranean food.
The first bite was bright and clean, with the fava beans adding this creamy, slightly sweet flavor and the mint providing that cooling freshness.
The lemon cut through everything and tied it all together, and the noodles soaked up the broth until they were glossy and flavorful.
It tasted like spring, like sunshine, like the kind of meal you eat on a patio somewhere warm with nothing to do but enjoy it.
Ingredients
- 2 packages ramen noodles (discard seasoning packets)
- 2 lbs fresh fava beans in pods (yields about 1.5 cups shelled and peeled beans)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (preferably low-sodium)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
- 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (plus extra for serving)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
- Shell the fava beans by removing them from their pods. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the shelled beans for 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Once cooled, peel off the waxy outer skin from each bean to reveal the bright green bean inside. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, white wine, and half of the lemon juice. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Add the peeled fava beans to the broth and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until heated through and tender. Do not overcook or they will turn gray. Stir in half of the torn mint leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed.
- While the broth simmers, cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Divide the cooked ramen noodles between two serving bowls. Ladle the hot broth and fava beans over the noodles.
- Top each bowl with the remaining torn mint leaves, grated Pecorino Romano, lemon zest, and a drizzle of the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side and extra Pecorino for sprinkling.