Fava and Butter Bean Salad

This salad is so delicious, so refreshing, so satisfying, and so easy that you must try it. One key to this simple combination is letting it chill in the fridge for a few hours to marry all the flavors. You can substitute parsley or basil for the mint, but I beg you to try it with the mint. There is something about the taste of fava beans that the mint really brings out like no other herb.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Calories: 393 Calories

Ingredients

• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• ½ lemon, juiced, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• ½ cup diced roasted red peppers
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste (Optional)
• 1 ½ cups shelled fava beans
• 1 (14 ounce) jar butter beans, rinsed and drained

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook until skins are translucent and easy to pull away, about 6 minutes. Transfer beans with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water; cool to room temperature, 1 to 2 minutes. Squeeze each bean at one end to remove the bean from it's skin; discard skins and reserve beans.

Step 2

Whisk lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper together in a large bowl; slowly whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil into lemon juice mixture until dressing is thick and emulsified.

Step 3

Stir fava beans, butter beans, roasted red peppers, and mint into dressing; toss to coat beans completely. Drizzle remaining olive oil over the top and season salad with salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until flavors blend, at least 1 hour.