Italian Quinoa With Fava Beans

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Quinoa is the perfect canvas for any recipe. You can add flavors from any culture, any sort of ingredients and have it be delicious, cohesive, and filling. This was my first time trying fava beans and I loved how their meaty texture matched the sundried tomatoes and olives. This has quickly become a new favorite potluck dish.

Italian Quinoa With Fava Beans

Ingredients(Makes 3-4 servings):

  • 1 dry cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/4 cup diced black olives
  • 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained
  • 1 can fava beans, drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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Cook the quinoa in 2 cups of water until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add more water if need be.

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Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix while fluffing the quinoa. Serve hot or cold.

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Am I wrong to think you must serve this with a nice chianti? You can skip the liver though.

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23 Responses to Italian Quinoa With Fava Beans
  1. Liz @ Tip Top Shape
    March 31, 2011 | 9:19 am

    Ha, nice Silence of the Lambs reference. This dish looks fantastic! I recently “discovered” quinoa and it has quickly become a favorite of mine 🙂

  2. Lauren @ Hungry Child in the City
    March 31, 2011 | 10:18 am

    I have been looking to try quinoa recently. It seems like everyone has a great recipe for it! Thanks for the post, I like anything Italian.

  3. glidingcalm
    March 31, 2011 | 10:19 am

    quinoa is sooo good!! that recipe looks awesome!!! great pics Evan!!

  4. Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
    March 31, 2011 | 10:44 am

    This looks great Evan! I have actually never tried fava beans, but will add them to my list!

  5. Andrea @ CanYouStayForDinner.com
    March 31, 2011 | 11:59 am

    Oh dear. I love quinoa and lately have been eating it all.the.time. Especially with garbanzo beans, but never never with fava. WHy not? I’ve got to buy some. I love your photos, as always Evan- so crisp and bright.

  6. Sarah @ goingongoals
    March 31, 2011 | 3:47 pm

    I love quinoa for all the reasons you mentioned. Plus, you can buy it in bluk at Costco!!!

  7. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)
    March 31, 2011 | 4:28 pm

    looks great!

    and every time i turn around, i see a pic of you on someones blog from DC last weekend 🙂

  8. Alexa @ Simple Eats
    March 31, 2011 | 4:36 pm

    This looks amazing. Olives, quinoa and beans are three of my favorite things and all in one recipe!

  9. Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table
    March 31, 2011 | 5:07 pm

    A) This looks awesome. Love fava beans.

    B) I was quoting the moving just reading the title of this post. That is one of my favs. 🙂

  10. Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama}
    March 31, 2011 | 6:18 pm

    I agree that quinoa is a perfect canvas for a number of meals. This looks tasty!

  11. Jen (The Best Kitchen)
    March 31, 2011 | 6:57 pm

    Looks so tasty. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll try this for sure 😀

  12. Jennifer
    March 31, 2011 | 9:41 pm

    Half a cup of salt and a quarter cup of pepper? Really? You mean 1/2 a teaspoon, right??

    I like the recipe otherwise, and I’m keen to try it!

    • Wannabe Chef
      March 31, 2011 | 9:44 pm

      Oops, thanks for catching that!

      • Jennifer
        March 31, 2011 | 9:52 pm

        Autocomplete filled in my full name for me and I didn’t actually want to publish that. Can you please delete my post, and I’ll just be your anonymous editor? Thanks!

  13. Hannah
    March 31, 2011 | 11:12 pm

    Ooh yes please! I don’t get enough olives in my life 😛

  14. Kate (What Kate is Cooking)
    April 1, 2011 | 1:01 am

    I’ve never had fava beans before- maybe because I associate them with cannibalism 🙂

  15. Kathleen @ Kat's Health Corner
    April 1, 2011 | 3:10 pm

    You are the best chef EVER!!!!

  16. Gena
    April 1, 2011 | 9:04 pm

    Awesome recipe. I’ll make it with a no-olive option for me and an olives-galore option for the boy. He’s got a ton of Bob’s Red Mill favas in the freezer and I’m sick of Ful.

    • Wannabe Chef
      April 1, 2011 | 9:19 pm

      I just looked up what this was. Never heard of it! Definitely sounds good.

  17. Amy
    April 1, 2011 | 10:43 pm

    Quinoa is an amazing grain, and I love this recipe because it gives it an Italian flair! SO often I get stuck in a tabouli type of rut with quinoa and don’t venture out. I will have to try this!

  18. Evan @swEEts
    April 2, 2011 | 12:49 pm

    You know I don’t think I’ve ever tried farva beans, but you make them look quite delicious!

  19. Tiffany
    April 4, 2011 | 11:43 am

    I heart fava beans so I was totally intrigued by this recipe! Thanks for sharing!

  20. marye
    April 3, 2014 | 12:19 pm

    This is a great side dish/salad. To add extra crunch, I added 1/2 cup chopped fresh onion and a large clove of minced garlic. YUM!