Fava and pistachio pesto on pasta from Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables (page 95) by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • jessica_qyreaf on May 03, 2026

    This was delicious. I grew a small cover crop of favas this year and was looking for ways to use them. Shelling them took a little longer than expected but everything else was fast and easy. Plenty of leftovers. I did add a little lemon zest. I skipped butter and extra garlic as I don’t like strong garlic flavors.

  • kayanelson on September 21, 2025

    This was just okay for me for the amount of work. I liked adding the butter at the end. It really smoothed out the sauce. I added lemon juice to the pesto as I felt it was missing something and I would do that again.

  • prkrgrant on February 16, 2025

    A favorite in my house. I look forward to favas every year and this is also near the top of the list when they are finally in season again each year.

  • mcvl on April 18, 2022

    I like this a lot, but basil, mint, and parsley all three is overkill; use only one at a time (I'd choose mint).

  • hashi on July 03, 2018

    So delicious. The pesto is creamy, nutty, earthy, and full of flavorful. I threw it on some whole wheat penne - it stood up really well. Totally worth the fava shelling effort.

  • Lsblackburn1 on June 22, 2018

    So I thought I’d just whip up a quick pesto, go out for happy hour and come back and toss it with some pasta. A closer reading of the recipe told me that wasn’t gonna happen. More work but very tasty.

  • SheilaS on April 27, 2018

    The combination of blanched and cooked garlic plus the sweet, nutty favas and pistachios give this pesto a rich, mellow flavor that's quite different from the bracing sharpness I expect from traditional basil pesto. This is excellent as is and would be delicious with some shrimp or seared scallops on top. The recipe has you blanch the basil and half the garlic. The other 2 cloves of garlic are gently cooked in olive oil with red chile flakes and are never called for again in the recipe. I just threw it in at the end. Peeling fresh fava beans is a pain but this dish is worth the effort.

You must Create an Account or Sign In to add a note to this book.

Reviews about this recipe

This recipe does not currently have any reviews.

You are reporting a broken online recipe link to EYB. Please confirm that you want the report submitted. Please also suggest the correct URL for this online recipe to the below textbox.