Mexican Fava Bean Soup

There are quite a few delicious healthy plantbased Mexican recipes. This Mexican Fava Bean Soup however is a well known recipe and you will only need a few plant based ingredients. I love the Mexican name, Sopa de Habas, but love the taste of this amazing soup even more!

With all the pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts during fall and winter this filling soup is a warm and welcome variety.

I’m quite fond of fava beans. This Mexican Fava Bean Soup looks a bit like this a recipe I once made with tomatoes and fava beans as well. But I never knew favas could make such a fantastic soup, and I obviously had no idea there were so many Mexican variations of it.

Only after reading Dan Buettner’s book The Blue Zones you will probably realise how healthy these beans actually are. On the Greek island of Ikaria, a number of people live to be 100 years or older. And guess what? Sardinians eat a plant-based, bean rich diet consuming large quantities of dark red wine, barley and fava beans.

The secret to this soup is a flavorful aromatic base: recado. Recado is made out of tomatoes, garlic, and onions, that is pureed and reduced before the fava beans go into the pan.

Mexican Fava Bean Soup (Sopa de Habas)You can use fresh fava beans, which are the best. I would highly recommend to soak them for about 12 hours, this will make the cooking process easier. If you use fava beans in a can, try to opt  instead for the ones in the glass jar and rinse them well before using them. Peeling the fava beans (freshly cooked or from a jar) takes time, but is worth it. You can see in this video how to peel cooked beans just the same as you would peel chickpeas for an amazing hummus. 

The cumun and saffron are optional because saffron doesn’t really affect the taste. When it comes to the cumin, I was once told by a Mexican this should not be in this soup. Please comment below if you know how this soup is traditionally made? And of course share your creations with me with #thegreencreator on social media.

Mexican Fava Bean Soup (Sopa de Habas) 
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Mexican Fava Bean Soup (Sopa de Habas)

Mexican Fava Bean Soup (Sopa de Habas)

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  • Author: The Green Creator
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 1-2 1x
  • Category: soup, vegan, healthy, mexican
  • Cuisine: vegan, vegetarian, paleo, plantbased, mexican

Description

A traditional Mexican Fava Bean Soup. Easy, creamy and full with flavor.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups shelled fava beans
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 ripe tomato, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1⁄2 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • a dash of Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • optional: 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
  • optional: 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

  1. Soak the fava beans over night in water. Rinse and add the fava beans in a pan. Bring fava beans and 2 cups of vegetable stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to medium and cook until tender (this will take about 40 minutes).
  2. Meanwhile, make the recado. Blend the tomato, garlic, onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and puree. Set aside.
  3. Heat a tiny bit of olive oil in another pan over medium heat. Add the recado and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken. A few minutes is enough.
  4. The fava beans should be finished now. Drain them but keep the vegetables stock for later. Peel the fava beans. You don’t have to, but it is worth it. It will make the soup super smooth. Add the peeled fava beans with the vegetable broth/ cooking liquid, saffron, and cumin in the pan. Cook the beans, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld and the fava beans are very tender and break up in the soup. This will take about 10 minutes.
  5. If you use fava beans out of glass jar, rinse them well and peel them. Prepare 2 cups of vegetables stock to use as a liquid and follow the recipe as above.

photos by the green creator (c) (copyright)

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