Sopa de Habas: Mexican fava bean soup

Eden Owen-Jones Fava Lunch soup Soups Split Fava Beans Supper Vegan Vegetarian Winter

August 23, 2024

Introduced by the Spanish during occupation and colonisation, fava beans have been used in Mexico for hundreds of years. While researching the use of legumes in Central and Southern America, Eden Owen-Jones came across many variations of this simple soup, made and eaten primarily during Lent. Most recipes use chicken stock, but Eden packs in plenty of rich and savoury notes into the dish while keeping it vegetarian.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the broth

200g Split Fava Beans
1lt Water
½ Brown Onion, peeled
1 Bay Leaves
6 Coriander Stems (leaves on)
½ tsp Salt
1 tbsp Olive Oil

For the soup

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Brown Onion, finely diced
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Jalapeño Chilli
10g Fresh Coriander, roughly chopped, plus more to serve
3 Large Tomatoes, finely diced, keep 1 for garnish

Method

Add all the broth ingredients to a large saucepan and bring the boil. Continue to boil for 10 minutes, before covering and leaving to gently simmer for 25 minutes. You may have to occasionally skim some foam off the top when cooking.
Meanwhile add the olive oil to a saucepan on a medium heat. When hot add the onion and begin to caramelise, stirring frequently for around 10 minutes until the onion is golden. Then add the garlic, jalapeño and coriander and continue to cook for another minute. Add 2 of the diced tomatoes to the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes until they have broken down.
Once the fava beans have fully cooked and began to break down slightly, remove the bay leaves, onion and coriander. Add the tomato mixture to the broth and stir to fully incorporate. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, then season to taste.
To serve divide the soup between 4 bowls, adding a little of the remaining tomato on top along with some fresh coriander.

Also in Recipes for Pulses, Grains, Seeds, Flakes, Flour, Ferments...

Author: Eden Owen-Jones Flamingo Peas Peas Pulses soup Soups Whole Peas

Baked Flamingo Peas with Sage Salsa

March 31, 2026

This dish allows the leeks and peas to cook and soften together slowly, lending their flavours to each other. Cooking the peas slowly helps release their starch, giving the dish an overall creamier consistency. The salsa verde adds a great savoury tang. Author Eden Owen-Jones is an avid listener of the Home Cooking podcast with Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway and there is only so many times she could hear Samin talk about this salsa without trying to make a version for herself – we think it works really nicely here.

Author: Isabella Palmer Dinner Fava Beans Middle Eastern Inspired Soaked Beans Sumac Vegan Wild Garlic

Sumac-stewed Fava Beans with Wild Garlic Tahini

March 30, 2026

An earthy and vibrant dish from Isabella Palmer featuring slow-cooked fava beans enriched with sumac and paired with a zesty, bright green wild garlic sauce.

Author: Eden Owen-Jones Flamingo Peas Radicchio Salad

Marinated Flamingo Peas with Charred Radicchio & Orange

March 20, 2026

Much like chickpeas, flamingo peas really come into their own once they’ve had time to soak up flavour. Here, Eden Owen-Jones cooks them marinated with lemon, garlic, fennel seeds and soft herbs, creating a punchy, fragrant base you’ll want to keep on hand for salads, toast toppers and more.

Looking for our trade website?

Spill the beans!

Get in touch at hello@hodmedods.co.uk or 01986 467567

Things sometimes go wrong but we'll always do our best to put it right. Please contact us to let us know if there's any problem with an order.

For further details please see our Terms of Service, Returns, Refunds and Exchanges Policy and Privacy Policy.

By signing up, you agree to receive marketing emails. Please see our Privacy Policy for more details.

Registered in England and Wales as Hodmedod Ltd, The Studios, London Road, Brampton, Beccles, Suffolk, NR34 8DQ, UK; company number 08151811.