Ricotta and Fava Bean Pie: the delicious, vegetarian main dish recipe you’ll love

The ricotta and fava bean pie is a tasty and easy recipe to make vegetarian savory pie. It is the perfect dish for the sunny seasons. It is made of fava beans, cow's milk ricotta cheese, gruyère cheese and eggs in a shell of fragrant puff pastry. A real treat that will appeal to children and adults alike for its delicate flavor and its crunchy texture on the outside and soft in the heart.

Serve it both hot or cold, this savory pie with ricotta and fava beans can be enjoyed as an appetizer, for a party buffet, a trip out of town or for an aperitif with friends. For a smoother, creamier texture, you can blanch the fava beans for a few minutes and then blend them with the ricotta cheese. So let’s find out how to make the ricotta and fava bean pie by following our step-by-step instructions and tips.

Tips

You can replace gruyère cheese with smoked scamorza or provola cheese, while cow's milk ricotta cheese with sheep's milk ricotta cheese, with robiola, crescenza or stracchino.

For a lighter result, you can make a quick shortcrust pastry instead of the classic puff pastry.

If you can't find fresh fava beans, you can also use frozen ones, taking care to blanch them for a few minutes in order to more easily remove the pod.

You can also enrich the filling with other cheeses, vegetables or cubes of cold cuts.

How to store Ricotta and Fava Bean Pie

The ricotta cheese and fava bean pie can be stored in the refrigerator, in a special airtight container, for a maximum of 2 days.

How to make Ricotta and Fava Bean Pie

Remove the fava beans from the pod.

Also remove the outer skin by making a small incision and then pressing with your fingertips. Collect the fava beans in a bowl and keep them aside.

Chop the spring onion, then brown it for a few minutes with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, until it is tender.

Meanwhile, cut the cheese into small cubes.

Collect the ricotta cheese in a bowl, add the browned onion and mix.

Add the fava beans.

Incorporate the cheese and then season with salt and pepper.

Chop the mint leaves and add them to the mixture together with the whole egg and the egg white, remember to keep the egg yolk aside. Mix everything until you get a thick and creamy mixture.

Arrange the first disc of puff pastry on a 24 centimeters diameter cake pan.

Make small holes with the tines of a fork.

Fill the base with the prepared filling.

Cover with the second round sheet.

Seal the edges well.

Lightly beat the egg yolk with a fork and brush the surface of the pastry. Bake the savory pie in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C (390 degrees F) for about 20 minutes, or in any case until the pie is golden brown.

Remove the savory pie and let it cool slightly, then take it out of the mold and serve warm or cold.