For the ultimate comforting bowl of macaroni, this creamy pesto pasta is a dream. Fresh spring fava beans plus the nutty herby flavors in basil pesto are so amazing together in this recipe. All of this comes together in just 30 minutes with only 4 ingredients.
For over 20 years, we've grown fava beans and fresh basil in our home garden. I love incorporating our harvest into pasta dishes, making the most of the fresh flavors. Together they make a great meatless dinner that will turn any ordinary weeknight into extraordinary. If you want some seafood with your pesto, try my recipe for Pesto Tuna Pasta.
This was inspired by my recipe for rice & fava bean salad. These are two of the best ways to eat favas. Like my recipe for Caramelized Pear & Gorgonzola Pasta it is a delicious meatless dish. Serve with your favorite white wine & a chopped salad.
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What are Fava Beans?
Fava (faba) beans are a spring vegetable crop that is enjoyed all over the world, including in the United States. The long pods are filled with large circular flat beans inside. They grow on tall flowering stocks.
They are common in Mediterranean diets & in Middle Eastern cooking. They are found in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, & Spain. But I bet you didn't realize Asia loves them too - China is the #1 producer of the broad bean. 蚕豆 [cándòu] (颗, kē)
Wondering what fava beans taste like? These mild beans are buttery, nutty, sweet, & slightly bitter. Fresh beans tend to be more acidic than their canned or dried counterparts.
Ingredients for Creamy Pesto Pasta
This pasta dish is so simple & you only need 4 ingredients. By using a ready-made pesto sauce, it cuts down on the prep time & ingredients needed.
This simple recipe for a creamy pesto sauce is made without heavy cream or milk. This sauce is similar to my Philadelphia Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce in that it is creamy without any heavy cream or milk.
Use your favorite brand of basil pesto. I enjoy Trader Joe's or Rao's. Other great jarred or refrigerated pesto brands include Buitoni, Classico, Mezzetta, or Rana.
- Cavatappi Pasta - this macaroni has a short S-shaped tube similar to a corkscrew. The rigati (ridged) variety is best for holding sauce along with the slender & spiral shape.
- Pesto Sauce - (room temperature) use store-bought or make some homemade.
- Cream Cheese - (room temperature) use full-fat bricks & not the kind that comes in a tub.
- Fresh Fava Beans - a bright spring vegetable will be cooked before adding it to the pasta.
See the recipe card for quantities.
NOTE: If you will be making a classic pesto sauce from scratch, you will also need fresh basil leaves, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, & pine nuts.
How to Prepare Fresh Fava Beans
Fresh fava beans are easy to prepare but it does take some time. I promise you, they are delicious & worth the extra effort. The process includes shelling, blanching, shocking in ice water, peeling, & enjoying.
Learn how to shell, cook, and peel them with this easy fava bean step-by-step guide. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the Italian beans with this method. Feel free to start boiling your pasta water while also doing this step; the multi-tasking saves time.
This may seem labor-intensive but eating fava beans is worth the effort. This vegetable is very healthy & is loaded with plant protein (13g) & fiber (9g) per 1 cup cooked. They also are loaded with folate, manganese, copper, & phosphorous.
How to Make Creamy Pesto Pasta with Fava Beans
There are only a few things to know in order to make pasta with favas in a creamy pesto sauce. Follow these 5 steps & in less than 30 minutes, this classic Italian spring pasta recipe is ready.
- Prepare the favas as described above
- Cook the pasta until al dente (* make pesto from scratch if doing so)
- Stir sauce ingredients into cooked pasta
- Add the favas
- Serve & garnish
Cook the Pasta until Al Dente
Before beginning to cook, place the prepared pesto and cream cheese on the kitchen counter. These need to be at room temperature before they are added to the hot pasta later on. If the ingredients are cold they will not combine for a creamy texture and they will make the dish cold.
If you have a pasta pot with a strainer, this works great here. Start your large pot of boiling water either after or while you are preparing the fava beans (how to do that is shared in the above section). Salt the water with a heavy hand and bring it to a boil over high heat on your stovetop.
Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the cavatappi pasta. Cook until al dente, which is about 9-11 minutes. While it cooks, finish the favas, prep the pesto if not store-bought, and/or gather the remaining ingredients.
If making pesto from scratch, this is when you should be doing that. It will take less time for the pasta to cook, so the preparation works out perfectly. For a recipe I recommend, try this Classic Italian Pesto Recipe.
Add Sauce Ingredients & Combine
Once the pasta is ready, reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Turn off the stovetop. Drain the pasta in a colander and return the pasta to the same pot.
Immediately add a splash of the pasta water, the pesto sauce & the cream cheese cut into about 8 smaller chunks. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold the 3 ingredients together. Add a bit more pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce.
Add the Fava Beans to the Pasta
Once the pasta is coated in the creamy pesto sauce, pour in the cooked fava beans. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt & pepper to taste if desired.
Serve immediately by spooning it into 4 pasta bowls. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Top with shaved parmesan if desired.
Hint: The pasta will cool off quickly as you stir the ingredients to combine. This is why using room-temperature ingredients helps ensure the pasta isn't cold before you enjoy it.
Substitutions
Here are some alternative ingredient ideas for making creamy pesto pasta if you have dietary or allergy concerns. These are all good substitutions that work well.
- Cavatappi Rigati Pasta - instead of cavatappi, use another short macaroni such as elbows, penne rigate, farfalle, or fusilli. If you prefer long cuts, substitute for angel hair or spaghetti.
- Pasta - use gluten-free pasta instead of regular for in case of a wheat allergy or celiac disease.
- Vegan - substitute in your favorite vegan cream cheese alternative & make homemade pesto minus the parmesan cheese (omit parmesan for vegetarians too).
- Fava Beans - try dried, canned, or frozen favas or one of these substitutes.
Variations
Here are some ideas for making this pasta dish perfect for your family or guests. It's a versatile pesto pasta recipe that is even more delicious with these ingredients additions or ideas.
- Shrimp or Chicken - add ½# of cooked shrimp or chicken for added protein.
- Garlicky & Spicy - add chili pepper flakes and/or roasted garlic when stirring in the cream cheese & pesto.
- Extra Cheesy - add shaved parmesan when tossing the pasta & on top at the end.
- Extra Creamy - use more cream cheese or add a few splashes of heavy cream to the hot pasta when stirring.
- Deluxe - add other vegetables like diced cherry tomatoes, fresh spring peas, or cooked asparagus.
Equipment Needed
Here are the items needed to ensure the recipe is a success.
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Storing & Reheating Leftover Pesto Pasta
This dish is best enjoyed when it is hot and fresh. If you do have leftovers, place the pesto pasta in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this pasta.
To reheat, place pasta in a microwave bowl & warm for 30-60 seconds depending on how much. To bring the sauce back to life & a creamy texture, add a tablespoon of cream cheese once reheated & let it melt into the hot pasta.
Top Tips
All of these great tips are shared in the post. But these are so good and important they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.
- Make sure the cream cheese & pesto is at room temperature before adding it to the hot pasta.
- Prepare the favas while the pasta is cooking to make this a less than 30-minute meal.
- Serve & eat immediately while it is fresh & warm.
FAQ
Fresh favas are best in this recipe but if you do not have any or they are not in season you can still enjoy this pasta dish. Using dried or canned favas is a good alternative. Dried favas will take additional time & preparation since they will need to be soaked overnight. Canned favas that are ready to eat the best substitute.
Fava beans are also known as field beans, broad beans, horse beans, or even tic beans.
When fava beans are in season, most chain grocery stores & markets carry them. They are easy to find in spring and early summer at farmer's markets & specialty produce stores.
Pesto is so good & can be enjoyed with just about any type of pasta or shape. This recipe is a creamy pesto & I find it sticks well to shapes that are ridged (rigati/rigate on the package). Rigatoni, penne, or ziti also work. Thin long spaghetti pasta shapes like bucatini, angel hair/capellini, & linguini are also favorites.
There are a few reasons why the pasta sauce may be dry & not as creamy as you had hoped for. Did you use full-fat cream cheese? Did you use the right amount of pasta to sauce ratio as written in the recipe card? Did you add it to cool or cold pasta which may not "melt or soften" the cream cheese? Did you add the starchy pasta water that helps emulsify the creamy pesto sauce?
More Pasta Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Serving & Garnishing
Serve immediately to enjoy creamy pesto pasta while it is fresh. As recommended above finish each bowl with shaved parmesan. These garnish & topping ideas add even more flavor to this dish.
- Toasted Pine Nuts
- Chopped Sundried Tomatoes
- Julienned Fresh Basil Leaves
- Lemon Zest
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Creamy Pesto Pasta. They all go well together plus have traditional Italian roots:
Creamy Pesto Pasta with Fava Beans
Ingredients
- 10 ounces cavatappi pasta (about 284 grams)
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese
- 6 ounces pesto sauce jarred/store-bought premade or make your own fresh from scratch
- ½ cup fresh fava beans peeled & cooked
- shaved parmesan cheese optional for topping
Instructions
- Before cooking, bring the pesto and cream cheese to room temperature. This helps it melt and combine with the hot pasta later without it causing the dish to turn cold quickly.
- Prepare the fresh fava beans by shelling, blanching, & peeling. You can do this while the pasta is cooking to save time. Once the favas are ready, set aside.
- Bring a large stockpot of salted (½ tablespoon salt) water with to a boil over high heat on the stovetop. Once at a rolling boil, add the cavatappi pasta, stir, and turn it down to medium. Let the pasta cook until al dente - about 9-11 minutes.
- ** while pasta boils make fresh pesto if doing so
- Once the pasta is ready, reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Turn off the stovetop. Drain the pasta in a colander and return the pasta to the same pot.
- Immediately add a splash of the pasta water, the pesto sauce & the cream cheese cut into about 8 smaller chunks. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold the 3 ingredients together. Add a bit more pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce.
- Add the cooked fava beans and stir gently to combine. ** if adding other ingredients from the variations list above, add them now.
- Serve immediately by spooning it into 4 pasta bowls. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Top with shaved parmesan if desired.
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