Cheesy Vegetarian

Parmesan Baked Fava Bean Chips

These parmesan baked fava bean chips are a crispy, crunchy snack idea – perfect for entertaining, or for a nut-free lunchbox snack!

A bowl of crunchy parmesan baked fava beans.

I’m so glad I discovered how to make these little baked fava bean chips. They’re such tasty little nibbles, and can be used in all sorts of ways: everything from a classy appetiser to serve with wine, all the way to the other end of the spectrum, as a fun nut-free snack for your kid’s lunchbox. They’re so easy to make too!

A small bowl of crunchy baked fava beans.

What are fava beans?

Fava beans (also known as broad beans) are often eaten in their fresh, green form. They’re used all over the world in all sorts of ways (check out this list!).

If you buy fava beans in their dried and split form, when they are small and light brown in colour, they’re perfect for making these crunchy fava bean snacks.

Dried split fava beans actually aren’t the easiest thing to find, at least in the UK, but you can buy them online. I bought these ones* from Amazon – it’s about a fiver for a bag, but one bag is enough to make 4 batches of fava bean chips, so it works out pretty economical overall (cheaper than buying 4 big bags of fancy crisps!).

Dried split fava beans spilling out of a plastic packet.

Crunchy fava bean snack

When fava beans are roasted, they become crispy and crunchy, and a brilliant alternative to potato chips or roasted nuts. I discovered them around Christmas time a few years ago. Every year at that time, we avoid having to make actual meals by surviving solely on little canapés and snacks for about two weeks. And these crispy fava beans are one of my favourite little nibbles!

You can flavour your fava bean chips with anything you like. I used vegetarian parmesan cheese (‘real’ parmesan is made with cow’s rennet, which isn’t veggie), and it works so well. Not only do you get the crunchy beans themselves, but you also get little flecks of crispy parmesan cheese, which brings so much flavour. Is there anything that tastes better than crispy cheese?!

How to make homemade fava bean chips

Step 1: Boil the split fava beans

First, boil the dried beans until they’re soft. It takes half an hour or so, so I’d recommend boiling them while you’re doing something else (cooking dinner / cleaning the kitchen / chatting on the phone, etc…), just to save time.

Boiled split fava beans on a baking tray.

Step 2: Toss the cooked beans in olive oil

Add some olive oil, and spread the cooked beans out on a baking tray. At this point, you can add plenty of salt and pepper, and whatever dried herbs and spices you fancy.

This time, I just used some mixed Italian-style dried herbs. In the past I’ve used my beloved smoked paprika instead, which also works well (though it does turn the fava bean chips a bit neon orange!).

Part-roasted fava beans tossed with grated parmesan cheese.

Step 3: Part-bake, then add the parmesan

Roast the fava beans for about 20 minutes, until they’re starting to crisp up. Then add the finely grated parmesan, and mix everything together. This is where the magic happens – pop it back in the oven again, and as the cheese crisps up, it will bring so much amazing flavour to the beans.

Crispy roasted fava beans on a baking tray.

Step 4: Roast again until crispy

After another 15 minutes in the oven, the fava bean chips will be golden brown and crispy all over.

You can eat them warm, straight off the tray (my preferred method, mainly due to my lack of self-control). Or, you can leave them to cool, then store them in an air-tight container until you’re ready to eat.

A bowl of crispy roasted fava bean snacks.

Nut-free lunchbox snack

My daughter’s starting school later this year, so I’m trying to stock up on ideas for nut-free lunchbox snacks. Most schools here don’t allow any nuts in lunchboxes due to potential allergies in the school, and these fava bean chips are a perfect alternative.

They’re nut-free, so able to be packed in school lunchboxes (as well as being suitable for those who suffer from nut allergies, of course). They serve the same function as a bag of crisps, but they’re a nice change, and will keep your child full all afternoon.

They’re also a bit less intensely crunchy than nuts, so less of a choking hazard for young kids.

An overhead shot of roasted fava beans in a bowl.

How to serve fava bean chips

There are plenty of different ways to serve these fava bean chips. Here are some ideas:

in a kids’ lunchbox, as an alternative to nuts
as a classy appetiser to serve with wine
with a sandwich, instead of potato crisps
scattered over a salad, crouton-style
as a crunchy topping for soup

Crispy roasted fava beans with parmesan cheese.

Are fava bean snacks healthy?

Everyone has their own definition of ‘healthy’, but I’d definitely place these fava bean chips closer to the ‘healthy’ end of my own personal spectrum. They’re like 95% beans, which can’t be bad, right?

And even though I did add some oil and parmesan cheese to my roasted fava beans, they’re a good alternative to the big bag of crisps that I usually crave, while still tasting amazing and totally hitting the ‘crunchy snack’ spot.

Parmesan baked fava bean chips

These parmesan baked fava bean chips are a crispy, crunchy snack idea – perfect for entertaining, or for a nut-free lunchbox snack!

Course Snack

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings people

Calories 110kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

125 g (~ 1/2 cup) dried split fava beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 tbsp finely grated vegetarian parmesan-style cheese

Instructions

Boil the dried split fava beans in plenty of water for around 25-30 minutes, until they are soft, but still holding their shape. Drain away the water.
Heat the oven to 150°C (Gas Mark 2 / 300°F).
Add the olive oil to the pan of beans, and toss to coat the fava beans. Spread them out on a baking tray, in a single layer if possible, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried herbs.
Place in the oven and roast for around 20 minutes, stirring halfway. The beans should be beginning to crisp up.
Sprinkle the parmesan over the beans, and mix well. Spread the beans out again, and roast for a further 15 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.
Eat warm, or leave to cool, and store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Parmesan baked fava bean chips

Amount Per Serving (1 portion)

Calories 110
Calories from Fat 46

% Daily Value*

Fat 5.1g8%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Cholesterol 1mg0%

Sodium 222mg9%

Potassium 6mg0%

Carbohydrates 16.9g6%

Fiber 0.1g0%

Sugar 16.7g19%

Protein 0.7g1%

Calcium 23mg2%

Iron 0mg0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/6 of the batch.

Looking for more lunchbox snack options? These carrot and cheddar bites are ideal:

The post Parmesan Baked Fava Bean Chips appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Easy Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Don’t you just love it when a recipe is as simple as ‘mix + bake’? No pre-cooking, no unnecessary extra steps – just mix together all of the ingredients, and pop it in the oven. And that’s just the case for these vegetarian lentil meatballs (lentil balls? vegeballs? meatlessballs?). They couldn’t be easier.

Other easy ‘mix and bake’ recipes → easy nut roast; baked fajita rice; Boursin pasta.

Vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs served with spaghetti and tomato sauce.

I served my lentil balls with spaghetti and tomato sauce – spaghetti and meatballs is such a classic that’s hard to improve on. If you prefer, you could equally serve these vegetarian meatballs with couscous and tzatziki, stuffed into pitta bread, or even just eaten straight from the oven (no judgment here). They’re packed with Mediterranean-inspired flavours, and they’re super versatile.

Mediterranean lentil meatballs on a baking tray.

What’s in these Lentil Meatballs?

The basic recipe for these lentil meatballs is canned lentils + flour + egg (the same base I used for my cheesy lentil burgers). Once you’ve got that far, you can jazz things up however you like. I added:

black olives
sun-dried tomatoes
parmesan-style cheese
fresh basil
garlic

If you like, you could easily switch things up to bring a different flavour profile to your meatballs – maybe you could make a Tex-Mex version, or use some Indian spices, for example.

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these vegetarian meatballs. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

cooked lentils. I used lentils from a can, because they’re so convenient – just drain them well, and they’re ready to use. If you can’t get canned lentils, you can boil dried brown or green lentils until they’re soft, then continue with the recipe as written. I would not recommend using red lentils for this recipe, as they will not give quite the same end result.
eggs
plain flour (I used wholemeal for extra fibre)
sun-dried tomatoes
black olives
parmesan-style cheese. ‘Real’ parmesan isn’t vegetarian, but there are plenty of vegetarian alternatives, which are very similar. Often, supermarkets sell a generic ‘Italian hard cheese’, which is usually vegetarian.
fresh basil
garlic granules

Spaghetti with tomato sauce and Mediterranean lentil meatballs.

Printable Instructions

Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Easy vegetarian lentil meatballs, made extra tasty with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients. These are so simple – just mix and bake!

Course Main meal

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings meatballs

Calories 216kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

2 x 390g tins green lentils, thoroughly drained (470g, or ~ 2 2/3 cups, in total when drained)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons sliced black olives, roughly chopped
5 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
50 g (~ 1/2 cup) finely grated vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
1 teaspoon garlic granules
Few sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped
85 g (~ 2/3 cup) plain flour (I used wholemeal)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). Add all of the ingredients, except for the flour, to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the ingredients thoroughly. It’s fine if the lentils get a little mashed up.
Add the flour, and mix well to combine.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. Use clean hands to form the mixture into ball shapes, and place them on the tray. The mixture will be quite sticky – they don’t have to be perfect balls. I managed to get 25 balls from the mixture.
Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the lentil balls are slightly crispy and just firm.
Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce, if desired.

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare these lentil balls in advance?

You could certainly mix together the ingredients in advance, and then store the mixture in a sealed container in the fridge for a day or so, until you’re ready to shape and bake the balls. The meatballs are tastiest when freshly baked, but if needed, you could even bake them in advance, and then reheat when you’re ready to eat them.

Can I freeze these lentil meatballs?

I didn’t experiment with freezing these balls, but it’s the sort of recipe I have had luck with freezing in the past, so I definitely think it’s worth a try.

How should I reheat leftover vegetarian meatballs?

The easiest way to reheat these lentil meatballs is in the microwave. They do dry out a little and lose their crispiness when reheated, but they’re still tasty. Alternatively, you could re-crisp them in the oven or air fryer.

How should I serve vegetarian lentil balls?

I served my meatballs with spaghetti and tomato sauce, which worked beautifully. You could alternatively serve them stuffed into pitta bread with some tzatziki, or alongside some mashed potato.