Preparation time: 40 minutes
Makes 1 serving
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 3 slices of bacon
• 2 cups frozen broad (fava) beans
• 3 1/2 oz whole wheat penne pasta
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan
• salt
Broad beans and bacon are a classic Spanish combination. The addition of whole wheat pasta here makes this dish a little more substantial.
The night before
Fill a small pot or saucepan with 4 cups fresh water and put it on to boil. Put another pot of salted water on a high heat for the pasta. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan on a medium to high heat. Add the bacon to the pan, using scissors to snip into small chunks. Cook until nice and crispy before draining and cooling on a paper towel.
When the fresh water has boiled, pour the 4 cups of water into a large heatproof bowl. Add the frozen broad beans and leave to defrost until the water has completely cooled, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions in the other pot of boiling water. Once cooked, drain and pop into your Tupperware container.
Drizzle over a little olive oil, add the black pepper and bacon, along with the grated Parmesan and mix well.
Now comes the tedious bit; we recommend doing this next part while watching an episode of whatever’s flavor of the month on TV. Take the now tepid bowl of broad beans and fish them out one by one. Give them a squeeze to slide the bright inner beans out of their dull “shells” and put to one side. An oddly satisfying, mindless task akin to finishing one’s expenses.
Stir the bright green broad beans into your pasta dish and pop in the fridge.
Come lunchtime
Enjoy either at room temperature or reheated.