Name: Fabada Asturiana (Asturian Bean Stew)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 350 g Cannellini Beans, cooked or canned, drained; 90 g Spanish Chorizo, thick slices; 80 g Morcilla, thick slices; 100 g Pork Sausage, cut into chunks; 100 g Onion, finely chopped; 3 clove Garlic, finely chopped; 80 g Carrot, diced; 1 tbsp Olive Oil; ¾ tsp Paprika; 1 pinch Saffron, lightly crushed; 1 Bay Laurel Leaf; 500 ml Water, hot; ½ tsp Salt, adjust carefully because sausages are salty; ¼ tsp Black Peppercorns, freshly crushed

1 hr 45 mintotal

35 min hands-on1 hr 10 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 1 hr 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Method

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrot, then cook until softened.
Add the Spanish chorizo, morcilla, and pork sausage. Cook briefly so the sausages release some flavor into the oil.
Stir in the paprika, saffron, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Add the beans and hot water.
Simmer gently, partially covered, until the broth thickens and the beans absorb the smoky pork flavor.
Mash a few beans against the side of the pot to thicken the stew naturally. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
5 min

How to tell it's done

The stew should be thick, glossy, and spoonable, with tender beans and rich broth.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the simmer gentle; boiling hard can split the beans and make the sausages tough.

What to serve it with

Serve hot as a complete meal with bread and a simple green salad.

Common mistakes

The beans split and the stew turns to porridge.: Keep it at the barest simmer, never a boil, and top up with hot water rather than cold. Fabada is shaken by the handles rather than stirred, precisely so the beans stay whole.
The stew is greasy.: Let it cool a little and lift the fat from the surface before serving, or make it a day ahead and take the set fat off cold. Chorizo and morcilla give up a great deal, and skimming is part of the method.

Substitutions

Cannellini Beans are a practical substitute for Asturian fabes.
If Morcilla is unavailable, use additional Spanish Chorizo, but the stew will be less traditional.
Pork Sausage can be used as a practical stand-in for compango-style pork cuts.

Storing and reheating

Keeps four days in the fridge and is genuinely better on the second and third day. It freezes for three months. Reheat gently with a splash of water; it thickens a lot as it cools.

Basque Salt Cod in Pil Pil Sauce

A Basque salt cod dish with a glossy olive oil, garlic, and chilli pil pil sauce.

24 hr 40 minpescatarian

Pisto Manchego (Spanish Vegetable Stew)

A Spanish vegetable stew with tomato, peppers, zucchini, brinjal, and olive oil.

50 minvegan

Pollo al Chilindrón (Aragonese Chicken Stew)

A rustic Aragonese chicken stew with peppers, tomato, garlic, Serrano ham, and paprika.

1 hrnon vegetarian

Salmorejo Cordobés (Cordoban Tomato Soup)

A thick Cordoban tomato soup blended with bread and olive oil, topped with egg and Serrano ham.

2 hr 15 minnon vegetarian

Sopa de Ajo (Spanish Garlic Soup)

A rustic Spanish garlic soup with bread, paprika, warm stock, and softly poached eggs.

30 mineggetarian

Albóndigas en Salsa (Spanish Meatballs in Tomato Sauce)

Spanish-style meatballs simmered in a simple tomato sauce with garlic, onion, paprika, and parsley.

55 minnon vegetarian

Ingredients