Fabada, Asturian Bean Stew, Fabes con Compango
This fabada recipe soaks large fabes beans overnight, then simmers them gently with chorizo, morcilla and pancetta until the beans are creamy and the broth is rich with paprika and saffron. The meats, called compango, are sliced and served on top. One serving is about 350 g.
Fabada is the signature dish of Asturias, in northern Spain, built around fabes — large, creamy white beans grown in the region — and compango, the cured meats cooked in the same pot: chorizo, morcilla and pancetta. It is a farmhouse dish, cooked slowly in one pot, and it has been a fixture of Asturian cooking since at least the 19th century. Unlike the French cassoulet, which uses different beans and duck or goose, fabada is defined by the fabes bean and its trio of pork meats.
Pairs well with: Crusty bread, Asturian cider and a green salad
Provenance
Spain
Asturian Classic
Mediterranean & Italy
Time Dedication
2h 50m
20m prep • 150m cook
Batch Yield
6 Servings
606 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 350 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Medium (Slow Simmer)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Hearty Midday Main
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Asturian Classic
Photo: Cariyandres, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Medium — about $4–5 per serving at home (USD)
Real fabada uses large fabes beans soaked overnight and simmered gently with compango, never stirred with a spoon; nutrition is estimated from USDA values.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Soak the Beans
20 Mins active + overnight soaking
The night before, pick over the fabes, rinse them and cover with plenty of cold water to soak for 8–12 hours. In the morning, drain the beans, prick the chorizo and morcilla once each so they do not burst, and steep the saffron in 2 tablespoons of warm water. Everything else — onion, garlic, pancetta, bay leaf — goes into the pot whole.
Maestro Tip: Never salt the beans at the start: salt toughens dried beans. Salt only at the end, after tasting, because the compango is already salty.
10 Mins Medium heat, then a gentle simmer
Put the drained beans in a large, heavy pot with the chorizo, morcilla, pancetta, onion halves, garlic and bay leaf. Cover with cold water by about 3 cm (1 in), add the olive oil, and bring slowly to a simmer over medium heat.
Start in cold water: dropping beans into boiling water splits their skins.
Done when: The water is just trembling at the edges, not boiling.
120 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Skim off any foam that rises in the first 15 minutes, then keep the pot at the barest simmer for about 2 hours, topping up with cold water whenever the level drops — this is the asustar, the splash of cold water that keeps the beans from boiling and splitting. Never stir with a spoon: shake the pot gently instead, so the beans stay whole.
Stirring breaks the beans and clouds the broth; shake the pot by its handles instead.
Done when: The beans are creamy inside and whole outside, and the broth is starting to thicken.
10 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Stir the steeped saffron with its water and the sweet paprika into the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes more so the broth turns golden and the paprika flavour settles in.
Add the paprika late: cooked too long it turns bitter.
Done when: The broth is golden-red and smells of saffron and paprika.
15 Mins No heat — rest, then serve
Lift out the chorizo, morcilla and pancetta, slice them thickly, and remove the onion, garlic and bay leaf. Taste the broth and add salt only if it needs it. Rest the pot for 10 minutes, then ladle the beans and broth into deep bowls and lay the sliced compango on top.
Resting lets the broth thicken and the flavours settle — fabada is always better 10 minutes after it leaves the heat.
Done when: The beans are creamy, the broth coats a spoon, and the sliced meats sit proudly on top.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve fabada in deep bowls, beans and broth first with the sliced chorizo, morcilla and pancetta laid on top — eat it slowly, with bread for the broth, the way it is eaten in Asturias.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
606
kcal / serving
Protein
31g
Complete AA
Carbs
54g
Complex
Fats
30g
Healthy
| Energy | 606 kcal |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Carbohydrates | 54 g |
| Fat | 30 g |
| Fibre | 13.2 g |
| Sugar | 2.5 g |
| Sodium | 1167 mg |
| Energy | 173 kcal |
| Protein | 8.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15.4 g |
| Fat | 8.5 g |
| Fibre | 3.8 g |
| Sugar | 0.7 g |
| Sodium | 333 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Iron and B vitamins from the beans and morcilla, vitamin C from the paprika, and folate from the beans. Nutrition is estimated.
Very High in Fibre
About 13.2 g of fibre per serving from the fabes beans — one of the highest-fibre dishes in the collection.
Filling Protein
About 31.0 g of protein per serving from beans and pork, so one bowl genuinely carries you through the day.
Iron from Beans and Morcilla
Beans and morcilla are natural sources of iron, and the beans also bring folate and magnesium.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Crusty Bread
Crusty bread is non-negotiable: it mops up the saffron broth, which is half the dish.
Vegetables
A Simple Green Salad
A sharp green salad with vinegar cuts through the richness of the pork and resets the palate.
Drinks
Asturian Cider
Dry Asturian cider, poured from a height, is the traditional drink with fabada — its acidity lifts the rich stew.
Full Menus
As an Asturian Meal
Serve fabada as the main course with bread, salad and cider, and nothing else — it is a meal in itself.
Complete menu
Serve the fabada as the main dish with crusty bread, a green salad and Asturian cider.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Undercooked Beans
Dried beans must be cooked until completely tender; undercooked beans are hard to digest and can cause stomach upset. Simmer until creamy all the way through. This is general food information, not medical advice.
Salting Too Early
Salt added at the start toughens dried beans and can leave them chalky even after hours of cooking. Salt only at the end.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
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