Baked Falafel

Helga Glaesel de BlandingMarch 11, 2021

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

I have always liked Mediterranean food, and I am very interested in trying new flavors and incorporating them into our daily meals. It doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming to eat something tasty and different! I have always liked falafel a lot, but I don’t make them that often at home, and the truth is that with a little preparation (you have to soak dry chickpeas the night before) it is quite simple to make. I recently included this recipe among the Meal Prep menus of the week to eat them in the form of a bowl with a yogurt dressing, and everyone loved it.

Falafel should not be prepared with canned chickpeas, in all the recipes we found they warn that using them will not give good results in the texture, so you must soak dried chickpeas in water the night before. You will see how they puff up, and are raw but softened, and that is how we use them for our preparation. Baking the falafel will cook the chickpeas.

To enjoy them, we recommend accompanying them with pita bread, fresh cucumber, tomato, red onion, and always with their yogurt dressing. They can also be served in a bowl with white rice, cucumber, tomato, onion, and dressing. A few mint leaves to accompany it is delicious.

We’d love to hear if you try this recipe! You can tag us using #thefoodieskitchen

Helga

Baked Falafel

Adapted from Love and Lemons
Serves 4
12-15 falafel patties

Ingredients, for the falafel:
1 cup uncooked chickpeas, soaked 24 hours, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
½ cup chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems, patted dry
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves and stems, patted dry
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Ingredients, for serving:
Pita bread
Hummus
Diced tomato, cucumber
Fresh herbs, chopped parsley, fresh mint
Pickled Red Onions
Yogurt Sauce

Yogurt Sauce:
1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and/or dill
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor, place the chickpeas (they will be plump but still raw), onion, garlic, lemon zest, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne (if using), black pepper, baking powder, cilantro, parsley, and olive oil. Pulse until well combined but not pureed. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Use a 2-tablespoon scoop and your hands to form the mixture into 12 to 15 thick patties (be careful not to pack them too tight to avoid a dense falafel). If they’re not holding together, give the mixture a few more pulses in the food processor.
Place the patties on the baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil (this is the key to making these moist and crisp) and bake for 14-16 minutes. Flip and bake for 10 to 12 minutes more or until golden brown and crisp on the outside.
Assemble pitas with a slather of hummus, diced veggies, falafel, herbs, pickled red onions, and generous drizzles of yogurt sauce. To make the yogurt sauce, just mix all the sauce ingredients together.

Have you made this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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