Joe and I had the most fabulous supper tonight. I know, Dear Reader, I say that all the time, but it's true this time. Really. It was amazing.
A few months ago, I found a recipe for Crockpot Falafels on A Year of Crockpotting. Joe and I tried them, but we made them on the stovetop and fried them in oil. They weren't so great.
I wanted to make them again, and I decided to bake them instead of frying them on the stovetop. (The crockpot wasn't an option since it was 4 in the afternoon when I made my brilliant decision.)
I combined a few recipes that I found online, made Joe run to the grocery store for a cucumber and some eggs, and set to work. The results were divine.
We really debated about what to have alongside the falafels since we didn't want to make sandwiches out of them. We ended up having a beautiful little salad of spring mix, crumbled feta cheese, black olives, and Chef Tim's Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. The salad alone was amazing and wonderful, and with the falafels, it was a Mediterranean meal for the gods.
Healthy Baked Falafel Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 16 oz chick peas In the original recipe, I said that you would definitely want to use dried chick peas because they taste oh so much better. That requires soaking the dried peas overnight and then boiling them for an hour before beginning the falafels. Who has time for that? Not me, not at this stage of my life. So we use canned. You won't die, I promise.
- 2 cups water If you cooked your chick peas from dried, you should use the cooking liquid. Otherwise, drinking water will be fine.
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoons parsley
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Sauté the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until they are crisp tender.
- Combine everything except the water and breadcrumbs in your blender, reserving about half of the onion mixture and a few handfuls of chick peas in a small bowl.
- Pulse the ingredients in the blender until the mixture is smooth. You may need to add water to thin the mixture enough that your blender can process it. Add a little water at a time. If you add too much water, you'll ruin your chick pea mixture.
- Once the mixture is smooth and well blended, remove most of it from the blender. Add in the reserved onions, garlic, and chick peas and pulse until just barely chopped. Add to the smooth mixture. This will give the batter a nice texture.
- Add breadcrumbs to the batter ¼ cup at a time, until the batter is thick enough to hold its shape when formed into a ball.
- Using a cookie scoop, form golfball-sized mounds of dough in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
Notes
Tzatziki Sauce Recipe for Gyros and Falafels
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Pampered Chef Dill Mix or use a combination of dried dill and onion powder
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1 medium cucumber grated
Instructions
- After grating the cucumber, press out the excess moisture by lining a colander with a paper towel, putting in the grated cucumber, and then topping with another paper towel. Squeeze the cucumber into the colander to push out the excess water. Do this several times (but not so hard that the cucumber turns into pulp). This will prevent your final sauce from being diluted and runny.
- Mix everything together in a medium bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour but preferably overnight. Serve cold.
Nutrition
A side note - Falafels are the most inexpensive entree I can imagine. We paid 88 cents for the bag of chick peas, and it yields about 28 falafels. Even with all of the other ingredients, they cost just a few cents a piece.
Dee Dee says
That sounds so yummy! I thought tzatziki sauce had cucumber in it?
Dee Dee says
That sounds so yummy! I thought tzatziki sauce had cucumber in it?
Connie says
I've made falafels before but cheated and used a mix. They couldn't compare to the "real" thing. I lived on those when I was in college and it makes me hungry thinking about them.
Connie says
I've made falafels before but cheated and used a mix. They couldn't compare to the "real" thing. I lived on those when I was in college and it makes me hungry thinking about them.
Tara @ Feels like home says
Dee Dee - You're right! Ours has cukes, and I forgot them in the recipe. Thanks to you, I just edited the post to include the cucumber.
Tara @ Feels like home says
Dee Dee - You're right! Ours has cukes, and I forgot them in the recipe. Thanks to you, I just edited the post to include the cucumber.
Tess says
Never heard of them and will try them!
Tess says
Never heard of them and will try them!
Doré says
not sure if my last comment went through. Wanted to thank you for the advert. I just signed up with entrecard and was having a lot of fun with it, but Brayden went into the hospital on Tuesday and we are still there. no more fun for any of us for awhile!
Doré says
not sure if my last comment went through. Wanted to thank you for the advert. I just signed up with entrecard and was having a lot of fun with it, but Brayden went into the hospital on Tuesday and we are still there. no more fun for any of us for awhile!
jayedee says
another keeper! thanks for sharing!
jayedee says
another keeper! thanks for sharing!
mjpuzzlemom says
Looks like a good meal. Thanks for submitting it to Freezer Food Friday and promoting the mem. I appreciate your participation.
MJ
mjpuzzlemom says
Looks like a good meal. Thanks for submitting it to Freezer Food Friday and promoting the mem. I appreciate your participation.MJ
Merrie says
I have never heard of Falafels before, but I will try them. I do, however LOVE LOVE LOVE Tzatkiki! I'm printing these recipes to make in the very near future!
Thanks so much!
(as a side note the word verification word is very fitting it is "tabul"... hahaha)
Merrie says
I have never heard of Falafels before, but I will try them. I do, however LOVE LOVE LOVE Tzatkiki! I'm printing these recipes to make in the very near future!Thanks so much!(as a side note the word verification word is very fitting it is "tabul"... hahaha)
Merrie says
I was wondering if these could be made ahead and frozen before you bake them? That would really make them a nice quick convenient meal... you could do lots at once and then have them.... yum... I can hardly wait to try them.
Merrie says
I was wondering if these could be made ahead and frozen before you bake them? That would really make them a nice quick convenient meal... you could do lots at once and then have them.... yum... I can hardly wait to try them.
barb says
Yummy!
barb says
Yummy!
Overwhelmed! says
Yummy! I've really like the looks of your baked falafels w/tzatziki sauce. I've never tried anything like this before but there's a first time. 🙂
Thanks for participating in my Favorite Ingredients Friday recipe exchange. I do appreciate it.
I hope you'll join me again this next Friday for my Super Bowl edition!
Overwhelmed! says
Yummy! I've really like the looks of your baked falafels w/tzatziki sauce. I've never tried anything like this before but there's a first time. :)Thanks for participating in my Favorite Ingredients Friday recipe exchange. I do appreciate it. I hope you'll join me again this next Friday for my Super Bowl edition!
ComfyMom~Stacey says
MMMMM.. I love falafels! That sounds good
ComfyMom~Stacey says
MMMMM.. I love falafels! That sounds good
Tacy says
I feel like I hit paydirt when I found your blog! I don’t even know how I got here! I’ve been reading EVERYTHING. You look AMAZING. Blessings from a great grandma in Seattle.