A healthier (but no less delicious) take on falafel! This quinoa falafel is baked instead of fried, and stuffed into pita loaves with creamy hummus and your favorite veggies!
Falafel is one of my favorite foods of all time. Okay, fine, I know I’ve probably said that about a half a dozen dishes on this blog by now. That’s why I say “one of.” I’ve got lots. Falafel is definitely one of my top ten.
The first time I tasted falafel was around 1999 and I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. That happened at a Middle Eastern restaurant located at the intersection of 13th and Pine in Philadelphia, which is sadly no longer there. Fortunately, by the time I moved into the city in 2002 it was overrun with places where I could get delicious falafel. Amazing how just a few years prior I was totally unaware of the existence of this amazing treat, only later to find an average of four falafel joints located within every one block radius.
The unfortunate consequence of living in falafel paradise for eight years was falafel withdrawal when I finally left the city. I couldn’t find falafel anywhere! Oh, I could drive forty-five minutes to some random pizza place out in the country with no clue as to the quality of the falafel I would get, but then why not just drive back into Philly where the good stuff is a guarantee?
I eventually took matters into my own hands. The results were not pleasing. Maybe it was my refusal to include eggs in the recipe. I don’t know, but in any event, the texture wasn’t quite right, the falafel didn’t quite hold together during cooking, you get it.
If you’ve been following this blog you know that not long ago I was lucky enough to be invited to do a guest post over at Cooking Quinoa. I took a risk and decided to try my hand at recreating a falafel stuffed eggplant that I’d had at a restaurant several years back using quinoa falafel, and guess what? It was amazing! So amazing that I decided I might just have found the key to creating my own delicious quinoa falafel.
This recipe basically takes my quinoa falafel mixture from my Cooking Quinoa post, and uses it in the more traditional sense. This falafel is baked instead of fried, which, along with the quinoa, ups the healthiness of this recipe. Another thing that inspired this was my roasted red pepper hummus that I posted this weekend, which I instantly thought would make a fantastic sandwich spread. You can use traditional hummus instead, but if you’re feel like something extra special, give the red pepper stuff a go. It really compliments the falafel nicely.
One other awesome thing about this recipe: the mixture freezes great! I made a big batch, formed and baked just enough falafel balls to make a couple of sandwiches, then froze the rest for use on a later dinner occasion. If you want some quick weeknight dinners close at hand, freeze this in portions just the right size to create one sandwich (or multiply by the number of people you typically feed). Bust it out of the freezer in the morning, then roll and bake in the evening.
Baked Quinoa Falafel Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Falafel
- 1/3 cup quinoa
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 2/3 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
- 2 pitas, cut in half
- Hummus and/or tahini
- Greens, tomato, cucumber, and/or onion slices
Instructions
Rinse the quinoa well under cold water, then place it in a small saucepan, along with the broth. Place over high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover, lower heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Remove the pot from heat and allow it to sit for another five minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly oil or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place 2/3 cup cooked quinoa (you should have at least this much and probably a little more) and all other falafel ingredients except for the salt and pepper into food processor bowl. Pulse until well blended, taste test, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the falafel mixture from food processor and roll as much as you want to use into 1-inch balls (about 12-16 of them). Arrange on the prepared baking sheet or in the skillet, then lightly brush with oil.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, flipping every ten minutes or so to get browning on all sides.
Stuff into pita halves, and dress with hummus and veggies.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information includes 2 tablespoons of hummus per serving. 1 serving = 1 sandwich, or 1/2 pita with 3-4 falafels.
The video above shows me making a double batch!
Thank you!!
I threw them on some sauteed marinated kale and feasted.
Thank you!