I absolutely love Middle Eastern food and whenever I go out to Middle Eastern restaurants, a falafel platter or falafel pita is always a must have for me. Falafel are traditionally deep fried, but deep fried foods aren’t the healthiest and since I absolutely hate deep frying food at home—it’s messy, it scary and I hate dealing with the leftover frying oil—I decided to make a baked version of one of my favorite dishes. These falafel can be eaten on their own with the lemon-tahini dressing or can be topped with Israeli salad or even stuffed into a pita or wrap. Oh, and did I mention how easy they are to make? All you have to do is combine all the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth and form patties on a baking sheet. One more thing, do not be alarmed if your patties seem too moist—they cook at 400 degrees so they can dry out and form a nice crust while baking. You’ll end up with falafels that have a crispy crust, but are light and airy inside.
1 dozen patties
Prep Time
10 mins.
Cook Time
20 mins.
Total Time
30 mins.
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 15 ounce cans of garbanzo beans
- 1 white onion, cut into 8 chunks
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon mint
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions:
For the dressing: Combine 4 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of one lemon and 2 tablespoons of tahini in a sealed jar and shake vigorously until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
For the Falafel:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Drain, rinse and dry garbanzo beans.
- Combine garbanzo beans, 2 tablespoons olives oil, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth—some remaining texture is ok.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture into your hand, roll into a ball and press down to form a patty. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Bake for approximately 25-28 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until a crispy brown crust has formed.
Serving Suggestions: Pair baked falafel with Israeli salad, or pack falafel, Israeli salad, and lemon-tahini dressing in a whole-wheat pita and enjoy as a sandwich!
