Last night when I was making our little falafel balls, I got to thinking about how easy meal prep is when the meal is meatless. There’s no meat to worry about, don’t have to stress over expiration dates (don’t tell me I’m the only procrastinator here), don’t have to pull anything out of the freezer, etc. I just opened the cabinet, grabbed a can of chickpeas, and was ready to cook.
To make this recipe even simpler, I went ahead and processed everything but if you don’t have a processor, just diced your veggies and use a fork to mash the chickpeas. You don’t want a smooth paste so mashing works just fine.
I’ve made these twice in the past 2 weeks. That’s saying something because you know I hate frying things. (I burnt my eyelid last night, thanks for asking.)
We love this recipe, obviously. Sometimes I make pita to go with them and sometimes we make lettuce wraps with broken up falafel, tomatoes, and yogurt sauce. It’s good just about any way you can think of.
Falafel
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- 1 onion (quartered)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 dash pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- oil for frying
- In the bowl of your food processor, add chickpeas, onions, parsley, and garlic (I have a very tiny processor and just did this in 3 batches). Process until pieces are small but haven’t turned into a paste. You want it a little chunky. Pour into a large bowl and add egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and baking powder. Stir together to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Add bread crumbs and combine.
- In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat about 1 inch of oil over medium high heat. When oil is ready shape falafel into balls or patties and fry until golden brown, just a couple minutes per side. Drain on paper towel lined plate.
Natalie (The Sweets LIfe) says
I love falafel & haven’t tried making it yet, yours looks great! Have you ever tried a baked version? Frying intimidates me!
.-= Natalie (The Sweets LIfe)´s last blog ..Housekeeping- Cookies- a Review- and a Giveaway! =-.
amanda says
I tried baking it once and they were so dry! I’m pretty sure it was just a bad recipe but it scarred me and I haven’t had the nerve to try again. I did make them in the crockpot once: http://fakeginger.com/?p=74. They turned out good but I still think frying is the best method for them.
Melinda says
Hey! Couldn’t help noticing you said to use a “dork” to mash up the chickpeas. It’s good to know you include recipes that get the husbands involved in cooking too! Haha!
amanda says
haha! I can’t believe no one else pointed this out to me!
Julia says
I need to try these…I LOVE me some falafel! Your poor eyelid…I splattered hot chocolate on my eyelid this morning. What’s the deal? haha.
.-= Julia´s last blog ..Beef Bulgogi =-.
Aimee says
I made these the other night when we had a late dinner and needed something fast! they were so flavorful! I think my texture was off because they were a little difficult to keep the shape. either way, they were a big hit with the boys. i made a simple yogurt dip to go with them. Im glad i found this recipe!
Emma says
These look delish! The boy and I love Falafel and I’ve been looking for the right recipe! I’ll have to try these out…thanks for sharing :)
Linda says
Very good!! I didn’t have garbanzos so subbed Cannellini and they were just super.