Loaded with warm spices and protein-packed chickpeas, the Baked Falafel in this sandwich is paired with a medley of roasted vegetables and tucked into soft pita bread. Finished with tahini or yogurt sauce, it’s a healthy and delicious plant-based meal.
Ingredients
- FOR FALAFEL:
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
- 1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried well
- 1 c. fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- FOR ROASTED RED PEPPER SALAD:
- 2 bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow), cut into ¾” strips
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into ½” wedges
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 c. cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
- cornichons or dill pickle slices
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- FOR TAHINI SAUCE:
- 1/4 c. tahini
- 1/4 c. water
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
- Kosher salt
- FOR SERVING:
- 4 pitas, warmed
Instructions
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 425° and brush a baking sheet with about 2 teaspoons olive oil.
2. Make falafel: Add all falafel ingredients to a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground,
scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula and reprocessing as needed to make sure everything
is combined. Don’t overprocess–you are looking for a bit of texture.
3. Use your hands, form mixture into 16 heaping tablespoon-sized balls and place on baking sheet.
4. Roast vegetables: On a separate baking sheet, toss peppers and onions with 1 tablespoon oil
and season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake falafel and vegetables for 10 minutes, then remove from oven. Use a spatula to flip each
falafel, and stir peppers. Return to oven until falafel are golden on both sides and peppers and
onions are tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let falafel cool at least 5 minutes before removing
from baking sheet.
6. Meanwhile, make tahini sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together all tahini sauce ingredients
and season to taste with salt.
7. Make roasted pepper salad: Add cilantro, pickles, and lemon juice to baking sheet with roasted
vegetables and toss to combine.
8. Build sandwiches: To serve: Cut off the top ⅕ of each pita and spread a thin layer of tahini sauce
on the inside of each. Divide salad and falafel evenly between sandwiches.
