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I always forget about falafels. They’re the original veggie patty but I never think to make them when I need a quick meal. Traditionally deep fried, this pan-fried version uses less oil, but still creates the crunchy exterior. Put them in a sandwich, on top of a salad, or eat them by themselves – they are very versatile.
I actually decided to make falafels this morning solely because I have an excess of parsley growing in my little window box. It has rained here almost every day for the last two weeks so the plants are growing like crazy. Since I stockpile cans of chickpeas like an end-of-the-world prepper, falafels seemed like a great way to thin out my parsley. Gin and tonics are taking care of my rapidly growing mint plant.
These falafels are crazy easy to make. They only require washing about 3 dishes including the food processor, cutting board, and frying pan. If you can eat onions – i.e. you’re not on the migraine diet – you could substitute pre-chopped onions for the shallots to make this recipe even speedier. Then you wouldn’t have to wash the cutting board.
To make these in advance, you can refrigerate or freeze the uncooked patties, then fry them right before eating. You could also scale up the recipe very easily. It only serves two people, but you double or triple it to serve more. Scale up the recipe and freeze some of the falafels to eat on a busy night. Throw a few patties on some lettuce and you’ve got a quick meal.
The green sauce that you see in the pictures is my Herb Tahini Sauce. You can check out the recipe here. It is suitable for those of you on the migraine diet but still tasty for those of you who are not. And for all of you people who like green things.
These quick and easy falafels come together in 20 minutes and use less oil than the traditional deep fried version.
Ingredients
- Chickpeas, 15.5 oz Can
- 1/4 C Parsley, Packed
- 2 Shallots
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1 Tbs Tahini
- 1 tsp Water
- 2 Tbs Flour
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas very well, then spread out on a towel so they can dry while you assemble the other ingredients.
- Coarsely chop the shallots, then add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor. Give the chickpeas a final rub down with a dry towel then add them to the processor.
- Pulse until everything is shredded but not so much that it turns to hummus. If you squeeze a small handful, it should hold its shape. Add more flour or water as needed to create the desired consistency.
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.
- Form small 3-inch diameter patties out of the dough. Once the oil is hot, fry the falafels for 3-5 minutes on each side until brown.
- This makes approximately 10 falafel patties.
Notes
You can make the falafel patties ahead of time and store in the fridge until you're to eat, then fry them. Although I haven't personally tried it, you could probably freeze them in advance as well.
