Baked Herb Falafel Pitas
Green, herb-packed falafel made from canned chickpeas and baked instead of fried, tucked into pitas with cucumber, tomato and a lemony tahini sauce.
Chef's note The key is dry chickpeas: roll them in a kitchen towel after rinsing. Wet chickpeas make mushy falafel.
Chef's note The key is dry chickpeas: roll them in a kitchen towel after rinsing. Wet chickpeas make mushy falafel. Leftover patties crisp right back up in a toaster oven.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- ½ small onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves packed
- ½ cup cilantro leaves packed
- 2 cans chickpeas 15 oz each, drained, rinsed and patted very dry
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1¼ tsp kosher salt divided
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ cup cold water plus more as needed
- 4 pita breads warmed
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 2 tomatoes sliced
Steps
Heat the oven to 400°F. Brush a sheet pan with 1 tbsp olive oil.
Pulse ½ small onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves and ½ cup cilantro leaves in a food processor until finely chopped. Add 2 cans chickpeas, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp baking powder and pulse until the mixture holds together when pressed but still has texture, like coarse sand. Don't purée it.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in ⅓ cup all-purpose flour. Shape into about 16 small patties, set them on the pan, and brush the tops with the rest of the oil (2 tbsp olive oil).
Bake 12 minutes, flip, and bake 10 to 12 minutes more, until crisp and deep golden on both sides.
Meanwhile, whisk ⅓ cup tahini, the juice of 1 lemon, the rest of the salt (¼ tsp kosher salt) and ¼ cup cold water until smooth and pourable. It will seize up before it loosens; keep whisking and add more water a spoonful at a time.
Stuff 4 pita breads with falafel, 1 cucumber and 2 tomatoes, and drizzle with the tahini sauce.
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