Oven baked falafel is a quick and healthy weeknight meal that can be served on a salad, on a bed of rice, wrapped in a pita or eaten all by itself with a little tzatziki sauce.
2cupsdried chickpeaspicked over and rinsed OR 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
1largeshallot (about ¼ cup)minced
1cupparsleymostly leaves, some stems ok
1cupcilantromostly leaves, some stems ok
4garlic clovesroughly chopped
½teaspoonground cumin
⅛teaspoon cinnamon
1teaspoonsalt
4tablespoonsolive oil
Salad greens, pitas, rice or tzatziki,for serving
Instructions
If using dried chickpeas, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of water and soak for 8-24 hours. Drain and rinse.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor add the chickpeas, shallots, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and salt. Process the mixture until smooth, scraping down the bowl if needed. If the mixture seems dry and has a hard time coming together, add water 1 tablespoon at a time, up to ¼ cup.
Roll the chickpea mixture into 2 tablespoon sized balls and flatten into patties about 1 inch thick. Place on the prepared baking sheet. You will have about 24 falafel. If the mixture is sticking to your hands, wet your hands lightly and this will prevent sticking.
Use a pastry brush and generously brush both sides of the falafel with the olive oil. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until golden brown on both sides.
Serve on a bed of rice, on top of a salad or wrapped in a pita. ENJOY!!