My husband is a huge fan of falafel. Whenever we are able to find a food truck with street meat, he’s sure to ask for extra falafel. Personally, I don’t get all that excited about falafel there because it’s fried. I think it loses a lot of its yummy garbanzo flavor and becomes overwhelmed with oil. I know that’s the reason that most people find it exciting. To each her own.
Recently I decided that I would try and make falafel at home but bake it. I figured that if there were enough spices and flavorings added to the falafel the fact that it wasn’t oil-coated would be just fine. Since I knew we had a sandwich theme in the near future I decided to make bigger falafels and serve them as burgers in pita bread.
A few notes on these burgers. (1) They weren’t as crispy as fried falafel are. That wasn’t shocking. (2) They were filled with flavor as I added both fresh parsley and cilantro to the mixture. Plus, I created a special sauce for them that really brightened the entire sandwich.
These falafel burgers make a nice, healthy option for sandwiches. I would suggest not trying to fry them. At the last moment, I threw one in a frying pan with oil. Initially the burger started to sizzle but within moments the burger began to crumble, leaving me with a pan of kind of crispy falafel pieces. Stick with baking them in the oven for burgers that hold their form.
- 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
- ½ cup parsley
- 1 cup cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- ¼ cup walnuts
- Salt & pepper
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor; blend until smooth.
- Form into patties, and place on small, greased baking sheet.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Serve with desired toppings and bread.
