I’ve loved falafels for many years after discovering them while living in Isla Vista during my college days at UC Santa Barbara. The smell of them cooking can transport me back to those crazy days. For those of you who are not familiar with a Pita Falafel Sandwich and tahini sauce, it's a traditional Middle Eastern recipe.
Traditional falafels are made with uncooked fresh chickpeas that have been soaked and with fresh herbs and garlic but for this recipe we'll use a can of chickpeas (or freshly cooked). The tahini sauce is used as a condiment to accompany dishes like hummus, falafel, and babaganoush.
Tahini is a dense paste made from crushed sesame seeds and the sauce is a mixture of tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, and water. The falafel mixture is traditionally fried, but this recipe uses the baked version. They aren’t as dark in color as the fried ones, but they are so much better for you! And, they are much easier to make than you might imagine. There’s no need to remove all of the leaves from the cilantro and parsley. Just add about 1/2 cup of each, stems and all.
This tahini sauce is super lemony and I think this adds to the flavor of the sandwich, but if you like, sneak up on the amount you add. And, don’t forget the accompaniments… dill pickles, sliced onion, tomato, lots of lettuce and the tahini sauce. Make them into a pita sandwich or a salad with the same toppings. Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber. I added a little nutritional yeast to this recipe which provides vitamin B-12.
Have a look at more plant based sandwiches:
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Grilled Mushroom, Eggplant Sandwich
- Tempeh BLT
- Tempeh Reuben Sandwich
- Tofu Eggless Salad Sandwich
I could barely finish the photo shoot without reaching over to take a bite. These are uber delish! Make them today! Be sure to serve extra sauce and pickles.
I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Falafel Sandwich recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Falafel Sandwich ! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
Servings Serving Size | people 1 pita, 3 falafel patties, 2 Tbl tahini |
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup red onion chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves & stems
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves & stems
- 3 cloves garlic rough chopped
- 2 Tbl nutritional yeast optional
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 Tbl chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup Tahini sesame seed paste
- 1/4 cup water or more for consistency
- 2 cloves raw garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp sea salt or more to taste
- Dill pickles sliced
- tomatoes sliced
- red onion sliced
- lettuce shredded
- whole wheat pita bread
Ingredients
Tahini Sauce
Accompaniments
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- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silat.
- Place the drained chickpeas into the bowl of your food processor.
- Add the red onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, nutritional yeast, spices and salt & pepper.
- Pulse for a few seconds and then stop to scrape down the sides with a spatula. Process again until the mixture holds together adding a tablespoon of the chickpea flour at a time. You don't want it completely smooth but more crumbly. You can test it by squeezing a small portion in your hand.
- Using about 2 Tablespoon’s worth, shape the mixture into 12-14 small patties. Place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes on one side then flip and bake another 10 minutes or so on the other.
- To prepare the sauce, place all of the sauce ingredients into your rinsed food processor bowl. Blend until the sauce is smooth, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides.
- Serve falafels on top of a salad or in pita bread. Cut pita bread in half and toast a little to warm. Place a little chopped lettuce in the bottom of the pita. Top with 3 of the falafel patties, a tablespoon or two of the tahini sauce, dill pickles, red onion and more shredded lettuce.
Looking forward to making this later in the week. We love falafel and being able to make it at home is nice. It’s really pretty simple to make.
I love falafels, too. Hope you enjoy. There’s also the falafel sandwich recipe that uses fresh chickpeas…