These colorful and nutritious Oven-Baked Pistachio Falafels are freezer-friendly, making them the perfect lunch or dinner solution, and a great snack to serve to last-minute guests. {Jump to Recipe}
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Whenever I can carve a couple of hours out of a weekend, I like to prep bites and snacky things in large batches, then freeze them for later use. My favorite prep-ahead bite is meatballs: I always think, if you have meatballs in the freezer, you’re ready for anything. Reheat those meatballs in the oven and you can drop them in tomato sauce to serve over pasta, serve them over rice or noodles and veggies for a quick meal in a bowl, or set them over a platter with a sauce as a cocktail bite.
I like any and all meatballs, but I also like the vegan variety: falafels. Don’t get mad at me for putting falafels in the meatball category: to me, falafels play the exact same role as meatballs do in my weekly meal planning. Something you’re grateful to have in the freezer come 5:30 pm when everybody’s hungry.
These Oven-Baked Pistachio Falafels are a colorful play on the classic bite: I like to add pistachios for the nutty flavor, the pop of color, and the bump in antioxidants, protein, and fibers. Plus, Pistachio Falafels feel a bit fancier and more festive than the classic variety, which makes them perfectly suitable to be served with a glass of bubbly wine.
Helpful Tips for Making Pistachio Falafels
- Skip the frying process: These Pistachio Falafels are baked, not fried. The mixture is easy to handle and shape into balls and holds its shape really well once baked. Who needs the extra calories and trouble caused by frying?
- No pistachios? Substitute another nut: You can replace pistachios with almonds, walnuts, or even hazelnuts.
- Stock up: Bake a whole tray of Pistachio Falafels, let it cool completely, and put it straight into the freezer. Once the falafels are frozen hard, transfer them to an airtight container. You can reheat the Pistachio Falafels from their frozen state by placing them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Serve them any and every way: Pistachio Falafels can be served as a bite along with hummus or a quick combination of Greek yogurt and lemon juice; in a pita with lettuce, sliced tomatoes, diced cucumber and hummus or Greek yogurt for a quick lunch; or over rice and veggies, drizzled with a sauce made of hummus thinned with orange and lemon juice for a nutritious, satisfying dinner.
Oven-Baked Pistachio Falafels
Prep
Cook
Total
Author Marie Asselin, FoodNouveau.com
Yield about 40 (1-in/2.5 cm) falafels
These colorful and nutritious Oven-Baked Pistachio Falafels are freezer-friendly, making them the perfect lunch or dinner solution, and a great snack to serve to last-minute guests.
Ingredients
- 1 (19 oz/540 ml) can chickpeas, preferably no salt added, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted shelled pistachios
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) almond flour (finely ground almonds–also called almond meal)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) flat-leaf parsley leaves and thin stems
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp (5 ml) finely grated lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cardamom
- 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
- 1 tsp (5 ml) kosher salt, or fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To the bowl of a food processor, add the chickpeas, pistachios, almond flour, mint, parsley, shallot, and garlic, and pulse 7 to 10 times, until you reach a coarse but uniform texture. Add the remaining ingredients, then pulse, frequently scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture comes together in a coarse paste.
Remove the bowl from the processor and pull out the blade. Using a 2 tsp (10 ml) capacity cookie scoop or your hands, roll the falafel mixture into balls and set onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the falafel are lightly golden and firm to the touch. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving; this will allow the falafel to firm up and reach their ideal texture.
SERVING: Serve Pistachio Falafels warm or room temperature as a bite along with hummus or a quick combination of Greek yogurt and lemon juice; in a pita with lettuce, sliced tomatoes, diced cucumber and hummus or Greek yogurt for a quick lunch; or over rice and veggies, drizzled with a sauce made of hummus thinned with orange and lemon juice for a nutritious, satisfying dinner.
STORAGE: Store Pistachio Falafels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the falafels on a baking sheet; once the falafels are frozen hard, transfer them to an airtight container. You can reheat the Pistachio Falafels from their frozen state by placing them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 10 minutes.
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More Make-Ahead Cocktail Bites
Indian Lamb Meatballs with Mint, Coriander, and Lime Chutney
Crunchy Mini Crab Cakes with Lemon-Dill Mayo
Fried Olives with Saffron Aïoli
The post Oven-Baked Pistachio Falafels appeared first on Food Nouveau.
Oven-Baked Pistachio Falafels was first posted on November 6, 2019 at 2:45 pm.
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