Punch a ticket in your extravaganza card with baked falafel salad with orange tahini dressing. Brimming with flavorful simmered green lentils and a side of zesty quick-pickled red onions, this delicious salad has it all!
Hearty salads are so much more than a few greens and dressing. If you're upping your salad game with favorites like Moroccan chickpeas and couscous, kale and quinoa salad, or roasted sweet potato and wheatberry salad, add falafel and lentils to the list.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The spicy baked falafel recipe is easily made in a blender or food processor.
- Add any greens you like for a big salad base. Or skip them and make yummy falafel wraps with homemade sweet potato flatbread. Stuff them in whole wheat pita bread for another lunch option.
- All ingredients, including the dressing, are made without added processed oil.
Recipe Ingredients
Chickpeas. I used cooked, canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for this recipe. It's a break from traditional falafel recipes, but this is, after all, my take on falafel.
Flax seeds. Use flax or chia seeds to help bind the falafel balls. Another option is ground hemp seeds.
Baking soda. A teaspoon of baking soda helps lighten the falafel as it bakes. If you don't use leavening agents, leave it out.
Green lentils. Green lentils make great salad lentils because they retain their shape. I also recommend French (Puy) lentils or follow the directions for cooking black lentils that I use in Greek salad.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Recipe Variations
Skip the cilantro in the falafel if you don't like it. Just add more parsley and call it falafel.
Making This Recipe
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Nut blend
Toast the pepitas, sesame seeds, and chili flakes first. Grind them a few turns - to break them down. You don't want a fine powder.
How to Make Falafel
Blend the falafel ingredients into a smooth mixture. Stir in half the seed mix.
Make falafel balls, then roll in the remaining seed mix.
Lentils and Dressing
Cook green lentils for 30-40 minutes.
Make a quick orange tahini dressing in minutes.
Pro Tips
- Bake the falafel in a preheated oven. If you air fry them, pressing the balls down into thick discs is easiest.
- Keep the falafel to the size of a golf ball or smaller. I made 12 balls. Smaller falafel will cook in less time, so keep an eye on the oven.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe makes 4 big plates piled with lettuce and a few veggies, lentils, falafel, and dressing. If you want something spicier, consider sriracha-tahini dressing. If you're short on oranges, consider classic lemon and tahini dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Reheat falafel in the oven, wrapped in foil, to prevent burning. They are great to reheat in the microwave or in the air fryer.
Store cooked lentils in an airtight container for 4-5 days. You can also freeze them. Reheat them in the microwave or in a saucepan with a little added broth or water.
Baked falafel, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, will last for 4-5 days.
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PrintBaked Falafel Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing
Bake falafel salad with orange tahini dressing is a hearty salad with flavorful simmered green lentils and quick-pickled onions.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Hearty Salads
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Baked falafel
- 2 - 15 oz. (400 gm.) cans chickpeas, (3 cups) rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cilantro (coriander), roughly chopped (I used the leaves and the tender stems)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons ground chia or flax seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
- ½ cup pepitas
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- 1 - 2 teaspoons red chili flakes
Simmered lentils
- 1 cup rinsed green or brown lentils
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 ¼ cups water
- Pinch of salt (optional)
Quick pickled onions
- 2 red onions, peeled and sliced thin
- ½ cup raspberry vinegar, red wine vinegar or merlot vinegar
- 3 tablespoons liquid sweetener such as date paste or maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Orange tahini dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅔ cup orange juice
- 1 clove mince or crushed garlic
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 3750 F. (1900 C.)
- To make the toasted seed mix, heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 cup pepitas, ½ cup sesame seeds and 1-2 tsp. red chili flakes. Toast for about 2 minutes until the seeds start to brown. The sesame seeds will start to pop, so that’s when you want to be sure to take them off the heat.
- Break up the seeds just a bit in a spice grinder, blender, or using a mortar and pestle. A few turns will do.
- To make the falafel, in a food processor or blender, combine the rinsed chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, ground chia or flax seeds, baking soda, and salt (if using). Process the ingredients until a relatively smooth dough is formed. You may need to scrape the sides of the food processor from time to time.
- Either remove the blade from your food processor or transfer the ingredients to a bowl. Mix in ¼ cups of the seed mix until it is distributed throughout the falafel mix.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Add ¼ cup (the rest) of the seed mix on a small plate or shallow dish. Scoop out the falafel mix and form them into balls about the size of a golf ball (an ice cream scoop is wonderful here). Lightly roll each ball in the nut mix and add it to the tray.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes until the falafel starts to brown and is firm to the touch.
- While the falafel bakes, cook the lentils along with the rest of the ingredients in a medium pot. Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender and the liquid is absorbed (about 30 minutes). Check periodically and add more liquid if necessary.
- If you are making quick pickled onions, this is a good time to take that task on. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, liquid sweetener and salt. Mix in the onions, cover them, and place them in the fridge. Stir them a few times to help with the marinating process.
- Make the dressing by combining the tahini, lemon juice, orange juice, and minced garlic in a small bowl. Add more juice or water if you want the dressing thinner.
- While the falafel and lentils finish cooking, prep any lettuce or vegetables you want to include. I used shredded Romain, sliced cucumber, sliced radish, and diced cherry tomatoes, but this is entirely up to you.
- To serve, layer the lettuce and veg on a plate and add cooked lentils, falafel, and pickled onions. Top with the dressing or serve on the side.
Notes
- Store leftover falafel and lentils separately in airtight containers. They keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- The onions and dressing can be made days in advance.
- If you are in a pinch, canned lentils can be substituted. Heat them with a 1 teaspoon of dried thyme. 2 cans should do the trick as a good substitute.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large plate
- Calories: 438
- Sugar: 16.9 g
- Sodium: 728 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 65.7 g
- Fiber: 13.8 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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