One of the most quintessential and beloved of Middle Eastern foods is the falafel sandwich, a warm pita bread stuffed with crispy hot falafel balls, surrounded by cool and crunchy diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, and drenched with nutty tahini sauce. All ingredients for this wonderful dish are easily found in standard supermarkets, and although it has many components, its simplicity makes it a wonderful weekday lunch or dinner, or a meal-prep staple that you can cook and freeze.
Check Your Store-bought Mix
Falafel, as they are typically made, is vegan, but check the label if you're using the store-bought mix as some use egg as a binder.
Falafel has gained notoriety in the U.S. thanks to halal street carts and food trucks that proudly make and serve this Middle Eastern treat. But falafel is also found on the menus of most Mediterranean restaurants, and as a vegan and vegetarian meal, it has gained popularity as it is filling and delicious.
Falafel is traditionally made from chickpeas. It can be fried or baked for a lighter version. Restaurants sometimes serve falafel as a platter, over a bed of rice, but stuffed into pita bread is the more popular, easy, and on-the-go version. In the Middle East, it shares popularity with the sabich sandwich, a pita stuffed with eggplant, hard-boiled eggs, Israeli salad, hummus, and amba sauce.
For our recipe, you'll need to have ready falafel balls, from scratch or from a mix.
Tip for Making Falafel Pita Sandwich
Falafel is typically fried, which makes it crunchy and decadent. If you're trying to keep your added oil intake on the lower side, baking your falafel is a great alternative. To successfully bake the balls, you'll need to:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil, grease it with vegetable oil, or line it with parchment paper.
- Place the falafel balls with at least 3 inches of space between them.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for an extra 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.
"This satisfying falafel sandwich makes a quick and delicious lunch or weeknight dinner. Save even more time by putting the ingredients in separate bowls and having the diners assemble their own sandwiches." —Diana Andrews
Ingredients
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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6Â pita bread loaves
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18 cooked falafel balls, from homemade or store-bought falafel mix
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2 medium tomatoes, diced
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1 medium cucumber, unpeeled and diced
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1 medium white or red onion, thinly sliced
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1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
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3 sandwich pickles, sliced, optional
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Tahini sauce, homemade or store-bought, to taste
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle to medium-high heat. Coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat a pita bread round for 2 minutes on each side. The pita may begin to brown a little. Repeat with the remaining pita rounds, making sure to cut the top part to reveal the pocket after heating.
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Stuff each pita round with 3Â falafel balls and a spoonful each of diced tomatoes and cucumber. Top each with sliced onion, chopped parsley, the optional pickles, and a generous drizzle of tahini sauce.
Feeling Adventurous? Try This:
Here are some suggestions to spice up your falafel sandwich or to add different flavors and sauces:
- Change up the sauce - Use a dill tzatziki sauce instead of the tahini sauce for a creamy and refreshing addition. For dairy allergies, try a soy-based tzatziki sauce.
- Add feta - Add some crumbled feta to add some tang and creaminess into the sandwich.
- Add more flavor - Add a spoonful of tabouleh salad to the pita for flavor and texture or make pitas with baba ganoush, roasted vegetables, and hummus.
- Make it herby - Make a dressing with 1/2 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of olive oil, the juice of a lime, 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup of parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend all of the ingredients and use this herby sauce for the sandwich.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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434 | Calories |
19g | Fat |
56g | Carbs |
12g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 434 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 19g | 24% |
Saturated Fat 2g | 11% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 461mg | 20% |
Total Carbohydrate 56g | 20% |
Dietary Fiber 4g | 15% |
Total Sugars 4g | |
Protein 12g | |
Vitamin C 12mg | 60% |
Calcium 118mg | 9% |
Iron 4mg | 20% |
Potassium 400mg | 9% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
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