Falafel is fantastic for meal prep, but if you’re making it from scratch, it can be a bit of a pain for a weeknight dinner. That’s where this Deconstructed Falafel Salad comes in–rather than pulsing the chickpeas, parsley, and spices in the food processor, forming them into patties, and frying them, chickpeas are roasted to crispy perfection right in the oven, then paired with fresh herbs, pita chips, and a lemony tahini dressing. Easy!
This recipe comes from Hetty McKinnon’s Family: New Vegetarian Comfort Food to Nourish Every Day, a gorgeous cookbook that’s all about those family meals we return to again and again. They’re unfussy favorites that are doable for busy home cooks without sacrificing flavor or creativity–and the recipes all demonstrate that vegetarian cooking is family cooking.
Purchase Family: New Vegetarian Comfort Food to Nourish Every Day by Hetty McKinnon on Amazon
The Deconstructed Falafel Salad
Reprinted with publisher permission from Family: New Vegetarian Comfort Food to Nourish Every Day by Hetty McKinnon. Photo credit: Luisa Brimble.
Ingredients
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 bunches of kale stems removed and leaves torn
- 1 Persian cucumber sliced into thin rounds
- 3 cups 150 g store-bought pita chips
- handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves roughly chopped
- handful of mint leaves
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- sea salt
CRISPY ROASTED CHICKPEAS
- 18 ounces 500 g cooked chickpeas (about 2 drained cans), patted dry
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- sea salt and black pepper
LEMON TAHINI
- ¹⁄₃ cup 90 g tahini
- juice of 1 lemon plus extra if needed
- 1 garlic clove very finely chopped
- sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C).
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For the crispy roasted chickpeas, place the drained chickpeas in a small ovenproof dish. Cover with olive oil, season well with two big pinches of sea salt and black pepper, and add the garlic, cumin, and paprika. Stir to combine. Roast for 35–40 minutes, until the chickpeas are crispy. Set aside.
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For the salad, place a large frying pan over a medium heat and drizzle with oil. Add the kale, in batches, along with a pinch of salt and cook for 2–3 minutes, until wilted.
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To make the lemon tahini, pour the tahini into a small bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and garlic. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the sauce is the consistency of thickened cream. If the tahini “seizes” and becomes very thick, add more water; it will eventually come back together to form a cohesive creamy sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper, and add more lemon juice if you like it lemony.
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Combine the crispy chickpeas (and their cooking oil) with the kale, cucumber, half the pita chips and herbs. To serve, drizzle over the lemon tahini and scatter over the remaining pita chips. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.