Baked Falafel Salad with Chimichurri Yogurt

This Baked Falafel Salad with Chimichurri Yogurt is a delicious plant based meal with tons of flavor! The falafel is made in the food processor, formed into patties, and baked, then served over greens with avocado and a zesty chimichurri inspired yogurt sauce!

I’ve always been a huge fan of falafel and any type of Greek food for that matter. I was craving some falafel, but didn’t want to go through the trouble of deep frying, so I decided to make a baked version! I’ve made a few baked versions before, but I never wrote down the ingredients as I was making them (🙄). I usually just throw whatever herbs I have on hand with chickpeas, lentils, or a mixture of the two into the food processor, and hope for the best! But this time, I measured everything so I could share with you guys!

These bowls aren’t your typical combination of Greek ingredients, but they are SO delicious and SO flavorful. If you’ve never had chimichurri, it’s an Argentinian condiment made up of a bunch of herbs, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil. It’s to die for and is typically served with meat.

BUT! This version is served with a vegetarian meal, and I decided to make it into a yogurt sauce because I thought it would taste amazing with the warm falafel. And it did!

It has all of the usual ingredients that a chimichurri does, but with a few extras. I added jalapeño for a little kick, and shallot for mild oniony flavor. And yogurt of course! This would be a fantastic dip for veggies too!

I like my falafel with a ton of herbs in it, so I added cilantro, parsley, and mint to these lovelies. They couldn’t be easier to make, and they are great to have on hand during the week. You could totally meal prep these on Sunday and have healthy, quick lunches all week!

For the falafel, the “dough” gets made in the food processor. You combine the chickpeas, herbs, garlic, lemon juice, (I added a little jalapeño here too!), cumin, olive oil, salt, and a little bit of flour. I used a whole wheat version here, but if you’re gluten free, a gluten free all purpose flour should work just as well. They get sooo crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Love!

I added my usual suspects to this salad. Avocado and cucumber, but you could add whatever you like! It would be amazing with some crumbled feta and/or pickled red onions!

Another thing I used to do a lot is make little falafels to have on hand for snacking. I’m more of a savory snacker, and rather than finding myself elbow deep in a bag of chips in the afternoon, I like having “mini meals” or parts of meals to keep my late afternoon hunger at bay.

I used to prep a bunch of little patties or falafels on the weekend, and a dipping sauce like the chimichurri yogurt, and eat the combination for snacks! I don’t know why I got out of that habit, but I’m starting it again! These reminded me how much I loved it.

And you should definitely add some feta on top. I’m kicking myself for forgetting it!

5 from 1 vote

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Baked Falafel Salad with Chimichurri Yogurt

This Baked Falafel Salad with Chimichurri Yogurt is a delicious plant based meal with tons of flavor! The falafel is made in the food processor, formed into patties, and baked, then served over greens with avocado and a zesty chimichurri inspired yogurt sauce!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main, Salad

Cuisine Vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the falafel

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup cilantro (a good handful)
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 of a jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons flour*
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the chimichurri yogurt

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt*
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 of a small shallot
• 1/2 of a jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed
• 1/2 cup cilantro (a good handful)
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley (a smaller handful)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

For the salad

• 6-8 cups mixed greens of your choice
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 3/4 cup sliced cucumbers*
• crumbled feta for serving (optional)
• a squeeze of lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• crushed red pepper for serving, optional

Instructions

1. Make the falafel. Preheat oven to 375℉ and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. To a food processor, add the chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, mint, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, salt, flour, and olive oil. Pulse until mixture is well incorporated and forms a dough. You will likely need to scrape the sides down in between to get everything fully incorporated. If the mixture seems too wet, add another spoonful of flour. Too dry, add a drizzle of olive oil and/or lemon juice.

2. Form mixture into patties and place on the baking sheet. I find that wetting my hands before forming them REALLY helps because the mixture is sticky! I got 8 falafel out of it. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden and crispy on the outside.

3. While the falafel are baking, make the chimichurri yogurt. Combine the yogurt, red wine vinegar, garlic, shallot, jalapeño, cilantro, parsley, and olive oil into the food processor (I wipe out or clean mine after using it for the falafel) and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste to season with salt and pepper. 

4. To assemble salads, I like to toss the greens in a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper first. Top the greens with the falafel, avocado, cucumber, and a drizzle of the chimichurri yogurt. Finish with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper if desired. Serve!

Recipe Notes

*I used a whole wheat pastry flour for this, but you can use all purpose, or a gluten free all purpose flour. Regular whole wheat should work here too, but you may need to add an extra squeeze of lemon juice or olive oil because it is quite dry and grainy. This is the whole wheat pastry flour I use and love.

*I used 0% nonfat plain Greek yogurt here, but a 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt would yield an even creamier result.

*I love Persian cucumbers and used them here, but any will work! Use what you love.

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