Oh summer, how I adore you. You give me a lot of sun, warmth, joy, and zucchini! My garden was bursting with zucchini and I had to start getting more creative with it. Enter this baked zucchini falafel. It is crispy enough on the outside, soft enough on the inside, does not fall apart like some falafel I have had, and helps keep me full thanks to the all the goodies in here.
Are you a falafel fan?
I hate to think of all of those times I missed out on falafel because I didn’t know what it was. It wasn’t until I stopped eating meat that I began to venture out to try different things… don’t be like me…. try all the things 🙂
Anyway, now I am a HUGE fan! I love to try different recipes from time to time and switch up what is inside. I settled on this combination because it is a little different than your typical falafel but I love the added veggies here.
How do you make this baked zucchini falafel?
The first thing to do is shred and then squeeze all the liquid out of the zucchini. I cut mine up in large chunks and then throw it into the food processor. Once it is all small, I will take the zucchini into a thin towel and squeeze the liquid out that way. Then you can set it to the side while you get everything else ready.
Next up, drain and rinse a can of chickpeas and add that into the food processor. Throw in the chopped kale and sun dried tomatoes and mix it all up until combined.
You will take that mixture and add it into a large mixing bowl. Add in all the other ingredients along with the zucchini and combine again.
Grab a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper and start grabbing a mixture around the size of a ice cream scoop and form it into a ball. When you place it on the baking sheet, be sure to flatten it a bit.
That is it. Bake and enjoy. I like to keep things as simple as possible.
What can you serve this baked zucchini falafel with?
Anything your heart desires. I serve ours with rice pilaf (because rice is the best thing ever), a salad, some roasted veggies, and a big dollop of hummus! What would you serve it with?
Heads up: If you choose to freeze these for later, they will do better wrapped in parchment or wax paper and then put into a freezer safe container.
Baked Zucchini Falafel
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups shredded zucchini squeeze out all liquid and pack in measuring cup
- 1 14.5oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 Cup chopped kale
- 1/4 Cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 1/4 Cup ground flax seed
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parcment paper and set to the side.
- In a food processor, mix chickpeas, kale, and sun dried tomatoes together until combined well.
- Add the contents of the food processor into a large bowl and add in remaining ingredients along with shredded zucchini.
- Using an ice cream scoop, grab mixture and roll into a balls about the same size with your hands. As you place them on to a baking sheet, flatten slightly.
- Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Flip over and bake for another 10-15 minutes more. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing for later, wrap in parchment or wax paper and place in a freezer safe container.
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