Slow Cooker Falafel

Not all falafel recipes are fried. This one fits in your vegetarian slow cooker recipe file! Tuck a few of the chickpea "sliders" inside a pita with fresh spinach, tomatoes, onion, and a yogurt-herb sauce for a delicious dinner.

Slow Cooker Falafel
Photo: Karla Conrad
Prep Time:
20 mins
Slow Cook Time:
4 hrs
Total Time:
20 mins
Servings:
4

Ingredients

  • 1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

  • 1 egg

  • cup chopped red onion

  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro

  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 ¼ cup soft bread crumbs

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil

  • 4 Greek pita flatbreads or 6-inch flour tortillas

  • Fresh spinach, sliced tomatoes, and/or sliced red onion

  • 1 recipe Yogurt Sauce

Yogurt Sauce

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt

  • 1 tablespoon snipped fresh mint

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • Salt

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl mash beans with a fork. In a blender or food processor combine the next 10 ingredients (through pepper). Cover and blend or process until smooth. Stir into mashed beans; stir in bread crumbs (mixture will be soft and moist). Shape into eight balls; flatten slightly.

  2. Pour oil into a 6-quart oval slow cooker. Add falafel patties, turning to coat. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or until browned, turning once.

  3. Serve patties on flatbreads with spinach, tomatoes, and/or sliced onion. Top with Yogurt Sauce.

Yogurt Sauce

  1. In a bowl combine yogurt, mint, lemon juice, and garlic. Season to taste with salt.

To make a salad, omit flatbreads. In a bowl combine 4 cups torn lettuce; 1 medium tomato, chopped; 1/2 cup sliced cucumber; and 2 tablespoons slivered red onion. Whisk 2 tablespoons water into Yogurt Sauce and use as a dressing. Top with falafel patties.

For Easy Cleanup:

Line your slow cooker with a disposable slow cooker liner. Add ingredients as directed in recipe. Once your dish is finished cooking, spoon the food out of your slow cooker and simply dispose of the liner. Do not lift or transport the disposable liner with food inside.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

442 Calories
13g Fat
65g Carbs
19g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 442
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 676mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 65g 24%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 19g
Vitamin C 14.6mg 73%
Calcium 111mg 9%
Iron 5.2mg 29%
Potassium 295mg 6%
Folate, total 66.6mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.1mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.2mg

*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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