Tahini Kale Caesar with Crispy Baked Falafel
By Sammi Brondo — July 29, 2024
This Tahini Kale Caesar with Crispy Baked Falafel is beyond works. With toasted breadcrumbs on top and a sweet and salty dressing, it’s super satisfying and delicious.
I love mixing it up in the kitchen.
Okay, when I have time.
I love mixing it up in the kitchen when I have time.
When I’m not making the same usual things over and over or just throwing things in my air fryer, it’s really fun for me to try new recipes. And I loved making this one.
To start, I wanted to create a falafel recipe that was crispy and browned and delicious, but not totally deep fried. Hey – nothing wrong with the deep fried ones, but, because I also aim to serve almost everything I cook to my toddler, I veered from that route.
But, I didn’t want to just bake the falafel. Baked falafel, IMO, takes away the goodness of true falafel! You want that crispy, oily outer crust.
Creating this recipe launched me into a debate with one of my friends, who speaks fluent Hebrew. I’ve always thought that the term “falafels” was grammatically incorrect. And I was right!
Falafel is a Hebrew word that’s both singular and plural. No wonder that “s” on the end made me cringe! So, a friendly heads up, make sure to call it just “falafel” no matter how many falafel balls you’re talking about. 🙂
Anyway, let’s talk about this salad. I used kale because it’s tougher than other lettuces and holds well with different dressings. I chose to sauté it, but you definitely skip that step if you prefer not to.
The breadcrumbs on the salad are for sure the best part – they get so toasted and perfectly delicious. Plus, let’s be real, salads without carbs are sad salads. The breadcrumbs are not only tasty, but also make the salad more filling.
Pair that with the protein and fat that the falafel provides, and you’ve got one delicious and satisfying meal.
Chickpeas, Onion & Parsley
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Roughly chop the onion.
In a food processor, add onion and parsley and process until fine pieces remain. Add the chickpeas and process again, until a thick paste forms with some whole chickpeas remaining.
Add the whole wheat flour and process until just combined, making sure not to overmix. Add to a bowl.
Falafel
Falafel is a delicious Middle Eastern food usually made with chickpeas or fava beans. This recipe uses chickpeas mixed with onions and parsley. Feel free to mix in other herbs and spices like cilantro, cayenne pepper, and cumin.
Make sure to chill the falafel mixture before rolling it into balls! It helps the falafel to stay in tact.
Using your hands, roll the mixture into 10 small falafel balls and place on a plate. Place the plate in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour. Once they’re ready, add olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot (you should be able to feel the heat with your hand above the pan), add falafel. Let the falafel cook for a few minutes on each side, until crisp golden brown on the outside and tender in the middle.
Transfer falafel to the baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. **Do not discard the oil from the pan!
Prepare the Salad
I chose to saute the kale to make it a little softer, but this step is optional. Either way, make sure you massage it! Kale that isn’t massaged is super tough.
De-stem and finely chop kale. Using your hands, massage the kale for about a minute until softer. Set aside.
Toast bread lightly, and then add to the food processor and process until fine crumbs remain.
Add breadcrumbs to the pan with the oil from the falafel. Over medium heat, stir frequently so that the breadcrumbs don’t burn, and let them cook until all the oil is absorbed and they’re crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Tahini Salad Dressing
To prepare the salad dressing in the food processor or a blender, add the juice from 1 lemon, tahini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, maple syrup, garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper.
Process until smooth, adding water to thin as desired.
Notes
- Garnish: Garnish with fresh parsley or other fresh herbs and serve.
- Store the falafel and salad separately in airtight containers in the fridge. To reheat falafel, add oil to a pan and let the falafel get warm and crisp on the outside again. The salad will stay for about a day once dressed or, to keep it for longer, store the dressing in a separate container and add when you’re ready to eat.
Ingredients
Falafel
- 1 15.5 oz. can chickpeas
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Salad
- 1 head kale
- 2 slices bred (I used whole wheat)
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp garlic
- 2 tsp grated parmesan cheese
- Water to thin
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Drain and rinse chickpeas. Roughly chop the onion.
- In a food processor, add onion and parsley and process until fine pieces remain. Add the chickpeas and process again, until a thick paste forms with some whole chickpeas remaining.
- Add the whole wheat flour and process until just combined, making sure not to overmix. Add to a bowl.
- Using your hands, roll the mixture into 10 small falafel balls and place on a plate.
- Place the plate in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- Add olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot (you should be able to feel the heat with your hand above the pan), add falafel. Let the falafel cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown on the outside.
- Transfer falafel to the baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. **Do not discard the oil from the pan!
- Prepare salad: de-stem and finely chop kale. Using your hands, massage the kale for about a minute until softer. Set aside.
- Toast bread lightly, and then add to the food processor and process until fine crumbs remain.
- Add breadcrumbs to the pan with the oil from the falafel. Over medium heat, stir frequently so that the breadcrumbs don’t burn, and let them cook until all the oil is absorbed and they’re crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Optional: add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and lightly sauté the kale.
- Prepare salad dressing: in the food processor or a blender, add the juice from 1 lemon, tahini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, maple syrup, garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper. Process until smooth, adding water to thin as desired.
- To make the salad, mix kale with the breadcrumbs. Toss with the tahini dressing. Top with falafel and serve.
