I didn't have time to do my usual Sunday night meal prep, so I whipped up the world's easiest 15-minute falafel burger on a Tuesday night. Let's just say that my chief taste testers were pretty happy.
And, since the name of this blog is the hangry CHICKPEA, what better way to start off than with a burger centered around the world's greatest legume.
This falafel burger is one of my go-to weeknight recipes when I don't have time to cook, or have leftover cilantro and parsley. You can make a burger like I did, or make little falafels for a salad or pita. There are so many variations!
This recipe is adapted from my favorite Irish vegans, the Happy Pear. If you're looking to eat a little healthier without sacrificing any flavor, they have some amazing stuff on YouTube.
Without further ado, I give you:
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THE WORLD’S EASIEST 15-MINUTE FALAFEL BURGER
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 burgers 1x
Description
My 15-minute falafel burgers are everything you want in a weeknight dinner - quick, easy, and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 splash olive oil
- 2 chili peppers (finely chopped (only use 1 if you don’t like spicy food))
- 1 red onion (½ finely chopped, other half thinly sliced)
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 small package mushrooms (about 200g, chopped into chickpea-ish size pieces (they will shrink))
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1-2 tbsp tamari (gluten free soy sauce or soy sauce)
- 2 cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- ½ cup chopped cilantro or parsley (chop stems finely. I like to use ½ cilantro and ½ parsley)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika (I use sweet Spanish)
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp black pepper
- pinch salt
- whole wheat pita pockets
- hummus
- arugula (or whatever green you prefer)
- harissa (or vegan pesto, whatever you have sitting around)
Instructions
- For the pickled red onion: Add your finely sliced red onion to a jar, and add enough rice vinegar to almost submerge all the onion (the remaining onions will sink once the lower onions soften). Best to prep these before, but ok if they only have 15-30 mins to soak in the vinegary goodness. These are good for about 2 weeks in the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Heat large pan over medium heat (I used my sauté pan) and add oil.
- When oil is hot, add finely chopped chili peppers and red onion. Cook for 1-2 mins until soft.
- Add minced garlic and finely chopped mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms start to release their juices, and shrink (usually 5-ish mins)
- Add tamari, and stir until mixture absorbs most of the liquid.
- Toss in the spices – cumin, paprika, coriander, black pepper, and pinch of salt.
- Add chickpeas, squeezed juice from lemon, and chopped cilantro.
- Remove from heat. If you like chunkier falafel, you can use a potato masher to mash the mixture in the pan. You can also pulse the mixture in a food processor a few times. So it isn’t chopped too finely, I suggest doing this in batches.
- Once mashed to your heart’s desire (I don’t like to see any whole chickpeas, a few halves and quarters are fine), form into 1-2 in. patties, and place on baking sheet lined with silicon mat, parchment paper, or aluminum foil. If your patties are falling apart, mash or process a little more! You can also let the mixture cool for ~ 5 mins.
- Bake for 10 mins at 350. Once finished, let cool for 5 mins so they don’t fall apart when you move them.
- In the meantime, lightly toast your whole wheat pita! Depending on the size, you may need to cut it into quarters (like I did) or halves to fit the burger (and the toaster).
- When pita is finished toasting, cut the seam, so you can slather toppings on the inside “slab” of the pita, and so it looks more like a sandwich.
- Spread some hummus on one slab, add a little harissa (more if you like spice!) Place the burger on top of the hummus slice, and top with arugula, and a few pickled red onions. Top it off with the other pita slice, and BAM! Falafel burger.
Notes
As an added bonus, these babies do great in the fridge – just heat up the burger in the microwave for a minute or until hot, and layer on the toppings!
*Disclaimer - 15 mins means ~15 mins of actual work, meaning this is a low key, non-fussy vegan burger. My Chief Taste Tester could make this with one hand tied behind his back.
The Hangry Chickpea
pretty easy, definitely recommend soaking the chickpeas if you have time
★★★★★