Baked Spinach Falafel is the perfect protein to turn to when you’re looking for lighter, healthy dinners that are quick and easy to make. Make a big batch during meal prep and enjoy these falafel paired with a simple greek salad throughout the week.
Include baked falafel in your weekly meal prep!
Falafel is probably one of the most underrated vegetarian recipes ever! Baked falafel is so good and so versatile when you’re looking for a super simple, yet healthy and delicious meal idea for make-ahead lunches or dinners.
I’ll be the first to admit, my meal prep is all over the place. Some weeks I am so organized, I can’t believe it. Other weeks, I’m fishing about in the cupboards hoping to find a can of tomato soup or something that will tide me over for the day.
I don’t have the luxury of being able to run out of work to get something, so, while it doesn’t always happen, I love to do all my meal prep on Sunday for the week so I don’t have to worry about having healthy meals on hand.
Usually, I make four meals ahead of time. I like making four because I find by Friday, my salads start to go a little sad and soggy which is so unappetizing. Plus, I only have four decent containers in my household, so four generally makes more sense to me.
Do you include vegetarian meals in your weekly diet?
While I am not a vegetarian, I do love to eat vegetarian meals on a regular basis. One of my new year’s resolutions was to eat more vegetarian meals, and so far I’ve been managing about two a week, which I think it pretty good!
One way I love packing more vegetarian meals into my week is by making this baked falafel recipe with a simple Greek style salad and yogurt dressing. These spinach baked falafel are so quick and easy to make, keep well, and are perfect for on-the-go lunches and healthy dinners.
Chickpeas are naturally packed with protein and the combination of the spinach, cilantro, and parsley really help you get more greens into your daily diet. Furthermore, with the accompanying salad, you’ll find you won’t go hungry! There is nothing worse than to eat your lunch and find yourself starving by 2pm because you didn’t eat enough. This won’t happen with this baked falafel.
How do you make baked falafel?
These baked falafel are made using whole ingredients, and best made in a food processor to keep the mixture creamy and smooth. Once made, they are then simply rolled out and flattened, refrigerated (to hold their shape), then baked in the oven until golden brown. Because they are baked, they use less oil for frying and still stay brown and crispy, but soft in the middle.
While the falafel are baking, it’s the perfect time to make the salad. The salad is a combination of fresh salad leaves, red onion, tomato, feta cheese, and cucumber. It is simple enough to make, but fresh and flavorful. To tie the whole dish together, my simple olive oil and lemon yogurt dressing does the trick.
Keep yourself organized, and make your colleagues jealous by making this baked falafel with spinach today! You won’t regret the extra prep on Sunday, I promise! Nothing beats healthy, hearty meals made ahead of time!
Ingredients
- 2 packed cups of spinach
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 3 cups heaped spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/3 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 heaped cup diced cucumber
- 3.5 oz feta cheese
- 8 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Combine spinach, parsley, cilantro, garlic, lemon zest, and cumin in a food processor and blitz until the herbs and spinach are roughly chopped.
- Add chickpeas, lemon juice, flour, salt, and pepper, and blitz until mixture starts to come together to form a dough-like mix. The mixture should hold together when shaped.
- Line a baking tray with non-stick parchment paper.
- Take 1 heaped tablespoon of the falafel mixture and shape into a rough pattie. Complete with remaining mixture; should yield 12 falafel.
- Place in freezer for 30 minutes until they have firmed up.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Spray the top of the falafel with a little olive oil spray (or brush with a little oil). This will help them crisp up and ensure they don't stick.
- Bake in oven 35-40 minutes, flipping half way.
- Falafel should start to brown on the outside and be nice and crispy.
- Divide the salad ingredients between four sturdy, sealed containers.
- Add three falafel to each container and place in fridge.
- Combine ingredients into a jar and shake.
- Add a little dressing just before eating the falafel and salad.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Instead of baking, you can pan fry these falafel too. Simply heat about 1 inch of oil in a pan, add the falafel, and fry on one side for about 30 seconds, then flip to the other side. They still should be crispy and lightly browned and soft in the middle.
Prep time includes 30 minutes for the falafel to set in freezer.
We hope you enjoy these Baked Spinach Falafel for Meal Prep from SoFabFood Home Chef, Georgina from The Home Cook’s Kitchen, as much as we do. If you love this recipe, you can find more like it by visiting our Vegetarian Section. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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