Some recipes just come out beautifully on the first try, and this one definitely makes the list. Golden falafel crust holds up wonderfully; cool, creamy homemade tzatziki sauce creates the perfect base; and fresh toppings are crunchy & bright. This is healthy eating at its very best: high protein & fiber, low carb, gluten free, vegetarian, zero added sugar, and downright delicious all around.
I’m a firm believer that if you call it a pizza, you better be able to hold it as a slice – and I’m happy to report that this falafel crust does so wonderfully! It even kept its sturdiness after a night in the fridge, which I’m counting as a major win.
One of the most important keys for great falafel is starting with dried chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are already cooked which can create a gummy, sad texture. Using soaked-but-not-cooked dried chickpeas will give you the crispiest, fluffiest crust. Dried chickpeas are stocked in most grocery stores with dried beans.
The ingredients list looks long, but it actually couldn’t be simpler: chickpeas, veggies, spices. My super-simple tzatziki sauce is just yogurt and veggies, but you could easily make this whole dish vegan with a tofu-based tzatziki instead.
I’m really loving remixing healthy dishes into new forms this week – what are your favorite ways to change up your usual standby meals?
Loaded Falafel Pizza
Ingredients
Falafel Crust
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 6 green onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 T. lemon juice
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 1 t. ground coriander
- 1 t. salt
- 2 T. olive oil
Toppings
- 1 cup tzatziki sauce
- 1/4 cucumber thinly sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives pitted & halved
- 2 T. cilantro leaves
- 1 T. tahini
- 1/2 T. sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Soak dried chickpeas in a large bowl of water overnight, until tripled in volume.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Drain chickpeas and add to a food processor. Add all remaining falafel ingredients except olive oil. Pulse until chickpeas are coarsely ground but not pureed.
- Brush 1 T. olive oil across a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Press the falafel mixture firmly into a circle on the sheet, about 12" across and 1/4" high. Brush remaining olive oil across the top.
- Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
- While falafel crust is baking, prepare tzatziki and other toppings.
- Let falafel crust cool for 5 minutes, then spread with tzatziki sauce. Layer cucumber slices, tomato slices, and red onion slices on top. Sprinkle with kalamata olives and cilantro.
- Just before serving, drizzle tahini over pizza and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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