Beetroot Falafel Bake

I made a great big slab of falafel.

Because sometimes life is too short to spend time rolling stuff into balls (does that sound rude?).

And sometimes the mix is just too sloppy to be able to roll into balls and you just have to bung it in a baking dish, put it in the oven and be done with it whilst crossing your fingers that what comes back out is going to taste okay.

I also made some feta dip / sauce to go with it (because I do like the combination of beetroot and feta), but the less said about that the better. Really. Major disappointment. From now on that white stuff in the bowl in the photos will forever be known as a ‘prop’. All it was good for. No matter how many times I kept trying it.

The major plus point of making a great big slab of falafel is that you have lunch sorted for the whole week (if you are on your own) or for a couple of days (if there are more of you). Wrap it in some foil and keep it in the fridge.

Serve with mixed leaves (I like lamb’s lettuce + baby spinach + red chard), cucumber and some hummus or salad dressing.

Beetroot Falafel Bake

Servings: 4 to 6 people
Print

Ingredients:

500g cooked beetroot
1 tin chickpeas, 240g drained weight
2 garlic cloves
2 spring onions, aka salad onions / green onions
1 small egg
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 dried apricots
1 cup gram flour, aka garbanzo bean / chickpea flour
1 tsp coconut sugar

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200 Celsius / 180 fan / 400 Fahrenheit. Brush a large baking dish with a little olive oil.
Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until blended.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish and level out as evenly as possible.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the centre is firm to the touch.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving, or leave to cool completely.

8 thoughts on “Beetroot Falafel Bake”