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Home » Southwestern Falafel

Southwestern Falafel

January 27, 2021 by Debi 18 Comments

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This Southwestern Falafel is inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern favorite of chickpea patties in pita bread, this Southwestern twist features chili powder and cilantro flavored pinto beans in a nice healthy patty with lots of veggies.

These are always a hit with the family, especially the kids!

Southwestern Falafel in a pita with lettuce, cabbage, red pepper on a brown plate with fresh cilantro in the background. Title on image

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

top down, flat lay, on two Falafel patties in a bowl

What is falafel?

Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both, that’s made into a ball or a patty shape and usually deep fried. The balls or patties are served in a pita bread, which acts like a pocket to hold all the goodies inside.

Falafel is a good source of fiber and protein, and may help curb your appetite, support healthy blood sugar, and lower your risk of chronic disease.

I’ve made it even healthier by not deep frying it, and instead browning it in a small amount of oil or in non stick cooking spray. I’ve also given it a Southwestern flavor twist with pinto beans, chili powder, cilantro, and tortilla chips. I originally found this recipe in Redbook, and have actually shared it twice on the blog: once in 2010 and again in 2015.

How to make

Smash the pinto beans. This can be done with a sturdy fork, a potato masher, or in a food processor. The fork is my preference here, not much to clean up, and it doesn’t take that long to mash them up.

two process shots on how to make Falafel. instructions on images

The falafel requires a little bit of chopping, but once that’s done, mixing it together and cooking it up is a snap.

Oh, and don’t worry about it looking a little dry once you put in the egg white – it holds together pretty well.

process shots on how to make falafel

I rarely have them fall apart on me when I’m cooking. But, it can happen. The nice thing is that if you do end up with scrambled falafel, it gets hidden in the pita anyway, and it tastes just as good.

Can this be made ahead?

Yes, absolutely these can be made ahead.

Make the patties a day in advance, and store them in a covered dish until you’re ready to cook them up and eat them.

I also think they’re great eaten cold from the fridge. So I’ll cook up the whole batch and save half for tomorrow. It makes a great summer meal when you don’t want to cook anyway. And they’re great cold on a falafel bowl!

They can also be frozen for longer storage. Make up the patties. Layer them with sheets of parchment paper in between each patty, and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to cook them, simply defrost them in the fridge the day before you want to cook them.

You can also cook them from frozen, they will take a little longer to cook. Cook them at a little lower temperature to help them cook all the way through without burning the outside.

This is a great freezer meal that you can double the batch and freeze!

Falafel patties, cooked and one is being picked up on a spatula

Can I make these even healthier?

There are several ways to make this recipe even healthier!

Lower sodium

Use low sodium ingredients wherever you can. I always buy low sodium beans. They also sell no salt added beans. Though I prefer the added flavor of a little sodium, if you’re really watching your sodium intake, the no sodium will work great.

Also, look for low salt tortilla chips. I prefer these for general eating anyway. Sometimes those bags of chips have way too much salt for me!

Lower fat

Look for reduced fat cheeses to save some calories.

Used baked, not fried, tortilla chips in the patties.

More fiber

Serve these in whole-wheat pitas for a fiber boost that white bread pitas won’t have.

How to serve

Serve these yummy vegetarian falafel patties in pita bread for a great fusion twist on the traditional sandwich.

Stuff the pitas with lettuce, cabbage, red peppers, tomato, hummus, Tzatziki, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, chopped red onion, and/or cilantro. 

Want to try some delicious homemade sauces and toppings that would be perfect with these patties? These would be my top choices for fun ways to top these falafel, whether you’re making stuffed pitas or bowls: The best avocado sauce, Roasted jalapeno and avocado hummus, vegan Tzatziki, Pineapple Serrano hummus, and Awesome sauce.

Try making some No yeast flatbreads or Sesame seed flatbreads to serve these falafels in a fun homemade bread. Or serve them wrapped in Cottage Cheese Bread for a nice high protein meal.

These falafels are also great in a bowl. Load up the bowl with greens, veggies, rice, and drop in a couple of falafel patties. Delicious! Dress the bowl with Italian dressing or any of the sauces listed above!

Falafel bowl with lots of greens and veggies.
Southwestern Falafel makes a great bowl too!

Spanish Rice

Want to make a super easy Spanish rice (the one in the picture just under the recipe card) to go along with these patties?

Simply take some cooked rice (brown or white or a combination of both) and mix in a little salsa. I usually do about 1 cup rice to 2 tablespoons salsa, or more or less to your liking. That’s it. Easy & yummy.

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Southwestern Falafel close up with creamy sauce on the patties and lots of veggies. Title on top of image

Southwestern Falafel Recipe

square crop, featured image for Southwestern Falafel in a pita with veggies

Southwestern Falafel

Debi
This Southwestern Falafel is inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern favorite of chickpea patties in pita bread, this Southwestern twist features chili powder and cilantro flavored pinto beans in a nice healthy patty with lots of veggies.
4.25 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Southwestern
Servings 8 patties
Calories 122 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 15 ounce can low sodium pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup shredded pepper-jack or Monterey Jack cheese
  • ½ cup finely crushed tortilla chips
  • 3 scallions minced
  • ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Place pinto beans in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until a coarse puree forms. Add cheese, tortilla chips, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, and salt, and pulse until well combined. Add egg white, and pulse a couple of times to lightly combine. Remove mixture from food processor, and stir in egg white to thoroughly combine.
  • Scoop mixture using ¼ cup measuring cup, and shape into 8 (3-inch) patties.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add patties to pan, you may need to work with only 3 or 4 patties at a time, and cook until golden brown on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip patties and cook until underside is golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Notes

Patties can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to 6 months.
This method makes 8 smaller patties. If you prefer, you can make 4 larger patties; the cooking time will increase to about 4-5 minutes per side.
Serve falafel in pita with toppings of thinly sliced red onion, sliced tomato, shredded romaine lettuce, cabbage, hummus, avocado, sour cream, or whatever your heart desires. I like to serve these family style so that everyone can top with whatever they like.

Nutrition

Calories: 122kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 6gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 515mgPotassium: 211mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 397IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword falafel, vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!

Southwestern Falafel with Easy Spanish Rice and Green Salad by Life Currents https://lifecurrentsblog.com
I’ve left a couple of the older photos, both so I can see how far I’ve come, and if you followed an older link, you know you’re in the right place.

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Filed Under: Main Dish, Mexican Food, Vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, cilantro, Cooking, Food, Greek, healthy, Mexican, pinto beans, recipe, red pepper, vegetarian

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. culinaryginger

    April 28, 2015 at 9:53 am

    I love falafel, but never make my own. Now I have a great recipe to make it from.

  2. Sophia @ NY Foodgasm

    April 28, 2015 at 3:48 pm

    OMG this sounds AMAZING I must try these! I love a good veggie meal!

  3. Heidy L. McCallum

    April 28, 2015 at 8:45 pm

    I am totally loving this idea, fantastic recipe! Thanks for sharing an awesome way to make fafafel!

  4. Culinary Flavors

    April 29, 2015 at 12:14 am

    I saw it and looks absolutely delicious. I think it matches perfectly with tzatziki!

  5. Nancy Fox

    April 30, 2015 at 4:05 pm

    I’m loving the Southwest twist Debi!

  6. lydiaf1963

    April 30, 2015 at 5:49 pm

    Love the use of pintos in these falafels…and the tortilla chips 🙂

  7. Joanne T Ferguson

    April 30, 2015 at 7:50 pm

    What a great combination Debi! I have put this on my list to do!

  8. Healing Tomato

    April 30, 2015 at 9:51 pm

    I love your idea of a southwestern falafal. Just like you, I have gone back and brought a new recipe to life when I am in a cooking block. This works great as a falafal and even as a Burger patty.

  9. Catherine

    April 30, 2015 at 10:25 pm

    Dear Debi, this looks delicious. I love falafel…I should make it more often for the family. Pinned for later. xo, Catherine

  10. pattyanderson54

    May 1, 2015 at 4:49 am

    I can see why this version was a hit. Nicely done.

  11. Patricia @ Grab a Plate

    May 1, 2015 at 7:53 am

    Oh man! Totally craving these little beauties! Falafel is one of my favorite things! Yum!

  12. mealplanmaven

    May 1, 2015 at 8:02 am

    I am drooling over your falafel Debi…a must try for me very soon!

  13. Dan from Platter Talk

    May 1, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    I love falafel and your rendition is absolutely mouthwatering!

  14. nazima

    May 1, 2015 at 1:40 pm

    These sound great and wonderfully spiced and flavoured.

  15. dishofdailylife

    May 2, 2015 at 6:28 am

    This looks fabulous, Debi! I have never tried making falafel, but I’m going to now!

  16. Nicole Neverman

    May 3, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    Yum! The falafel sounds so packed full of flavor and that rice just looks lovely! What a great meal 🙂

  17. Elizabeth

    January 27, 2021 at 7:50 am

    5 stars
    This looks delicous!

  18. teriwick

    July 13, 2022 at 4:05 pm

    4 stars
    I just made this recipe. It tasted fabulous. The reason why I am giving 4 instead of 5 stars is because of the issues I had when frying them. I used olive oil in a cast iron pan on an electric glass type stove top. I started out following the recipe of only using 1 Tblsp of oil and scooping out 1/4 c. Size patties. What happened here is that the patties fell apart when trying to flip them. They also absorbed all the oil. So the next group I oiled my hands and made them about half that size and I had to had more oil for each group. When they were smaller they held together better. They taste very yummy, that’s for sure.

4.25 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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