I love Mediterranean food and when I first move to Cincinnati there was not a single place where I could fine Tzatziki. So I set out on an adventure to create my own. At the time, Greek Yogurt wasn’t even a thing so I had to strain my own yogurt to make it. Now, with Greek Yogurt being everywhere, making tzatziki is a pretty easy task and a regular on our menu. I’ll share some recipes in the future that also use it. Today’s use is to accompany falafel.

Baking the falafel turns it into a healthier version of it’s typically tried counterpart. But fair warning – it isn’t quite as crispy and falls a part easier. You’ll still get the delicious combination of flavors. It is more traditional to serve falafel with a tahini sauce but we found the flavors too redundant and prefer Tzatziki and a nice Greek vegetable medley to top it.

Start by prepping the ingredients and then tossing them into the food processor. A good food processor is really helpful for lots of recipes and this is one of them. Chop up some red onion (about 1/2 a cup) and 2 cloves of garlic. Wash and dry some cilantro (1/4 cup) and parsley (1/4 cup). Add the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, dry spices, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and baking soda to the food processor and mix until there’s still some chunks but it is mostly smooth.

Form the falafel mixture into patties and place in fridge to firm up for 30-60 minutes (can stay longer).

This is a great time to make the toppings & sauce. For the Tzatziki, start by finely dicing a quarter cucumber and mince two garlic cloves (or use a spoonful of minced garlic from the jar). Mix diced cucumber and garlic into 1/2 cup of plain Greek Yogurt. Add a tbsp of olive oil and give it a good mix. Let those flavors all meld together in the fridge.

Next, prep the vegetable topping. Chop a 1/4 cucumber, a handful of cherry tomatoes, a red pepper, and 2 tbsp of red onion (about 1/4 of one). Add 2 tbsp of vinaigrette based salad dressing. I used Italian (because it’s what I had in the fridge) but a balsamic vinaigrette is great!

Once you are ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the falafel patties to the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip them over. They will fall a part a bit, just press the pieces back together. Cook for another 15 minutes.

When the Falafel is done baking, you can assemble the pitas. I like to go Pita, Tzatziki, Falafel, vegetable medley. We like to serve these with roasted potatoes or just eat them on their own.

Baked Falafel with Tzatziki

Ready in 1h 30 minutes; 30 minutes prep; 1 hour inactive time

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

• Falafel
  • 1 can chickpeas (14.5oz)
  • 1/2 cup red onion; chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley (flat leaf)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Tzatziki
  • 1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/4 cucumber; finely diced
  • 2 garlic gloves; minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
• Vegetable Topping
  • 1/4 cucumber; chopped
  • Handful cherry tomatoes; chopped
  • 1 red pepper; chopped
  • 2 tbsp red onion; finely diced
  • 2 tbsp salad dressing – vinaigrette

Preparation

1. Chop red onion (about 1/2 a cup) and 2 cloves of garlic.
2. Wash and dry some cilantro (1/4 cup) and parsley (1/4 cup).
3. Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas.
4. Add the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, dry spices, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and baking soda to the food processor and mix until there’s still some chunks but it is mostly smooth.
5. Form the mixture into patties. Scoop 1/4 cup of the mixture and press into a patty. Place in fridge for 1 hour to firm up.
6. Mix Tzatziki ingredients together: Greek Yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil. Place in fridge
7. Chop remaining 1/4 cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper, and red onion. Mix together and add salad dressing. Set aside for serving.
8. Preheat oven to 400F.
9. Place falafel patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip patties and then bake for an addition 10 minutes.
11. Assemble pitas.
12. Enjoy!

Tips

• Patties might fall apart a little while flipping. Press the pieces that fell off back into the patty and it will stick back together in the second baking phase.
• These freeze pretty well but end up more crumbly after freezing and reheating.
• We have served these on pitas or on salad.
• The falafel and toppings are gluten free – just use a gluten free pita, serve on salad, or in a lettuce wrap to make the dish gluten free.