Baked beetroot falafels on aubergine

This homemade baked beetroot falafels on aubergine and spinach dish is heavenly delicious. The tender and crispy falafels are packed with nutrients such as fibre, protein and folate, which makes them a perfect snack, mid-week lunch or a light dinner. Together with grilled aubergines, spinach and a lovely mint-yogurt dip, they turn into a tasty meal.

Falafel is a traditional dish in the Middle East that’s been enjoyed long before pizza and fries were invented. It’s most commonly deep-fried and shaped in a ball or patty form. Also, it’s a very popular street food all around the world, which can be made of ground chickpeas or fava beans. Chickpeas are my favourites. Wink.

Usually, falafel is served with a salad, lots of vegetables or in pita bread. It always comes with a delicious sauce on a side, such as yogurt, spicy sauce, tahini or a fresh mint sauce and it can be eaten just as a snack, too. Yummy.

A healthy baked falafel

However, instead of deep-frying them, I baked them. There are a couple of things you should know about baked falafels: firstly, they are a healthier protein-rich version of the fried ones (wink), secondly, they are super easy and quick to make and thirdly, I find them more delicate and tender than the deep-fried ones.

Moreover, my falafels got a lovely crispy crust on the bottom and a softer and fluffy top part. Having said that, you can still flip them half-way through baking and you’ll get the crust on both sides, but they will also be flat and not round anymore. The colour might change, too. Even though, they will still taste wonderful. Wink.

These falafels are made with chickpeas. There’s always that question: should I use canned or dried chickpeas? It’s always best to use dried chickpeas, rather than canned ones. The reason is simple. Canned chickpeas are way too wet. However, canned chickpeas are a quicker way to get the falafels made. These beetroot falafels turned out just perfect, round, tender and crispy. Additionally, here is another great way how to use dried chickpeas: homemade hummus.

I love beetroot

Aren’t these falafels just beautiful? I love the colour. They not only got an intense dark pink colour, but beetroot brings a nice earthy flavour, too. There’s something about that colour that brings joy and happiness. I love beetroot and its incredible nutritional profile. In fact, it might help improve stamina, lower the blood pressure and support healthy liver functions.

And since beetroot has amazing antioxidant properties, I use it a lot. Check these fantastic and healthy beetroot recipes: detox beetroot raspberry soup, a fun beetroot kiwi Rubik’s cube salad, an easy beetroot carpaccio, colourful turmeric beetroot pancakes, a colourful beetroot hummus or these amazing beetroot Beluga lentils burgers.

Ingredients for 12-15 baked beetroot falafels on aubergine:

• 1 aubergine
• 350 g fresh spinach
• 200 g chickpeas (canned, drained)
• 300 g beetroot (cooked)
• 2 garlic cloves (sliced)
• 20 g cashew nuts
• 30 g shaved almonds
• 20 g pumpkin seeds
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• salt and pepper
• sesame seeds
• olive oil
• nutmeg
• plain yogurt
• fresh mint

To begin, wash and cut the aubergine into 1,5 cm thick discs. Sprinkle them generously with salt, place them in a pasta colander and let them sit for 30 minutes. Wash the spinach and let it drain. Then, cut the beetroot into smaller cubes, peel and slice the garlic and drain the chickpeas.

To prepare the beetroot falafels, combine chickpeas, beetroot, garlic, almonds and cashew nuts and blend until smooth. You can use either an immersion blender or the food processor. Next, add the beaten eggs, chopped pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper and stir to combine well.

Preheat the oven at 160º. At this point, form the falafels (small balls) with your hands. If it sticks too much, simply slightly wet or oil your hands. After forming them, roll each falafel in sesame seeds or simply sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of each falafel.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, place the falafels on it and put to bake for 25-30 minutes or until a thin crust forms.

Furthermore, place the aubergine discs on two layers of kitchen paper towels. In order to remove all of the released water, place some paper towels on top, too. Then, preheat a griddle pan or a normal non-sticking pan. Meanwhile, quickly brush the aubergine discs with some olive oil.

Once the pan gets hot, put the aubergines in (a single layer at a time). Fry for a couple of minutes on both sides, in order to get that lovely griddle pattern. When done, place them on a warm plate, cover with aluminium foil to keep it warm.

Using the same pan, prepare the spinach. Drizzle some olive oil, add the spinach, season with salt and nutmeg and cook until wilted.

Finally, arrange the aubergine on the plates and top with spinach and falafel. This baked beetroot falafel on aubergine makes a wonderful light lunch and dinner. You can serve it with some plain yogurt, some homemade tzatziki or a mint-yogurt dip.

Enjoy!