Pesto Falafel with Butternut Hummus

  3.0 – 3 reviews  • Butternut Squash
Level: Easy
Total: 2 hr 20 min
Active: 20 min
Yield: 12 falafels

Ingredients

  1. 1 small butternut squash (1 to 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into small chunks (1/2 inch)
  2. 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  3. Kosher salt
  4. Freshly cracked black pepper
  5. 8 ounces canned chickpeas, drained
  6. 1/3 cup tahini
  7. 1/3 cup coconut milk
  8. Juice of 1 lemon
  9. 1 tablespoon miso
  10. One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
  11. 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  12. 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  13. 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  14. 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
  15. 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
  16. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  17. Kosher salt
  18. Freshly cracked black pepper
  19. 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. For the butternut hummus: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Spread the butternut pieces evenly on the baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until soft and golden.
  3. Combine the roasted butternut, chickpeas, tahini, coconut milk, lemon juice and remaining olive oil in a blender, season with salt and pepper and blitz until smooth. Set aside (you may need to clean your blender at this point).
  4. For the pesto falafel: Combine the miso, chickpeas, cumin, coriander, garlic, onion, basil, olive oil and some salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until combined. Wet your hands and roll the mix into golf ball-sized balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  6. Drizzle the falafel with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Note: You can twice cook them by adding oil to a frypan for a bit of an extra golden edge for 2 minutes on medium heat.
  7. Serve the falafel on top of that super creamy and nutty butternut hummus.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 12 servings
Calories 244
Total Fat 16 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Carbohydrates 21 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugar 4 g
Protein 6 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 323 mg

Reviews

John Sandoval
Where do you find dried chickpeas in the grocery store? Do they come in a bag? a can? 
Kristin Green
The falafel tasted wonderful but was mushy, not the texture I had hoped for!  Mine were more mounds than cookies so they did hold their shape but were flat on the bottom (left them in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours) and they just didn’t crisp up.  I knew they weren’t fried but I expected them to have a firmer consistency.  The ‘hummus’ was bland..was okay to accompany this dish but no garlic or cumin?!  It just didn’t have any zing to it.
Eric Young
I agree with previous reviewers – the falafel baked more like a cookie than a ball, even after adding some extra flour to the mixture. It tasted AMAZING though! If you don’t want a falafel cookie (I don’t mind, because it still tastes good, but it doesn’t really look so great), I would fry them traditionally or pan fry them like patties. 

The hummus is so delicious and amazingly easy. I had never made hummus before and had expected it to be a big failure, but it is a seriously fullproof recipe! I drizzled some maple syrup on top at the end just because I like a kick of extra sweetness.
All in all, they won’t turn out like they did on the show, but they will taste amazing. And that’s what really matters, right?
Nancy Henderson
This did not come out as we had hoped. The falafel came out of the oven flat, not like the balls they went in as. They tasted good and the hummus was good. We were trying these for a vegan Thanksgiving main but we won’t be able to use this. Not sure what binds the falafel ball together.

 

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