This Mediterranean Salad with Falafel is tossed in a creamy sumac tahini dressing and topped with homemade crispy za'atar chickpeas for a quick vegan meal. Make a big batch of baked falafel for meal prep and you'll be set for a full week of delicious vegan dinners or lunches!
This salad is a new favorite in our house! We packed it with plant protein, crunchy chickpeas, tangy pickled onions, refreshing cucumber, tomato, and lettuce.
Then, we covered everything in a perfectly creamy sumac tahini dressing that brings everything together. This falafel isn't necessarily traditional. They're baked instead of fried - but they're flavorful and easy to make ahead of time.
I'm usually not a huge fan of salads as a main meal, but this one, with Falafel and hearty Mediterranean flavors, is satisfying enough to fit the bill.
A good salad, in my opinion, needs varying texture, something filling (here, the baked falafel) and a really good dressing. Because let's be honest - that's the best part!
Dressing
Tahini dressing, especially, is my all-time favorite, and not just for salads. I often make a similar tahini dressing to eat with roasted vegetables and tofu for a quick, easy dinner.
Tahini is delicious on its own or with a pinch of salt, pepper and lemon. Of course, it's also fantastic in this creamy dressing with a bit of sumac spice. Sumac is a dark red spice native to the Middle East with a flavor profile similar to lemon.
Sumac powder is slightly fruity, refreshing and less overpowering than lemon, so it's perfect for this dressing.
Crispy Za'atar Chickpeas
As much as I love sumac tahini dressing, the homemade crispy za'atar chickpeas steal the show in this Mediterranean Salad.
Za'atar is a flavorful Middle Eastern spice blend that's common in Mediterranean recipes. It's traditionally made with sumac spice, sesame seeds, salt and savory herbs (like thyme).
Za'atar has an addictive flavor that perfectly complements crispy chickpeas. We ate the whole batch of Za'atar chickpeas in one day. You can find the recipe for these tasty chickpeas here!
We've also included a few helpful tricks to make your chickpeas extra crispy.
Once you've mastered Mediterranean Salad with Falafel, try out these other flavorful vegan salad recipes:
We hope you give this Mediterranean Salad with Falafel a try - we'd love for you to comment below and give the recipe a rating if you do!
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Mediterranean Salad with Falafel and Sumac Tahini Dressing
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Mediterranean Salad with Falafel is tossed in a sumac tahini dressing and topped with homemade crispy za'atar chickpeas. It makes for a delicious, filling vegan/gluten free lunch or dinner. Make a big batch of falafel when you meal prep and use it in meals all week!
Ingredients
Baked Falafel:
- 3 ½ tbsp olive oil, divided
- ½ cup green onions, chopped finely
- 3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, well drained
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 ¼ tsp cumin
- 1 ¼ tsp fine kosher salt
- ¾ ground coriander
- ½ ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley
- 1 ½ tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tbsp flax meal
- 2 ½-3 tablespoon sesame seeds
Sumac Tahini Dressing:
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼-⅓ cup water
- ½ tsp sumac
- ½-¾ teaspoon fine salt
Salad:
- 8 cups lettuce of choice
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- ½ cup pickled onion (or thinly sliced red onion)
- Za'atar roasted chickpeas - follow our recipe here
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Heat sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil, green onions, and garlic. Sauté, stirring several times, for 5-6 minutes (until softened). Remove from heat.
- Add chickpeas, tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, salt, coriander, pepper, turmeric, and paprika to food processor. Pulse until well combined. You may need to scrape sides down a few times.
- Add chickpea flour, flax meal and cooked green onion and garlic and pulse until well combined. Let mixture chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Using a tablespoon measurement, scoop dough into even sized patties. Flatten each patty into a disk, then sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top, pressing them gently so they stick.
- Gently brush one side of falafel with olive oil and place oil-side down on baking sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes.
- Flip falafel and bake an additional 13-15 minutes, until golden brown on each side.
Tahini dressing:
- Whisk all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
- Prep all salad ingredients. Top with falafel and drizzle with tahini. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bowl
- Calories: 426
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 808.4 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.6 g
- Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 13.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Let us know what you think!