Falafel Pita Sandwich Recipe (With Vegetables and Tahini) (2024)

FAQs

Is a falafel pita sandwich healthy? ›

A falafel pita sandwich is a healthy and nutritious meal that's high in protein, fiber, and vitamins. It's also vegetarian and vegan-friendly, making it a great option for those who follow a plant-based diet.

There are three types of falafel--Traditional falafel, baked falafel and lemon falafel. “Where the traditional falafel is the basic fried falafel comprising a mix of chickpeas, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, baked falafels are made using fresh herbs in the chickpea mixture,” says Chef Sati from Ophelia.

The most delicious sides for a Falafel Pita Sandwich need to be limited to traditional sides like quick pickled onions, cucumber salad, olive salad, Israeli Salad, stuffed grape leaves, and French fries.

Researchers have found that falafel has many health benefits. It is high in fibre as it contains vegetables, legumes (beans, chickpeas, or almonds), and olive oil, all of which can help people stay healthy and maintain an optimal weight while reducing their risk of diabetes, heart disease, and blood pressure.

Falafel's Nutritional Profile

Zozos says that the health benefits of falafel are plenty. It tends to be relatively low in cholesterol, low on the glycemic index scale, and high in protein. Also, it's full of complex carbs and fiber, which are good for a healthy gut and regular bowel movements, adds Zozos.

Falafel may help to manage blood sugar levels

Whereas falafel is a complex carbohydrate, which contains fibre, vitamins and minerals that take longer to digest. Fibre slows down sugar absorption, which helps to control blood sugar levels.

Falafel is typically served in a pita sandwich along with tahini sauce, tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumbers and pickled turnips. They are also often served as part of a mezze platter.

A binding ingredient can help keep it together, especially if you are using canned beans instead of dried. And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour. Nothing fancy, just plain all-purpose flour. Add a few tablespoons at a time to your mixture, until you can press it easily into balls or patties.

Falafel (/fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل, [fæˈlæːfɪl]) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin, featuring in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines, and is made from broad beans, ground chickpeas, or both.

Serve with many fresh condiments such as red and green cabbage, Israeli salad, pickles, drizzle lots of tahini, amba, arisa, and very fresh warm pita bread.

What do Arabs eat pita bread with? ›

The dough, made from simple ingredients like flour, water, yeast, and salt, is kneaded and allowed to rise. During baking, the high heat causes the dough to puff up, forming an interior pocket. This pocket makes pita bread ideal for stuffing with various fillings such as falafel, grilled meats, or fresh vegetables.

Not unexpectedly, creative Westerners now add such other ingredients as olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Crumbled feta cheese is an excellent addition. Although a perfect picnic or anytime snack when cold, falafel are very much better when warm. The choice of accompanying sauces is enormous.

Tahini is an especially good source of copper, a trace mineral essential for iron absorption, blood clot formation, and blood pressure (3). It's also rich in selenium, a mineral that helps decrease inflammation and promotes immune health, as well as phosphorus, which is involved in maintaining bone health ( 4 , 5 ).

Though it contains many healthy ingredients, it's typically deep-fried, which increases its fat and calorie content. However, baking falafel counters this issue and allows you to enjoy this dish without potentially affecting your waistline, if that's a concern for you.

You can bake or fry all of the falafel patties at one time, but we prefer to refrigerate the unformed mixture (minus the baking powder) until we're ready to bake or fry them.

1 sandwich of falafel pita sandwich (Daphne's Greek Cafe) contains 510 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 42% carbs, 49% fat, and 9% protein. This is a good source of protein (21% of your Daily Value) and fiber (29% of your Daily Value).

While similar in calorie content, one slice of wheat bread (29g) is higher in sugar and lower in dietary fiber than one small pita bread. It is also slightly higher in sodium and fat content. Since most people eat two slices of bread in one sitting and only one pita bread, pita bread may be a healthier option.

Go with the falafel. The gyro has more saturated fat, more calories, and (usually) more sodium than the falafel—or chicken or vegetable sandwich fillings—on most menus. Take Daphne's, a "California-fresh" West Coast chain with 56 restaurants that lists calories on its menus and Nutrition Facts on its Web site.

In essence, the ingredient profile of falafel is in the least unhealthy. In fact, compared to other counterparts of the food, including chicken shawarma, falafel tops the list to contain the healthiest amount of all ingredients that are required by the body.