These beet falafel bowls are so vibrant and flavourful! Comprised of beet and white bean falafels, quinoa, steamed greens, and lemon dill tahini sauce, they’re rich in protein, healthy fat, and antioxidants.
My goodness, how is another week upon us? Seems I was just writing my posts for last week, and now here we are. Happy spring equinox to you all! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I know I did. It was just what the doctor ordered for this gal who has been in a bit of a slump lately. (I really am totally fine. I’ve just been “in my head” a lot lately and I need to snap myself out of it!)
On Saturday, I cooked up Mexican lasagna for dinner and vegan peanut butter chocolate tart for dessert. And yesterday, I treated myself to a lovely yoga session and a nice walk and talk with my mom. 🙂 Just what I needed to start the week with happiness in my heart and pep in my step.
I didn’t have it in me to write up a “What’s For Dinner” post for this week- I’ve been spending a little bit too much time in front of a screen recently, and my soul was in need of some time to recharge away from the computer- but in lieu of that, I have a couple of dinner recipes to share with you this week! The first one is these beet falafel bowls, and the second one will be a chickpea pasta bake. On that note, I want to let you all know that there is a chance that I might only have time to post two recipes a week instead of three in the next six to eight weeks, as I am finishing my last undergrad semester and making plans for this next chapter of life.
the inspiration
These beet falafel bowls were initially destined to be beet and white bean burgers. However, I have plenty of burger recipes on the blog, but only a couple of falafel recipes. Thus, I decided to turn the veggie burger mixture into mini patties (falafels), and combine them in bowls with quinoa, steamed greens, and a lemon dill tahini sauce. These bowls have an Eastern European flair, with the beets and dill tahini sauce, and they are super flavourful.
the details
ingredients you’ll need:
To make these beet falafel bowls, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- For the beet falafel: White beans, beets, red onion, garlic, dill, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, chili flakes or cayenne, sea salt, pepper, pepitas or sunflower seeds, oat flour, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, whole grain mustard, and ground flax.
- For the lemon dill tahini sauce: Tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt, pepper, maple syrup, water, and dill.
- For serving: Cooked quinoa or buckwheat and steamed dark leafy green vegetables of your choice (such as kale or collards… or even broccoli).
how to make:
Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, make the beet falafels: Combine the flax and water in a small dish. Place the white beans in a food processor and pulse several times to break them up. Stop just before a paste forms. Transfer into a large mixing bowl. Add the grated beets, red onion, garlic, dill, both types of paprika, chili or cayenne, salt, pepper, seeds, oat flour, olive oil, balsamic, mustard, and flax egg. Stir to combine. I usually mix by hand to combine all of the ingredients really well.
Form the mixture into 18 balls and lightly press down by hand. Place each one on the baking sheet as you go. Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until crispy on the bottom and around the edges and they no longer stick to the parchment paper.
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While the beet falafels are in the oven, make the lemon dill tahini sauce. Place the tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, pepper, maple syrup, and water in a blender. Blend until smooth. Finally, add the chopped dill and blend very briefly to incorporate. Just don’t blend for too long unless you want a green sauce, as opposed to a beige sauce with flecks of green!
To serve, add three or four falafels to a bowl, along with some quinoa or buckwheat and steamed greens. Drizzle the falafels generously with lemon dill tahini sauce and dig in!
some final thoughts and suggestions
You can certainly enjoy the beet falafels and lemon dill tahini sauce on pitas or small tortillas (falafel pitas/tacos are truly among the best meals in the world!) instead of in bowls if that’s what you’re craving!
Another delicious accompaniment with the falafels and sauce would be oven roasted potatoes and a salad made with fresh spring greens or roasted asparagus.
If you are not a fan of beets, feel free to use an equivalent amount of sweet potatoes or carrots. You will not have the vibrant pink hue, but they will still be delicious! Equally, if you don’t have any white beans on hand, chickpeas should work.
You can easily turn these falafels into veggie burgers. Just make 6 large patties instead of 18 small ones, and bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve on buns or pitas with the tahini sauce and sauerkraut.
more beet recipes
- Roasted Beet and Broccoli Salad with Green Tahini Dressing
- Nourishing Beet, Cabbage, and Kidney Bean Borscht
- Roasted Beet and Crispy Kale Tacos with Avocado Sauce
Well, I hope that you love these beet falafel bowls! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment or rating below. And if you share a photo to Instagram, be sure to tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made.
And I’ll be back on Wednesday with a chickpea pasta bake. Until then, I hope you enjoy!
Beet Falafel Bowls with Lemon Dill Tahini Sauce
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These beet falafel bowls are so vibrant and flavourful! Comprised of beet and white bean falafels, quinoa, steamed greens, and lemon dill tahini sauce, they’re rich in protein, healthy fat, and antioxidants.
Ingredients
Beet White Bean Falafels
- 2 tablespoons ground flax + 4 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ cups cooked white beans
- 1 ½ cups peeled, grated beets*
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- ¾ cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes or ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup pepitas or sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons old fashioned whole grain mustard
Lemon Dill Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup tahini
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (or to taste- I love it super tangy, but feel free to adjust as you like)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
For Serving
- Cooked quinoa or buckwheat
- Steamed greens or broccoli
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Next, make the beet falafels: Combine the flax and water in a small dish. Place the white beans in a food processor and pulse several times to break them up. Stop just before a paste forms. Transfer into a large mixing bowl. Add the grated beets, red onion, garlic, dill, both types of paprika, chili or cayenne, salt, pepper, seeds, oat flour, olive oil, balsamic, mustard, and flax egg. Stir to combine. I usually mix by hand to combine all of the ingredients really well.
- Form the mixture into 18 balls and lightly press down by hand. Place each one on the baking sheet as you go. Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until crispy on the bottom and around the edges and they no longer stick to the parchment paper.
- While the beet falafels are in the oven, make the lemon dill tahini sauce. Place the tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, pepper, maple syrup, and water in a blender. Blend until smooth. Finally, add the chopped dill and blend very briefly to incorporate. Just don’t blend for too long unless you want a green sauce, as opposed to a beige sauce with flecks of green!
- To serve, add three or four falafels to a bowl, along with some quinoa or buckwheat and steamed greens. Drizzle the falafels generously with lemon dill tahini sauce and dig in!
Notes
*I grated the beets using the grater attachment of my food processor. You’ll need 1 rather large or 2 smaller beets to get 1 ½ cups grated beets.
Feel free to use less dill if you’re not a huge fan. 🙂
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
Julia says
I’m so happy I found this recipe- and this blog! Very delicious and inspiring meal! I’ve been trying to eat organically and local; in my area means lots of beets throughout the winter and early spring months. While I find beets okay in moderation, they are not my favorite on a frequent basis. This recipe helps to disguise / spruce them up them just enough! Plus it’s a really creative way to use them besides the typical roasted recipes.
As someone who avoids strong aftertastes / breath, I substituted caramelized onions and a little roasted garlic, for the falafels, and I left out the raw garlic entirely in the sauce. I also used a local whole wheat flour instead of oat flour because it’s what I had.
These came out really delicious, and they reheat very well. It’s the perfect quick lunch if you have everything made in advance. Yum! Thanks for your creativity!
Allison says
Oh, what a wonderful comment to read, Julia! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review. I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
John says
Such a great meal. And I love a new way to get beets into my diet. Very tasty.