When family visits and everyone has different dietary needs—a celiac, a vegan, and a child with a peanut allergy—hosting dinner can feel like the setup to a joke. In my house, it’s simply dinner. For a recent family gathering I served Falafel Burgers with Creamy Tahini Sauce and Quinoa Tabbouleh, a flexible, crowd-pleasing meal that accommodated multiple diets and tastes.
We were celebrating my father’s 91st birthday. Two weeks before the party he’d had emergency surgery to remove a blood clot, and the prognosis was uncertain. While he was still in the ICU I told him the party would happen no matter what, and luckily he recovered enough to join us.
With eighteen people over several days—including picky children, toddlers, babies and relatives with a range of food sensitivities and allergies—eating out wasn’t practical. Hosting at home was the simplest option. I needed dishes that were easy to prepare in quantity, affordable, and suitable for everyone.
One night I made these falafel burgers with creamy tahini sauce and quinoa tabbouleh from my book Simply Gluten Free Quick Meals. They’re easy to scale up, and I rounded out the meal with a large tossed green salad, lemon-roasted fingerling potatoes and a few bottles of wine.
Tips for making the falafel burgers
Instead of shaping the patties by hand, I used an ice cream scoop to speed the process and found it doubled the yield—eight burgers instead of four—without anyone noticing the smaller size. You can make the burgers ahead of time and keep them warm in a low (200°F) oven on a sheet pan or refrigerate and reheat later.
I made two versions of the creamy tahini sauce—one with dairy and one dairy-free—and include the dairy-based recipe below with notes for making it dairy-free.
We had a wonderful week together, my house survived, and Dad is doing well. That’s the best ending I could ask for.
Falafel Burgers with Creamy Tahini Sauce and Quinoa Tabbouleh
Gluten Free & More
20
25
1
4 people
Ingredients
Falafel Burgers
- 2 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- 1 bunch scallions, green onions trimmed and roughly chopped
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, about 1 cup, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons gluten-free garbanzo bean flour, or all-purpose gluten-free flour (divided use)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Lettuce leaves, for serving
- Creamy Tahini Sauce (recipe follows)
- Chili garlic sauce, optional
Creamy Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup sesame tahini
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (for dairy-free, substitute dairy-free Greek yogurt or omit and add an additional ½ cup tahini)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup water (more if needed)
Quinoa Tabbouleh
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup pre-rinsed quinoa
- Kosher salt, to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 hothouse seedless cucumber, finely diced
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
Falafel Burgers
- Put the chickpeas, scallions, parsley, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the flour in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until the mixture forms a coarse paste. Divide into 8 equal portions and shape into patties. Place the remaining flour on a plate, dredge the patties in the flour to coat both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook 2–3 minutes per side, or until crispy and heated through.
- To serve, place falafel burgers on lettuce leaves, top each with a dollop of Creamy Tahini Sauce and a small spoon of chili garlic sauce if desired. Serve extra tahini sauce on the side.
Creamy Tahini Sauce
- Place the tahini, yogurt (or dairy-free substitute), garlic, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ cup water in a blender. Blend until smooth and thick—about the consistency of lightly whipped cream. Add a little more water if necessary and adjust salt to taste. Transfer to a bowl. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
Quinoa Tabbouleh
- In a saucepan combine the water, quinoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 5 minutes.
- While the quinoa cooks, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, olive oil, black pepper, and lemon juice. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork, add the vegetable mixture and stir gently to combine. Adjust seasoning and serve at room temperature.
- Tabbouleh can be made ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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