When I’m famished, which occurs more often than I’d like, my mind runs wild with recipe creations. Reason to let myself become famished more often, perhaps? The last time I was famished, I really wanted a falafel pita pocket. From there, my mind wandered to how perfectly the falafel patties would fit in between slider buns. Then, I mentally built my slider with toppings such as tahini sauce, tangy feta, crunchy cucumbers, and some sort of pickled vegetable. I had a feeling I was on to something so I jot the idea down, got my blood sugar back up, and got to working on these right away.
I stumbled on Natasha’s Kitchen’s cabbage and beet salad. The color was reminiscent of pickled turnips, a usual accompaniment to Mediterranean falafel plates, so I thought these might be perfect as a slaw to top off the sliders.
When I was all done with my starvation-driven fantasy, I served them to the toughest critics in the house – my dad and husband! One bite from each of them is enough to know if I have a winner or a loser on my hands. I am here to report that they were father and husband approved (not an easy feat)! They were such a hit that I received requests to make them two nights in a row!
Ready to make these winners for your family? Let’s go!
Both the slaw and falafel patties need to be prepped at least a day in advance so plan accordingly. Good news is, you’re going to end up with a large batch of falafels and slaw so dinner is covered for a couple of days :)
Make my tahini sauce and falafels and shape them into patties that will fit nicely in between your slider buns.
Then, make the cabbage and beet slaw. Bring water, oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil and allow to cool. Pour over shredded cabbage, beets, and garlic and create a press with a bowl of water and plate. Allow to marinate over night and drain.
For some added crunch, chop up some cucumbers and dice up some tomatoes.
Finally, separate your slider buns (I used King’s Hawaiian Rolls), and lightly toast them in the toaster oven or on the stove.
Spread the bottom of the bun with a dollop of tahini sauce, add the falafel pattie, a smear of tahini sauce, a sprinkling of feta cheese, a scoop of the cucumber and tomatoes, top with the slaw and close with the top of the bun.
Now go and enjoy your falafel sliders. You can thank me later :)
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Falafel Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 tomato seeded and diced
- 15 King's Hawaiian rolls
- Tahini sauce recipe below
- Falafel patties recipe below
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- Cabbage and beet slaw recipe below
Instructions
- Combine the cucumber and tomato.
- Split and toast the rolls.
- Spread some tahini sauce on the base of the roll. Top with one pattie and spread on more tahini sauce. Sprinkle with feta cheese, cucumber and tomato mixture, and cabbage and beet slaw.
- Top with top of the roll.
Falafels with Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
Falafels
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 cup dried chickpeas* picked over and rinsed
- 1 shallot
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon ground corriander
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Vegetable or canola oil
Tahini Sauce
- 1/2 cup tahini sesame paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves
Serving Suggestions
- shredded lettuce
- diced tomatoes
- diced cucumbers
- crumbled feta
Instructions
Falafels
- Add salt to 2 quarts of water and stir until dissolved. Add the chickpeas and soak overnight for 8-24 hours*. After soaking, drain and rinse.
- Combine the chickpeas, herbs and spices, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until pieces are uniform, but slightly coarse, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Form about 3 tablespoons of mixture into a ball**.
- Fill oil about half to three-fourths high in a deep skillet or saucepan and heat over medium heat until 375°F.
- Carefully add each ball or disc into the oil using tongs or a slotted spoon***.
- Once the underside of the first falafel reaches a deep golden brown, flip it over to brown the other side. Repeat with the remaining falafels.
- Once the entire falafel is a deep golden brown, carefully remove from the oil, one-by-one, and place on a cooling rack set over a rimmed cookie sheet to drain the oil.
- Serve with tahini sauce (recipe below), shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and crumbled feta.
Tahini Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth and well-combined.
Notes
Cabbage and Beet Slaw
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 5/8 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/2 medium head of cabbage
- 2 small beets peeled
- 3 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the water, oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- While the marinade is cooling, shred the cabbage and beets and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic.
- Pour the cooled marinade over the shredded salad and stir to combine. Press the salad down with a plate and weigh down with a bowl of water. Marinade overnight.
- Drain and store in the refrigerator in a glass jar fitted with a lid.
Adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen
I LOVE the grid on this one too!
Very pin-aable!
:D Thanks!
These are so clever, and what a wonderful vegetarian-friendly dish! I love falafel. <3
Thank you!
These are brilliant – and I’m positive my family would love them! Planning ahead is not really my forte, but these certainly look worth the wait. Yum!
:D What’s nice is that the cabbage and beet slaw yields a large amount so you will have plenty for the next round of sliders without having to plan ahead! We even use extras to top our weekday lunch sandwiches to add a little pizzazz :)