It’s a Wednesday in February and I’ve got nothing. It happens. 😉 If you’ve got something exciting going on then please share it. I’ll live vicariously through you. 🙂 Even if I don’t leave you with a funny story or a thought provoking question, hopefully you’ll take away this healthy vegetarian recipe.
These cakes are made from chickpeas and loaded with lots of Indian seasoning and herbs.
Chickpea Cakes Recipe
(Makes 11 cakes)
Ingredients:
- 2 slices hearty white bread, torn into pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided per the directions)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoons scallions (equivalent to about 2 scallions), sliced thinly
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the pieces of bread into a food processor and process them until they are coarse crumbs.
- Spread the bread crumbs on a baking sheet and bake them for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. (Once they are done, let them cool.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garam masala, cayenne pepper, and salt. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or pastry blender until they are mostly smooth.
- Stir in the bread crumbs, egg mixture, minced shallot, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, and Greek yogurt.
- Form the bean mixture into 11 one inch thick patties. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion them out and then rolled them up into balls and flattened them with the bottom of the measuring cup.
- In a medium skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over Medium heat. Cook the patties until they are well browned (about 4 minutes per side). (Cook about 3 to 4 patties at one time.)
- Repeat the process, adding the remaining tablespoon of olive oil when needed.
They are best served immediately after cooking.
I liked using a pastry blender to mash the chickpeas (instead of using a food processor) because it’s easier to mash them to the exact consistency that you want. I like the chickpeas a little on the chunky side in this dish because it adds lovely texture to the cakes.
Garam masala is a combination of traditional Indian spices. While the exact amount of each spice may vary, it typically contains black pepper, white pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom.
I usually have a hard time making patties like these because the mixture tends to fall apart easily as I try to form them, but not this recipe. The mixture for these chickpea cakes are super easy to work with, which is a nice switch for me.
These cakes are a tad crunchy on the outside from frying them and a bit chunky inside from the bits of chickpea that managed to get past your pastry blender. In general, I seem to have bad luck with veggie burgers and I can’t say I’ve ever actually enjoyed one. These cakes are almost infinitely healthier than a hamburger and absolutely packed with flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good hamburger every now and then, but when I’m not in the mood for meat or when my jeans feel tight and I want to try to do something about it while still enjoying myself then these will do the trick!
I topped my cakes with Greek yogurt and enjoyed them for lunch and dinner with a side salad. Yay for a super duper healthy meal that’s packed with protein! 🙂 I think they’d also make a great appetizer (I might make them smaller for that occasion though).
I hope you’re having a great week! 🙂
Adapted from: America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Simple Recipes
Here is another great recipe from America’s Test Kitchen.
Here are some other fabulous vegetarian meals.
Tomato Chickpeas Over Dried Fig Infused Rice
These would make lovely burgers and mini little snacks!
Absolutely! 🙂
Haha, love your honesty Tina! Sometimes I go to write a post and I’m like, “Well, not much really going on…” These chickpea cakes sound amazing! I would want to use these as a veggie burger.
Hehe, I think this was truly the first time in the past year that I’ve felt speechless. Tina + speechless = weird. 😉 If had some good bakery rolls in the house when I made these chickpea cakes, I would have turned them into a “burger.” Definitely must-try next time. 🙂
These cakes look so good! I’ve always liked chickpeas, but I don’t cook with them nearly enough. I must change that. And I’m with you, I’d prefer the chunky chickpeas in these!
Thanks! I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
I feel for ‘ya! I’m not feeling very motivated today, either! But, these savory cakes do look amazing! Sometimes photography makes up for words. 😉
Hehe, I appreciate that! Thanks, my friend. 🙂
I always have chickpeas in my pantry and we all love these savory cakes! I just had lunch, but I can hear my stomach grumbling again – these look so good, Tina!
We always have chickpeas in the house too! Love them. They’re so versatile. 🙂
Yum! What a great weeknight vegetarian meal option! Healthy too! And I totally feel ya… sometimes I sit down to write a post and have absolutely NOTHING!
It’s good to hear that I’m not alone! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This is such a good veggie recipe! And I also have nothing exciting going on…
Thanks! Glad I’m not alone… maybe warmer weather will bring excitement. I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
Your chickpea cakes look wonderful. I love the Indian spices. Garam masala is one of my favorite smells
Thanks! This is my first time cooking with garam masala and I love it! So much flavor and it sure does smell wonderful. 🙂
Love these chickpea cakes! They look like a great meal and perfect for leftovers! And I hear ya – sometimes I stare at the screen for what feels like forever … and then I still have nothing to say!
Glad to hear I’m not alone in the “speechless department.” 😉
Love the sound of these! Relish in calmness of the moment, before you know everything will be happening at once!
Thanks! Oh you are so right… wonder what’s around the corner?! I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
I love of having these chickpea cakes for lunch, sure beats my usual boring lunch! Thanks for the inspiration!
These definitely were a nice switch to my typical boring salads at lunch!
Ooh yum! Definitely quite falafel-like, which I love! Love the idea of them being crunchy on the outside!
These do sort of remind me of falafels, now that you mention it!
These are full of my favorite Indian flavors! Bites of yumminess.
Bites of yumminess….love that!
Oh yum! I really love vegetarian “steaks”. These are probably some of the prettiest I’ve seen – no joke. Wonderful!
Wow, thank you!!
Sometimes it can be welcoming when things go a bit quiet. I love the look of this vegetarian dish. I haven’t made these before but I’m inspired to. These would make a very yummy dinner xx
I agree! Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
Ohhhhh Yummmm!!!!! These chickpea cakes have stolen my heart! I love how healthy this is and that little topping of Greek Yogurt not only makes it look BEAUTIFUL but I bet it will add so much more flavor to this already divine looking snack! ^_^
Thank you so much! I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
I want to make these so badly! I just checked that I have all of the ingredients on hand, and I’m totally making these for dinner tonight. I love veggie burgers so much!
Thanks for the recipe dear!
That’s awesome! I hope you love them as much as we do. 🙂
Sometimes my mind is just blank when I’m writing a post — I hate that but it happens! These chickpea cakes sound delicious with those warm spices and cool yogurt. Pinning!
Thanks so much! 🙂
Tina, I am in love with this. I’ve never tried tasting (let alone work with) chickpeas. I’ll just blame it on where I live. I’ve only heard of them through all of the other foodies. But now, I am going to go on a mission and find these… and make this. Absolutely tasty!
Oh my goodness, chickpeas are a staple in our home! If you can’t find them let me know and I’ll mail a few cans to you. 😉