Beauty shot of Moll Yeh's Squash Falafel with Chipotle Ranch, as seen on Girl Meets Farm Season 14
Recipe courtesy of Molly Yeh

Squash Falafel with Chipotle Ranch

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 9 hr 30 min (includes overnight soaking time)
  • Active: 45 min
  • Yield: 4 servings
Falafel is one of Molly’s most favorite foods in the world, and when she had a delicious squash falafel on her book tour, she knew she had to recreate it. She thinks chipotle and squash pair very well together, and since ranch flows like water in the Midwest, it was a no brainer to bring it all together in this dish.

Ingredients

Grain Salad:

Chipotle Ranch:

Falafel:

Salad:

Directions

  1. For the grain salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until bright green and just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the green beans and rinse under cold water to cool. Pat dry and set aside.
  2. Add the barley to the boiling water and cook until tender but still with a bit of chew, 35 to 40 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large mixing bowl. While still warm, add the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss well to combine and set aside.
  3. For the chipotle ranch: Into a small mixing bowl, add the ranch dressing and whisk in the adobo sauce. Set aside.
  4. To make the falafel: Drain the soaked chickpeas well and add to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add the onion, lemon juice, cilantro, parsley, chipotle and sauce, garlic, flour, cumin, coriander, salt and baking soda. Pulse 80 to 100 times (this is the magic number!) to make a thick batter that is still slightly grainy. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the grated squash until well combined. (Or if your food processor has a shredding attachment, switch to that and shred the squash right in.)
  5. Heat 1/2 inch of neutral oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a cooling rack.
  6. Form 1/4-cup portions of the batter into patties (you should get about 12 patties). Add as many patties to the oil as will fit comfortably and fry until browned, crispy and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to the cooling rack to drain of excess oil and repeat with the remaining patties. Season lightly with salt.
  7. To assemble the salad: Divide the barley and romaine among the serving bowls. Top each with the falafel, radishes, red onion and cucumbers. Drizzle each with some chipotle ranch and serve the rest on the side for dipping. Serve with lemon wedges.
  8. Falafel batter can be made ahead without the baking soda and frozen. Thaw and add the baking soda right before cooking. The barley and green beans can be made a day ahead, but return them to room temp before serving. Leftover falafel will keep, covered, in the fridge for a day or two. Reheat in a toaster oven to serve.

Cook’s Note

If you opt to use canned, drained garbanzo beans, dry them well, as they hold more moisture than dried and soaked. Before frying, form about a tablespoon of the mixture into a small “test patty” and fry; if it holds together, you’re good to go. If not, add another tablespoon or so of flour and try again.