Falafel-Spiced Tomato and Chickpea Flatbread

Dinner Ideas
August 1, 2019
Dinner Ideas
August 1, 2019

Falafel-Spiced Tomato and Chickpea Flatbread

Boy oh boy, do we have a good one for you guys today. Introducing Falafel-Spiced Tomato and Chickpea Flatbread to

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Falafel-Spiced Tomato and Chickpea Flatbread

falafel-spiced tomato and chickpea flatbread drizzled with olive oil

Boy oh boy, do we have a good one for you guys today. Introducing Falafel-Spiced Tomato and Chickpea Flatbread to use up all those fresh heirloom tomatoes. Picture this: perfectly grilled homemade naan bread topped with a tangy cucumber yogurt sauce, smashed chickpeas, and perfectly spiced heirloom tomatoes. Can I get a HECK YEAH?! This flavor and texture explosion is exactly what you need for dinner tonight.

heirloom tomato flatbread with falafel spice

What exactly is a falafel-spiced tomato and chickpea flatbread?

Earlier this summer we planted an herb garden and, let me tell you, it’s been getting seriously out of hand. Who knew herbs could grow so fast?! I mean, they’re practically privacy hedges at this point. So, the other day when I harvested more mint and parsley than I could handle, I wracked my brain for a recipe to make. We’ve already made chimichurri and pesto too many times to count.

And then I remembered this absolutely insane homemade heirloom tomato flatbread recipe from Joshua McFadden that I had made ages ago. It’s packed full of seasonal flavor and fresh herbs and the perfect dinner for these hot summer nights.

falafel-spice tomato flatbread cut in half on board

Bonus points because this heirloom tomato flatbread comes together in under 30 minutes and uses so many in season fresh veggies along with on hand ingredients! We polled you guys a couple of months ago about what kind of recipes you wanted on the blog, and so many people asked for fun and different weeknight dinner recipes. And this falafel spiced tomato and chickpea flatbread is just that. I know these lengthy directions look intimidating, but I promise, it’s just because they’re thorough–no guess work here 🙂 

If you’re looking to cut down on time you can also always use store bought naan or a pizza crust and then this dinner would seriously materialize in 10 minutes. 

How to make homemade naan?

I was so mad when I found out how incredibly easy it is to make homemade naan. Who knew all I needed was baking powder, all purpose flour, a little sugar, yogurt, and some olive oil? So, if you’re weary of breads, don’t be intimidated by this one because it’s incredibly straight forward and easy to make! And so worth it. It’s the perfect base for an heirloom tomato flatbread 🙂

No excuses, guys–you definitely have all the ingredients in your cupboard. Simply mix everything together in a large bowl, knead for a minute (you hear me! A MINUTE), let rest for fifteen minutes, and then cook in a hot skillet. Et voila! Homemade naan!

Get your chef on tonight and whip this up. It’s one of those recipes that everyone will ooh and ahh over, but you’ll rest easy knowing it was a pinch to make. Plus she’s just so pretty. Enjoy these falafel-spiced tomato flatbread bbs and have an amazing weekend!

XX

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Falafel-Spiced Tomato and Chickpea Flatbread

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Joshua McFadden
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 flatbreads
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: stovetop
  • Author: Joshua McFadden
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 flatbreads
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: stovetop

Ingredients

for the tomatoes

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
  • 4 large heirloom tomatoes, any color

for the chickpeas

  • 1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup parsley leaves with tender stems
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

for the yogurt sauce

  • 1 Persian cucumber, peeled, chopped
  • 3/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
  • Hot sauce
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the naan

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

    Tomatoes and Chickpeas

    • Combine garlic, sumac, red pepper flakes, coriander, cumin, and 1 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle garlic mixture evenly over top. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

    • Toss chickpeas and vinegar in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Mash chickpeas with a fork until about half are smashed. Add shallot, parsley, and oil and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

    Yogurt Sauce

    • Combine cucumber, yogurt, mint, and parsley in a medium bowl; season with hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes.

    • Do Ahead: Yogurt sauce can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.

    Flatbread and Assembly

    • Whisk baking powder, sugar, 2 cups flour, and 2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Add yogurt and stir to combine (the yogurt’s acidity ensures a tender texture). Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until mostly smooth, about 1 minute. Divide into 4 pieces, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 15 minutes (this will make dough easier to roll).

    • Working one at a time, roll out each piece of dough into a round about ⅛” thick. (Don’t stress: They don’t need to be perfect.) Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium. Working one at a time, cook rounds of dough until underside is golden brown and flatbread is beginning to puff, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until other side is golden brown, about 1 minute longer; transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and rounds of dough. Let cool slightly.

    • Top each flatbread with yogurt sauce, chickpea mixture, and tomatoes. Drizzle with more oil and season well with salt and pepper.

 

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  1. Fantastic! Thank you. It was really fun to make and the different parts taste delicious. The 4 of us loved it – 3 of us are true Foodies! The 4th is my DH and he likes all food.

    It took longer to prepare than I thought, but once each component (tomatoes, chickpeas, yogurt) is made and set aside, easy to put together. I made my own Naan using yeast.

    The only minor changes I made: Chives vs shallots in the chickpeas (no shallots in the house) – Za’atar to the tomatoes along w the other spices (it hit the spot!) – splash of lemon juice to the yogurt.

    I used a piece of English cucumber 6-inches long, scooped out the insides = 6 oz. About the weight of a Persian cuc. I let it drain a bit to prevent a watery sauce.

    On your site, the toppings go on top of the Naan. On Joshua McFadden’s site, it’s served in flat bowls and the Naan is eaten separately as people choose – as a scoop, wrap, or in pieces.

    The amount below served 4 of us at lunch and we each had an ear of corn, too. When I make it again for 4, I will probably increase the amounts below by 25%. Maybe not – I may not have had enough tomatoes. I used Heirloom Purple Bumblebee tomatoes from my garden. About 1-1/2 inch diameter.

    Loved this! BTW – Having a willing chopping helper makes this easier!






  2. Fantastic! Thank you. It was really fun to make and the different parts taste delicious. So pretty when assembled. The 4 of us loved it – and 3 of us are true Foodies! The 4th was my DH and he likes all food.

    It took longer to prepare than I thought, but once each component (tomatoes, chickpeas, yogurt) is made and set aside, easy to put together. I made my own Naan using yeast.

    The only minor changes I made: Chives vs shallots in the chickpeas (no shallots in the house) – Za’atar added to the tomatoes along w the other spices (it hit the spot!) – splash of lemon juice to the yogurt.

    I used a piece of English cucumber 6-inches long, scooped out the insides = 6 oz. About the weight of a Persian cuc. I let it drain a bit to prevent a watery sauce.

    On your site, the toppings go on top of the Naan. On Joshua McFadden’s site, it’s served in flat bowls and the Naan is eaten separately – we used it as a scoop, wrap, or in pieces.

    The amount below served 4 of us at lunch and we each had an ear of fresh corn, too. When I make it again for 4, I will probably increase the amounts below by 25%. Maybe not – I may not have had enough tomatoes. I used Heirloom Purple Bumblebee tomatoes from my garden. About 1-1/2 inch diameter. And I had made no dessert :). Just fresh nectarines.

    BTW – Having a willing chopping helper makes this easier!