Chickpea Fritters with Tomato Basil Salad is a fresh, summery, budget dish. Delicious, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free, these fritters appeal to just about everyone.
Canned foods are a staple in my kitchen. I am crazy in love with canned foods because they can hang out on your shelf for a long time without refrigeration, and they're incredibly inexpensive.
Any time I see canned food on sale, I grab at least three cans. I know I can always throw something together when I'm in the need for a nourishing, tasty, and budget friendly meal.
I try to change things up for my frugal feasts posts because if I only wrote about canned foods, y'all would probably quit coming back to read. And that would just be so sad.
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So I double checked before making these chickpea fritters that it had been over 6 months, and I was at the 10 month mark. Ten months ago, I made this Easy Greek Casserole which is crazy easy.
Obviously, it had been more than enough time to share another tasty canned food recipe with you, and this one is perfect for the summer time.
These chickpea fritters have basil in them plus tomato basil salad to give them this dish a fresh, summery flavor.
To be honest, I really didn't want to go to the store and I had all the ingredients in the kitchen. We've been staying at our bay house for the past month, and the grocery store is at least a 20 minute drive away. I'm too busy fishing & watching sunsets, and I much prefer walking to the grocery store.
Luckily, I could walk next door to my grandmother's house and grab a tomato, walk outside for some basil, and grab a can of chickpeas in the pantry. I had some leftover flax seed meal from last month's chicken nuggets, and eggs are always in my refrigerator no matter when and where I am.
Thirty minutes later, I had a batch of Chickpea Fritters with Tomato Basil Salad. I overcooked the ones you see pictured because I got sidetracked trying to find my camera. Organization is not my strength.
Any who, the ones that weren't overcooked were delish. The overcooked ones were a little dry, but that didn't matter after you covered them with the juicy tomato basil salad. Either way, try not to overcook them, but don't freak out if it happens.
Start by making your chickpea fritters then refrigerate them while making the salad. The quick refrigeration time helps them hold together a little better. It's not mandatory but it is helpful. These things are pretty sticky so don't worry when they stick to your hand a little bit while you're shaping the fritters.
Once they're ready, just pop them in a large skillet and fry for about 3 minutes per side, until they are lightly browned. Drain on some paper towels while you decide whether you're serving them in a lettuce wrap, on a bed of lettuce, or in a pita.
Now, go enjoy your fresh, summery, budget meal that also happens to be vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and soy-free in case any of those qualities are things you look for in a dish. Enjoy!
Chickpea Fritters with Tomato Basil Salad
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can chickpeas rinsed & drained
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil divided
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 large egg
- 2 TBSP flaxseed meal
- 3/8 tsp salt divided
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 large tomato cored & chopped
- 1 TBSP red wine vinegar
- 2 TBSP olive oil divided
Instructions
- Add the chickpeas, garlic, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 tsp salt, and cayenne pepper to the bowl of a mini food processor. Pulse until the chickpeas are chopped but not made into a paste.
- In a medium bowl, stir together egg and flaxseed meal. Add in chickpea mixture and stir until combined.
- Shape into 8 small patties. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate. Let refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the tomato basil salad by adding the tomatoes, remaining 1/4 cup basil, remaining 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp olive oil, and vinegar to a medium glass or plastic bowl. Set aside. [Store in the fridge if waiting longer than 60 minutes]
- When ready to cook, add the remaining 1 TBSP + 2 tsp olive oil to a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chickpea patties carefully to skillet. Cook for about 2-4 minutes per side until the fritters are lightly golden and crispy on the outside.
- Remove to paper towels to drain off excess oil. Enjoy!
Notes
What to use in this recipe:
Meme
Doesn't this recipe look good?! You should probably pin it for later:
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