Chickpea and sweet potato filo parcels are the ultimate quick healthy meal! With a delicious budget filling and a satisfying crunch this easy to make filo pastry recipe is just what you need as a lower fat healthier alternative to traditional pastry.
Folks, as we know pastry isn't exactly the most heart healthy choice when it comes to making a casing to hold a filling. Puff or flaky pastries are high in calories and fat.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not the pastry police and off course I like pastry as much as you do, but just in moderation!
You see, you CAN still use pastry in your recipes as a casing, just choose filo pastry instead.
It's perfectly possible to still make your most favourite pastry recipes by making them filo parcels recipes instead.
Just like my how I did with my Turkey Filo Pastry Samosas. They're so much more healthier, but just as delicious!
Filo pastry is different from regular pastry because there's no fat in the mix. It's made solely from flour and water.
The filo pastry I've used to make these easy tasty healthy vegetarian chickpea and sweet potato filo parcels has just 3.1g of fat per 100g and is low in saturated fat too.
Of course there are subtle differences between regular pastry and filo pastry in that filo pastry due to its thinness brings the whole problem of it tearing.
However, these chickpea and sweet potato filo parcels are the type of parcel that you definitely don’t have to be too precise with.
If you end up with a little hole somewhere then it really doesn’t really matter, just wrap the pastry round again to cover up the hole. Check out my filo pastry parcels in the recipe pictures, I'm certainly no pastry artist!
A top tip to remember though is not to remove the filo pastry sheets from the plastic bag until you're ready to use them.
Take out just the right amount of sheets you need and keep them covered with a plastic sheet or damp towel to avoid them drying out.
Replace any sheets you don't need back into the original plastic bag and re-seal then either refrigerate or freeze.
Prior to use place the frozen pastry into the fridge for 24 hours to allow it to defrost.
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Other Filo Pastry Recipes to Try
Here's some of my other filo pastry recipes that you might also like to try:-
- Spiced Quorn filo pastry parcels are a super quick and easy vegetarian dinner recipe for when time is short. Plus this budget recipe makes enough filling to serve 8 so there’s lots to go round or plenty for freezing too!
- Tomato Basil Mozzarella Filo Parcels - a delicious healthier version of Empanadas. All the classic flavours you would expect from a tomato basil mozzarella Empanada but with less calories and fat!
- Salmon Filo Parcels - similar to salmon en croute but without the high levels of saturated fat of normal pastry. This recipe is an ideal healthier alternative.
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Filo Parcels Recipe
This chickpea and sweet potato filo parcel recipe is also very adaptable as you can change up the filling to make it more interesting.
For example, you could add some chopped cooked chicken or other leftover meats you might have to hand.
I make these in batches and then freeze the ones I don't need for later. I have reheated these in the microwave to eat at work for lunch and the filo still stayed surprisingly crunchy!
I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Filo Parcels Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 medium sized sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 400 g can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon medium curry power
- Low fat cooking oil spray
- 8 sheets of ready rolled filo pastry
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180C Fan
- Gently heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion, garlic and sweet potato until soft for about 15 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and curry powder and cook for 3 more minutes then set aside to cool.
- Spray one filo sheet with the spray and place another sheet on top. Cut in half to make two squares. Spray the sheets on top. Do the same with the rest of the sheets so you end up with 8 squares.
- Divide the filling equally between the 8 sheets placing it in the middle of each sheet.
- Fold up the pastry to form parcels, use a little more spray to seal the parcels.
- Place the parcels on a lightly greased baking tray and cook for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Neha
Oh I am loving this flaky filo! Also these bright and healthy sides served along with it. I am gonna have to wrap my sweet potatoes in filo soon now.
neil@neilshealthymeals.com
Thanks Neha. I just love making easy fillings and wrapping them in filo, it saves so much time when it comes to weeknight dinners.
Shashi at SavorySpin
You know what Neil, I've always set aside pastries when I'm trying to watch what I eat - I didn't think to sub in filo - so thanks so much for this post and reminder! I love filo - so crispy and delicious - and I love the fact that you reheated these up in the microwave and they were still crispy! Delicious filling too!
neil@neilshealthymeals.com
I love pies and I love pastries filled with delicious fillings like steak and vegetarian fillings Shashi. But as you say sometimes we have to watch what we eat don't we?
So yeah, that's where filo pastry comes in handy as a substitute. Although I still miss that thick delicious pastry sometimes....... 😉
Steve Visby
Absolutely loved this recipe.
The filling is delicious and so simple to make.
Thanks a lot for posting this, it is going straight into my recipe rotation.
Neil
Glad you like my recipe Steve! Thanks for taking the time to make, rate and write a comment here! 🙂
David @ Spiced
What a great idea, Neil! I feel like I don't use filo dough near enough, but these parcels are really making me rethink that. I've used it occasionally for desserts, but now I'm craving this one. And that filling sounds like it's packed with flavor, too! Totally going to make these sometime soon...what a great trick to reduce the calories in pastry. 🙂
neil@neilshealthymeals.com
Filo dough does go well with desserts too though doesn't it David? I mean baklava. You really can't beat that as a delicious tasty dessert using filo.
I really should get baklava recipe up. That reminds me of our honeymoon in Kenya.
Ashika | Gardening Foodie
Filo makes such a great alternative to puff pastry and I love the chickpea and sweet potato filling you have used in this recipe Neil. It is also so good that you can make ahead and freeze, so perfect for lunch or dinner.
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe 🙂
neil@neilshealthymeals.com
Thanks Ashika, you are very welcome! This has been such a popular recipe that I hope to publish another easy filo parcel filling one soon!
Jen
The filling is delicious by itself and very easy to make, will be using this recipe again in the future without the pastry and just use as a main meal with rice
Neil
Thanks for taking the time to make my recipe and to comment too Jen. I'm really glad you liked it! Yes it's very tasty itself as a main meal with rice. Enjoy! 🙂