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Introduction

This simple chickpea salad sandwich turns a humble can of chickpeas into a protein-packed vegan sandwich recipe everyone will love. With no mayo and a zippy Dijon Vinaigrette, this healthy lunch or dinner is herbaceous, rich in texture, and loaded with Mediterranean flavors!

Dijon Vinaigrette Makes This Chickpea Sandwich Sing!

Like most things, I have to add my distinctly Mediterranean vibe to this chickpea salad sandwich recipe.

I load it up with fresh herbs like mint and parsley, two kinds of olives: buttery Castelvetrano and Kalamata, and a zippy Dijon vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil! It’s tangy, has a little kick, and I use it to replace the mayo often used in salad sandwich recipes for a lighter, more flavorful, never-dry sandwich filling.

No mayo needed for this recipe!

I mash the chickpeas so they get a bit creamy and hold together nicely. Then I load them with my usual suspects: fresh veggies for crunch and green onions for depth of flavor.

I would happily eat the delicious chickpea salad sandwich filling by the spoonful, but tucked between freshly toasted whole-grain bread, this vegan chickpea salad is a downright treat.

The best part: like many Mediterranean chickpea recipes, you can prep ahead and enjoy for lunches throughout the week.

Why I Like This Recipe

• My Dijon vinaigrette, olive, and fresh herbs give this chickpea salad sandwich a distinctly Mediterranean vibe.

• Mayo just isn’t necessary. The vinaigrette and the smashed chickpeas keep this sandwich filling creamy without compromising the crunch from the veggies.

• It only takes 15 minutes to make, perfect for lunches or meal prep. Make it on Sunday and eat it all week.

Smashed Chickpea Sandwich Tip

You can certainly keep all the chickpeas whole for this recipe, but I like to use the back of my fork to smash about half the chickpeas before mixing them with the other ingredients.

It creates a creamier, more cohesive filling that sticks to the toasted bread and absorbs all the delicious flavors from the vinaigrette.

The creamy filling is a perfect contrast to the toasted bread.

How to Make a Protein-Packed Vegan Sandwich

This chickpea salad sandwich is one of the simplest chickpea recipes out there: just mix, dress, and stuff! Here’s the step-by-step:

• Make the Dijon Vinaigrette. Finely chop a small shallot and add to a mixing bowl (1 tablespoon or so of chopped shallot.) Add 1/4 cup Champagne vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, and a splash of water to help with the emulsion. Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each) and whisk to combine. Continue whisking as you drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking and set aside.

• Mash the chickpeas. Drain and rinse 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas. Add to a large mixing bowl and lightly mash with the back of a fork until they’re still chunky but a bit more pasty. This will help the mixture stay together.

• Chop the veggies, adding to the bowl as you go. Chop one celery stick, 1 Persian cucumber, and 4 radishes. Peel and chop 1 carrot. Trim and chop 2 green onions (both white and green parts.) Chop 1/4 cup each of pitted Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives. Chop enough fresh parsley leaves to give you 1 cup, and enough fresh mint leaves for 1/4 cup. Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper and toss gently to combine.

• Dress. Add as much of the dressing as you like, making sure you coat all the chickpeas and veggies well. Toss to combine.

• Toast the bread. For 4 sandwiches, toast 8 slices of bread until golden.

• Serve. Spoon the chickpea mixture over 4 of the toasted bread slices and top with the remaining 4 slices of bread. Enjoy!

Ways to Mix it Up

This chickpea salad sandwich is easy to tweak and adapt based on your mood and what you have. If you have other fresh veggies on hand, like bell peppers, avocado or arugula, feel free to throw them in the mix.

Here are some more ideas to play with the flavors of this recipe:

• Add cheese: Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on the bread for more tangy-creamy flavor. Or add crumbled feta to the mix. And if you love that, try this [Veggie Sandwich with Whipped Feta and Pepperoncini] next.

• Add pickles: Add an extra tang with quick [pickled red onions], [pickled cucumbers], or even finely chopped preserved lemons.

• Make it spicy: Add a thin layer of harissa to the bread–you can make [homemade harissa] or order my favorite online at [our shop].

• Make it gluten-free: You can, of course, swap in your favorite gluten-free bread. But I also love to skip the bread altogether and pull apart endive to make perfectly crisp cups for filling. Or serve on a bed of lettuce.

• Add chicken: Take a page from my [Chicken and Chickpea Salad] with shredded poached chicken (rotisserie works).

What to Serve with this Vegan Sandwich Recipe

I love to keep this chickpea salad sandwich’s vegan picnic vibes. Give the classic packed lunch a Mediterranean twist or go for a soup, sandwich and salad setup:

• [Greek red lentil soup]

• [cucumber salad]

• [hummus] with [pita chips]

• glasses of iced [Karkade (Hibiscus Tea)]

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