I love a go-to recipe that’s every bit as delicious (and satisfying) as the first time I made it, regardless of how many times it’s on repeat. Even better? When the said recipe is as easy as tossing everything into a bowl and dressing it up with whatever ingredients I have on hand. Enter: my chickpea salad sandwich.
This is a vegetarian play on the classic chicken or tuna salad sandwich that satisfies all craving for a quick lunch sandwich on a weekday. Simply whip up a big batch on Sunday night as part of meal prep and it’s ready for several sandwiches throughout the week. And I promise that it still tastes good days later thanks to the hearty ingredients. So, if you’ve been looking for more plant-based recipes to add to your day-to-day repertoire (but that still satisfy your craving for something hearty and healthy), then look no further.
Okay, if we’re being honest, this is a no-recipe recipe, because it’s basically impossible to mess this one up. All you need is a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand, one large bowl, and some bread.
The base of this salad is a mix of chickpea and cannellini beans. You could, of course, just use chickpeas, I have many times, but I like the creaminess that the cannellini beans add. Plus, they really help to bind everything together with the sauce. The sauce is just a blend of some vegan mayo (you can use regular mayo too, or even a bit of hummus to help bind everything), some dijon, lemon juice, salt, pepper, salt, pepper, and a little squeeze of honey. Again, if you’re going full vegan, you can swap in agave.
The sauce, the beans, a bunch of celery for crunch, cranberries for a tangy sweetness, and some onions for an added savory bite really bring all of this together into a delicious lunch time option—it’s packed with flavor and healthy protein.
The best part is you can totally customize this chickpea salad sandwich with whatever you have around. Use the below recipe as a guide, but again, it’s really hard to mess this recipe up. Add in different fresh herbs like basil or parsley, some extra greens, swap the cranberries for sliced grapes for sweetness, or even add some extra heat with chipotles and jalapeños.
While I usually eat this in sandwich form, it’s just as delicious served up with crackers, as a lettuce wrap, or over greens like arugula for a hearty salad.
There’s no more sad desk lunches over here, y’all. Happy lunching!
Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
Serves 4 people
a quick and easy make-ahead lunch
Prep
15 minutes
Categories
vegetarian
Ingredients
for the salad:
- 1/3 cup of dried cranberries
- 1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp of mayo (vegan or regular)
- squeeze of dijon mustard
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- small squeeze of honey (or agave)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1-2 stems of green onions, chopped
to serve:
- bread of choice
- lettuce
- onions
- condiments
Instructions
- Rehydrate the cranberries. In a bowl, add the dried cranberries and pour hot water over them. Let them sit and soak for about 15 minutes.
- While the cranberries are rehydrating, prep the rest of the salad. In a large mixing bowl, add about 1/3 of the cannellini beans. Mash with a fork until smooth. Add the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, honey, and salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. Taste and adjust as needed.
- In a small bowl, add the chickpeas. Mash with a fork. You don't need them completely smooth, but you want to create some texture.
- Add the mashed chickpeas and remaining cannellini beans to the large bowl with the chopped celery and green onions.
- Drain and dry the cranberries and add to the mixing bowl.
- Stir to combine and adjust taste as desired.
- Serve over bread with your favorite sandwich toppings or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to eat. Enjoy!
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