This chickpea pesto sandwich is a non-traditional pesto with smashed chickpeas that makes a delicious sandwich filling for an easy vegetarian meal.
This is a sandwich with an identity crisis.
It’s part hummus, part pesto, part guacamole.
It’s like throwing a Greek, an Italian and a Mexican together and telling them to have a party.
Not a bad combination really, especially if they all bring drinks.
I’ve actually been drunk in all 3 of those countries (sounds like a good resume booster, no?) and if I had to pick a favorite, it’d be Italy.
Only because it involved lots of delicious wine, Venice and an Italian waiter kissing the entire length of my arm from my finger tips to my shoulder while serving me gnocchi. A foodie’s fantasy come true. I was 19 and it was amazing even with my parents sitting next to me.
The gnocchi was pretty good too.
If I had to pick one of those things this tastes like the most, it’s pesto.
Just a rather unusually creamy one with some chickpeas thrown in.
I can’t promise any sexually frustrated waiters appearing at your table while eating this, but I can promise a multicultural party in your mouth.
Who said lunch had to be boring?
Mashed chickpeas are a great way to do “lunch salads” in a vegetarian way.
The same way you’d make a sardine salad, salmon salad or tuna salad, you can make a chickpea salad sandwich like this.
The ingredients are up to you. I happen to love the pesto flavor of this sandwich but you can play around depending on your preferences.
Love spice? Use the ingredients in this sriracha avocado egg salad and just swap out hard boiled eggs for chickpeas!
Looking for more delicious sandwich recipes like this chickpea pesto sandwich?
Try one of these:
Smoked Salmon BLT with Avocado
Garlic Yogurt Chicken Salad Sandwich with Sun Dried Tomato Spread
Summer BLTC Sandwich
Roasted Sweet Potato Apple Ham Sandwich
Chickpea Pesto Sandwich
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup baby spinach
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- salt & pepper
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 4 slices of wheat bread
Instructions
- Dry chickpeas and remove as many of the “skins” as possible. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Roughly smash chickpeas with the back of a fork or a potato masher until they’re about half smashed, half intact. Set aside.
- Combine remaining ingredients except bread in a food processor and process until creamy and combined.
- Transfer half the “pesto” to the bowl with the chickpeas and combine with a spatula.
- Use remaining pesto to spread on each slice of bread.
- Spoon pesto/chickpea mixture onto one piece of bread and top with another slice to create a sandwich.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
This looks AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to make this for lunch, or maybe dinner tonight!
Great idea! I love the combination! Definitely need to try this ASAP!
That looks awesome! I love fluffy sandwiches, especially plant-based ones. Sun-dried tomatoes is an excellent choice for flavor bursts. We’ve been eating them like candy lately.
This looks great! I love chickpeas. Definitely going to try this soon.
This sandwich looks so inviting, it’s so full of goodness! I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE.
Definitely a resume’ booster. I love the sound of this sandwich, and I can totally make it in spite of current lack-of-a-real-kitchen. :)
Shut uppppppp Gina! This sounds TOO delicious! I LOVE making a “meaty” sammich out of chickpeas. I need to try this STAT.
P.S. I totally loved getting drunk in Italy too. My hubby and I did the second and third leg of our honeymoon in Venice and Rome (respectively) and I got so used to drinking wine all the time, that when I got home I thought it was weird not to do that :-X Whoops.
I’m pretty sure that’s how I’ll feel after Napa this weekend! ;)
hehe! me 2! see you there!
This looks delicious! Lunches are tough to get creative with, but this looks perfect. Can’t wait to try it! (And your commentary is pretty hilarious too.)
Oh man I am totally adding these ingredients to my grocery list. Looks amazing!
So simple and so good. If I eat any more chickpeas I may turn in to one!