Tomato Basil Chickpea Salad Sandwich FTW! Whip up this healthy vegetarian chickpea salad in advance for speedy make-ahead lunches or picnic eats.
Some days I seriously wonder why I didn’t call this blog Chickpeas and Crayons.
I clearly underestimated my love of all things chickpea (and the moniker my little one end up rocking as well!) when choosing a title. Lately they’re all I crave and, if you’ve been reading along, you know just how deeply in love I am with these tasty little garbanzo beans.
Playing catch up? Here are a few of my favorite ways to scarf chickpeas lately:
- Crispy Roasted Shawarma Chickpeas
- Buffalo Chickpea Salad
- Creamy Tomato Soup with Crispy Parmesan Chickpeas
- Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Jalapeño and Zucchini
Since whipping up THIS garden veggie chickpea salad sandwich several weeks ago I’ve been crushing extra hard.
Desperate to enjoy this smashed chickpea salad all Spring and Summer long without tiring of it, I decided to revamp the flavors a little and play around with my garden’s bounty. Since our tomatoes are starting to ripen and my basil is growing out of control, I give you chickpea salad sandwich 2.0: tomato basil edition!
That was a lot of hype for a sandwich, eh? WORTH IT!
I’ll spare you my swoon-fest and get on with the recipe. Grab some chickpeas and meet me in the kitchen!
Tomato Basil Chickpea Salad Sandwich
A riff on traditional tuna or chicken sandwiches, these smashed chickpea sammies are super healthy and full of flavor – you seriously won’t miss the meat!
Tomato Basil Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD:
- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained + rinsed
- 3 stalks green onion
- 2 stalks celery
- ¼ cup chopped shredded carrots
- ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup store bought or homemade mayonnaise (vegan or regular)
- 1-2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 3 TBSP unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
- 2 TBSP fresh chopped basil plus extra to taste
FOR THE SANDWICH:
- multi-grain sandwich bread
- arugula or leafy greens of choice
- extra basil to taste
- sliced tomatoes
- sandwich spread of your choice: spicy mustard, mayo, hummus, etc…
- I only had grape tomatoes handy but feel free to grab roma, heirloom, beefsteak, or any tomatoes of your choosing. As long as they’re ripe this sandwich will rock!
Instructions
- Drain and rinse your chickpeas and add them to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until texture appears flaked, almost like tuna salad. I use both a potato masher and follow up with a fork to make sure every chickpea is deliciously smashed. You could also use a food processor and skip the arm workout!
- Chop your green onion, celery, shredded carrots, pepper.
- Add to the bowl with your chickpeas, then add mayo, dijon, yellow mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir well to coat.
- Fold in sunflower seeds and chopped basil (as much or as little as you’d like) and adjust any ingredients to taste. Get creative with your chickpeas, yo!
- Pile high on bread with all your sandwich fixings or enjoy as a wrap, with crackers, on a salad, or simply dive into the bowl spoon-first like I tend to do. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
special diets and swaps
- Vegansaurus Chefs: Use your favorite vegan plant-based mayo and you’re good to go!
- T-rex Chefs: Pretty please promise me you’ll try this?! Put down the bacon and pencil in some veggie lovin’ for lunch today!
- Gluten-Free Chefs: Serve this crunchy chickpea salad in lettuce wraps, salad-style on a bed of greens, or on your favorite GF bread. I’m no stranger to eating this stuff straight out of the bowl with a spoon – so good!
If you get a chance to try this tasty plant-baed Tomato Basil Chickpea Salad Sandwich let me know!
You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS #PEASANDCRAYONS on Intagram so I can happy dance over your creations! I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
Hi. I’m shopping for it now. It’s delicious sounding and I have my garden cherry tomatoes for it. Going to do a CE5 night this weekend and am sharing for snacks at 10:00 pm. Thank you. ML 🙂
I’m so excited for you to try it, Marie-Louise! Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Absolutely the best vegetarian sandwich I have ever had! Followed the directions exactly to ensure it was copied and it’s an A++++! Even my husband who prefers a hunk of meat on his plate loved it and asked me to make it for lunch next week! Thank you!
Ahhhh best news ever! Super stoked y’all are loving it – thank you Holly!
Love these chick pea sandwiches and all the variations that you have posted. I could eat it everyday.
How much dill it is in the recipe but not the ingredients?
Hey Stefani! I had it under the ingredients in an “optional extras” variation originally and took it out to let the basil shine through. You can still totally add a 1/4 tsp of dill if you’d like! I use dill in my garden veggie chickpea salad and love it!
Thank you Amanda! The sunflower seeds are for sure my favorite extra here too!
This salad has everything in it but the kitchen sink! It looks and sounds delicious. I’ve always been a chickpea fan so I think this is something I would love. And since I have basil growing out the wazoo too I can’t think of anything that would taste better. I also love the addition of the sunflower seeds for a little extra crunch.
So happy to hear it Linda, thank you!
I just fell in love with smashed chickpea sandwiches recently and can’t wait to try this. I was thinking basil would be great in one and then I found your recipe. Yum!
Super excited for you to try this basil-tastic version Tracy! Thank you! 🙂
Wow this sandwich looks delicious!! I love all things sandwich related and absolutely cannot wait to give this one a try!
Ps. Im not sure if that wood is a table, cutting board, or plate but I LOVE IT!!!
Thank you Bea! It’s perfect for a summery lunch – love it so! 🙂 ooh! And the board is a cutting board from World Market!