Herby Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe

There are several types of creamy salads typically used as sandwich fillings, among them chicken salad, tuna salad, and egg salad. To that group we'd like to add chickpea salad, which, according to developer Feta Topalu, "is a great option for anyone looking to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet." Here, she's providing a recipe for such a salad and instructions for how to turn it into a vegetable-packed sandwich. Not only is the sandwich layered with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, but the chickpea salad includes chopped onions, celery, and bell peppers to give it plenty of crunch. Topalu also flavors it with parsley, dill, and tarragon, helping to give the salad a fresh, summery feel.

As the chickpea salad can be stored for up to four days, it can be a great option for meal prepping. If you get tired of sandwiches throughout the week, you can also use the chickpea salad in a wrap, on top of a salad, or in a rice bowl.

To make the salad, you'll need canned chickpeas, red onion, celery, bell pepper, parsley, dill, tarragon, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. In order to turn it into a sandwich, you'll also need bread (Topalu uses the whole grain kind), lettuce, tomato, and cucumber.

Add the chickpeas to a large bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the chickpeas until they are almost completely mashed but still have some texture.

Add the red onion, celery, red bell pepper, chopped parsley, tarragon, and dill to the bowl with the chickpeas.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and garlic. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the chickpea salad and toss until evenly coated.

Place 2 slices of bread on a clean surface. Layer each slice with green lettuce leaves and top with the chickpea salad.

Top the chickpea salad with slices of tomato and cucumber.

Place the remaining 2 slices of bread on top to form sandwiches.

Cut the sandwiches in half to serve.

While Topalu layers her chickpea salad sandwich with what she calls "classic topping ingredients," these being lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber, there are plenty of possible substitutions and additions. For instance, you could swap out the lettuce for alfalfa or bean sprouts. Topalu also likes the idea of adding Kalamata olives and feta cheese to give the sandwich a little Mediterranean-inspired flavor. If you like, you could even drizzle on a little tzatziki or an oregano-seasoned vinaigrette.

Instead of Mediterranean, you could also go American Southwestern style by stirring some chopped jalapeños or pico de gallo into the chickpea salad and adding a few tablespoons of black beans. You could also make an all-American melt by topping the chickpea salad with a slice of American or cheddar cheese and sticking it under the broiler or in the microwave for a few moments to heat it up; just be sure to do this before adding the lettuce and tomatoes to prevent these vegetable garnishes from wilting.

Topalu describes this salad as "vegetarian-friendly," but the mayonnaise is really the only one non-plant-based ingredient that needs to be replaced to make it vegan (assuming that your bread and toppings are also dairy-free). Topalu suggests that the easiest option may be to use a store-bought substitute, such as Vegenaise. That being said, there are other options open to you.

If you want to reduce food waste in your kitchen, you could use the liquid from the can of chickpeas to make a homemade vegan mayo: Beat 1 part aquafaba with 4 parts neutral oil, then add a teaspoon or two of vinegar or lemon juice and some salt, to taste. Yet another option is to make your sandwich vegan with DIY tofu mayonnaise. All you need to do here is beat a block of silken tofu (which is softer than the regular kind), then add salt, vinegar or lemon juice, and any desired seasonings. Other plant-based mayonnaise substitutes you might wish to consider include hummus, which would give your salad a double dose of chickpeas, and mashed avocados, which can provide some heart-healthy fat.