This pesto chickpea salad recipe is a fresh, crunchy, and flavorful lunch! Heaps of smashed chickpeas mixed with creamy pesto & topped with sprouts.
Serve with chips & a pickle for a bright and refreshing lunch that is ready in about 10 minutes! Great as a sandwich, or on top of your favorite salad for extra protein and flavor.
Whenever I make homemade pesto (which I do often!) I always try to make extra to save it for sandwiches and wraps. Pesto is an absolutely magical sauce that doubles and the perfect condiment. I add a scoop to pasta, stir it into risotto, and even made a healthy and delicious smashed chickpea pesto with it.
Pesto is a great alternative to traditional sauces or condiments – it has tons of flavor from fresh basil and herbs. This sandwich makes an excellent lunch which will keep you full until dinner.
This Pesto Chickpea Salad Recipe Is
- Bright
- Fresh
- Flavorful
- Herby
- Versatile
- Ready in 10 minutes
- A great cold, no-cook lunch
- Vegan, gluten free, dairy free and SO good!
Grow Sprouts Indoors for A Nutritious Crunch All Year Long!
I grow my own sprouts all year long on my kitchen counters… and believe me, it couldn’t be easier! All you need are some sprouting seeds (I like these alfalfa seeds, and these bean sprouts), wide-mouth mason jars, sprouting lids, and some tap water. An endless supply of sprouts will be at your culinary fingertips anytime.
I love grabbing a handful of alfalfa sprouts to add to a sandwich or a wrap, or adding a handful of bean sprouts to stir fries or ramen soup. I put together a list of all my favorite sprouting supplies – so you can enjoy fresh sprouts any time!
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A No-Cook Chickpea Sandwich Recipe That’s Perfect for Lazy Nights
This no-cook pesto chickpea sandwich is a quick and simple recipe. I love a good no-cook recipe for those days when I don’tfeel like standing around the stove, or for summer nights when it’s too hot to cook. I have a whole collection of recipes that require zero cooking at all, check them out here!
This chickpea salad with pesto comes together in about 10 minutes, and doesn’t require the stove or microwave to make. Just use a few pantry staple ingredients and you have a healthy meal ready in no time. And very little to clean up afterwards… an added bonus!
What’s In This Pesto Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe?
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- Vegan Pesto: you can make your own pesto or use this great vegan pesto you can get here. I have a few really great pesto recipes, all of which require no cooking to make:
- Sandwich Bread – use a gluten free bread if you can’t eat wheat. I like to make my own bread, and they have some great artisan bread gluten free mixes out there too!
- No Salt Added Chickpeas: the staple of all hummuses! You can use canned chickpeas (I’d highly recommend a low sodium or no salt version), or you can make your own chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot.
- Mayonnaise: I like to use this dairy free mayo to keep this recipe plant-based, but you can use whatever mayo that you would normally use in recipes. If you don’t normally like mayo, try a dairy free version… it’s creamy but still plant based.
- Whole Grain Mustard – for a really nice flavor and texture, you can use either whole grain mustard, stone ground, or dijon.
- Relish: to give the dish a little sweetness! I like this Chicago style relish which has a nice crunch… and as a Chicagoan myself, I love the bright green color of this relish in my pesto salad sandwich!
- Sprouts
One of the BEST Pantry Staple Sandwich Recipes
This chickpea salad sandwich with pesto recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal! It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards. You probably already have a lot of these ingredients on hand already. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate.
I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep on hand. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple recipes on TheHerbeevore.com here. By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!
How Do I Make This Vegan Pesto Sandwich Recipe?
- In a mixing bowl, add the pesto, chickpeas, mayo, mustard, and relish.
- Mash the chickpeas with a fork and stir until the chickpea salad is a smooth and creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.
- Toast the sandwich bread and layer on the chickpea pesto salad. Top with sprouts, and enjoy!
Other Healthy and Flavorful Chickpea Recipes You’ll Love:
Everything Bagel Hummus Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup Recipe (High Protein, Gluten Free)
Sheet Pan Chickpea & Root Vegetable Dinner (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Pantry Chickpea Tikka Masala Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
BBQ Chickpea Tacos (Vegan, Gluten Free, Pantry Staple Dinners)
Get the Same Ingredients I Use For My Vegan Chickpea Pesto Salad Sandwich Recipe:
As always, if you make this vegan and gluten free pesto chickpea salad recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipes!
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Pesto Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pesto use vegan if desired
- 1 14-ounce can No-Salt-Added Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise use vegan if desired
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon relish
- 4 slices sandwich bread
- 1 cup sprouts
- Himalayan Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the pesto, chickpeas, mayo, mustard, and relish.
- Mash the chickpeas with a fork and stir until the chickpea salad is a smooth and creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.
- Toast the sandwich bread and layer on the chickpea pesto salad. Top with sprouts, and enjoy!
Notes
Save Money on Groceries & Pantry Staples!
I love shopping for healthy groceries and pantry staples through Thrive Market - they sell healthy organic pantry staples, all natural products, and fantastic food finds (even wine!) at a discounted price. We get Thrive Market boxes every month and love picking out our favorite staples for delivery. Join Thrive Market & get 30% off your purchase & a $60 free gift!Nutrition
Or tag me @theherbeevore in your photo on Instagram!
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