Smashed Chipotle Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Say goodbye to boring brown bag lunches and hello to this Smashed Chipotle Chickpea Salad Sandwich!  Creamy chickpeas smashed with chipotle mayonnaise makes a delicious salad or sandwich that is ready to be devoured in less than 15 minutes.  Completely customize-able and a breeze to make, these sandwiches are smashin’ delicious! 
Hi-ya friends!  How’s the week treating you?

Mine has been fine.  Nothing noteworthy or worth chatting about, so instead I’m going to make a confession.

I don’t eat a lot of sandwiches.  This is probably because my love of salads (strangely) runs pretty deep.  Well, that and If I’m going to eat bread I prefer it to be in the form of a crispy thin crust pizza, bubbling with gooey cheese and piping hot from the oven.  Or in the form of donuts, because those have been my recent obsession.  (Bourbon IN donuts… really do I need to say more?)

Don’t get me wrong, I do eat sammies sometimes… I just need them to be hearty and filling, yet light enough to not leave me feeling preggers with a food baby and nutritionally packed.  You could say I’m picky or a sandwich snob.  Boy says I just prefer “hippie sandwiches”, whatever that means.  I guess if by “hippie” he means a sandwich jam packed with tasty, good for you ingredients and piled high between two slices of multigrain bread, then guilty as charged. So in light of this confession, I am going to share with you my favorite sandwich, and one I have been devouring for years.

Smashed Chipotle Chickpea Salad Sandwich

I have an obscene amount of love for chickpeas.  You could say they are my jam.  Those delicious little gems packed with protein and fiber make my taste buds want to do the electric slide (<–Is that dance still cool?  Wait… was it ever cool?).

I have no clue where I got this undying love for them from, considering my mother hates them and my father wasn’t a big fan, so I didn’t grow up eating them.  But if you are like me, and chickpeas make your face do a happy dance, I can guarantee you are going to love this sandwich. This smashed chickpea salad is creamy, smoky, slightly spicy, a little sweet, and totally delicious thanks to the chipotle mayonnaise.

I only used about 3 tablespoons of the mayonnaise in the actual chickpea salad, because I don’t like my chickpeas swimming in sauce… and because I like my sammie to take a little dip into the mayonnaise (<– SO good).

But, if you like your salads heavy on the sauce, by all means, add enough mayonnaise to make your skirt fly up.  This is a judge free zone.  The sandwich accouterments are completely customizable, but I used all the things I crave – pungent red onions, slices of creamy avocado, crisp bibb lettuce, and mildly crunchy fresh sprouts.

For the bread I went with my all-time favorite – lightly toasted multigrain bread fresh from the bakery.  YUM.

Here’s the thing with sandwiches, it doesn’t really matter what toppings or bread you choose, just make sure everything is super fresh.   As with all things that are simple, the taste boils down to the freshness and quality of the ingredients.  So if you go cheap, the sandwich is going to taste cheap, and that is No Bueno.  You dig?  So get out a little aggression, smash the shoot out of some chickpeas and make a sandwich that is sure to please.  Until Monday friends, Cheers – to “hippie sandwiches” and peace signs for life.  😉

-xoxo-

Cheyanne

5 from 12 votes

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Smashed Chipotle Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Creamy chickpeas smashed with chipotle mayonnaise makes a delicious salad or sandwich that is ready to be devoured in less than 15 minutes.

Course: Sandwich

Cuisine: American, Fusion

Servings: 2

Calories: 215 kcal

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Ingredients

• Chipotle Mayonnaise:
• ¼ Cup Mayonnaise
• 1 TBS Sour Cream
• 1 Chipotle Chiles in Adobo
• 1 ½ tsp Lime Juice
• 1 ½ tsp Cilantro Leaves , packed – roughly chopped
• 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
• Sandwich:
• 1 (16 oz) Can Chickpeas – drained and rinsed
• ¾ tsp Cumin
• 1/8 tsp Chili Powder
• ¼ Cup Scallions – thinly sliced
• 1/3 Cup Roasted Red Pepper - chopped
• Red Onion – thinly sliced
• Avocado – thinly sliced
• Sprouts
• Lettuce or Cabbage
• Bread – lightly toasted

Instructions

1. Prepare the Chipotle Mayonnaise: In the bowl of a food processor (or blender) puree all ingredients until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
2. Make the Chickpea Salad: Place the chickpeas in a medium sized mixing bowl and lightly mash using a potato masher or back of fork (you want to lightly mash to keep some of the chickpea texture). Add in 3 tablespoons chipotle mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder, scallions and red pepper. Mix gently. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. If creamier salad is desired, add in more chipotle mayonnaise 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Spoon a generous amount of chickpea salad onto two slices of toasted bread. Top with red onions, avocado, sprouts and lettuce. Top with remaining slices of bread and serve.

Recipe Notes

**Smashed chickpeas and chipotle mayonnaise yield is enough for 2-4 sandwiches depending on how big you make them.

*Chipotle Mayonnaise will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days
*Smashed Chickpea Salad will keep, covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

*Nutritional information is for smashed chickpea salad and chipotle mayonnaise only.

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