This recipe is for a simple low fat chickpea salad sandwich. There’s really nothing too fussy or glamorous about it. The ingredients are simple, you probably have them in your fridge right now, and it can be whipped up in just a few minutes! I was craving a recipe like this recently, so I decided to make this and I think it’s definitely going to be a new go-to quick lunch recipe.
This low fat chickpea salad sandwich basically tastes like an egg salad sandwich, or tuna salad sandwich, but without all the fat and cholesterol. It’s whole-foods-plant-based, healthy, and delicious.
Swapping Out The Mayo
When it comes to making a vegan version of a sandwich like this, I often see recipes online call for vegan mayo. Now don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy vegan mayo (as a treat) from time to time, but for the majority of my cooking I like to stick to healthier ingredients.
So instead of using vegan mayo, I decided to make the creamy filling by using a combination of mashed potatoes, avocados, and mustard! This combination gives the recipe tons of flavor, good texture, and a good amount of “glue” for keeping your filling together. By swapping out the mayo and using low-salt mustard (like the one above) it makes this recipe much healthier.
Whole Foods Ingredients
When it comes to this low fat chickpea salad sandwich, the ingredients you use, and even the amount of ingredients you use, are very forgiving. It’s one of those taste-as-you-go kind of recipes, that allows you to adjust the final outcome to what you like best. There are some ingredient recommendations that I’ll take the time to talk about though.
First, the bread! When I cook at home, I strictly buy sprouted Ezekiel bread for myself. It’s very high in fiber, very high in protein, and has simple whole food ingredients that are great for you. It has no fillers, no sugar, no food colorings, no milk, butter, or excess salt. It’s as simple as bread should be.
Because this bread is so fresh, it has a shorter shelf life. That’s why it’s often sold in the freezer/cold storage section of the stores – so that’s where you’ll find it!
Additional Ingredients
As for the filling, the other simple ingredients I used were celery, dill pickle, onion, and some spices. This recipe is very customize-able though. Here are some additional ingredients you could use to subtly change the flavors each time you make it:
- Red grapes
- Chopped Walnuts
- Green Onions
- Dried cherries
- Minced carrots
- Roma Tomatoes
- Etc…
I’ve made a good version of this recipe before using the same base, and then adding red grapes and chopped walnuts. It was so good!
Low Fat Chickpea Salad Sandwich
However you choose to customize this recipe, I think you’ll find it’s versatile, and has great flavor any which way. To make this low fat chickpea salad sandwich, all you really do is combine all of the ingredients to a big mixing bowl, and stir! I used a fork during step 1 to get the chickpeas semi-mashed before adding everything else. But that’s really all it takes. Then, you add the other ingredients one by one and taste as you go – adjusting flavors as necessary.
It may just be a simple sandwich, but it’s a great quick lunch recipe that can be whipped up in just a few short minutes, which is what I needed today. I hope you like it!
Low Fat Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas
- 1 small russet potato*
- 1/4 red onion diced
- 2 large celery stalks diced
- 2 small dill pickles diced optional*
- 1/4 of an avocado
- 2 tsp of mustard
- 3 tsp of lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp of salt
Other
- 2 slices of Ezekiel or whole grain toast
- Romain lettuce optional topping
- Roma Tomato slices optional topping
Instructions
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Chop your potato into cubes, add them to a boiling pot, and cook them until they are soft
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Dice your celery, onion, and pickles if you haven’t yet
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Drain and rinse your can of chickpeas, then add them to a large mixing bowl. With a fork, push down on the chickpeas until they start to become mashed (no need to pulverize them, a bit of texture and chunkiness should remain)
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Add the rest of the filling ingredients, including the chopped vegetables and boiled potato, to the bowl and stir to combine. I pushed down on the potato cubes to make those have a semi-mashed consistency as well
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Taste as you go, and adjust any seasonings as necessary (for example, using more lemon juice, or mustard, etc.)
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Enjoy this filling as a sandwich, a lettuce wrap, or on top of a salad!
Notes
* I happen to really like pickles, but you can omit these from the recipe if you don’t like them!
