Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

While this isn’t the sandwich I’d choose to pack for a long trip (it’s a little messy — in the best possible way), it’s a great vegetarian go-to and is sure to elevate your sandwich game at home. I love serving these with a few potato chips inside the sandwich for extra crunch, but if you’re not much of a sandwich person, you could always forego the bread and fold in some leftover cooked grains or even pasta to make this a filling salad on its own.

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup diced celery

3 tablespoons diced dill pickles

1 medium carrot, grated (about 1/3 cup)

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot (from 1 small shallot)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise substitue)

1 teaspoon stone ground mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablesoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon turmeric (for color; optional)

1/8 teaspoon groung black pepper

Arugula or baby spinach, for serving

Tim’s Salt and Vinegar potato chips, for serving

Instructions

In a medium bowl use a fork or potato masher to mash the chickpeas. You’re looking for a chunky texture – it’s ok if you have some whole chickpeas remaining but you want to avoid an extremely overmashed texture (like hummus).

Add the celery, pickles, carrot, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, chives, parsley, dill, salt, turmeric and pepper. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired, adding additional salt or pepper as needed.

Lay two slices of bread on a flat surface and arrange a flat layer of spinach on one slice. Spread chickpea mixture on top of spinach. Pile a handful of potato chips on top, and place remaining slice of bread on top of chips. Press firmly to marry all the sandwich fillings.