Pesto Chickpea Sandwiches are ready in a flash! Mash chickpeas with store-bought basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and almonds for a flavorful, hearty, and nutritious meal!
Pesto Chickpea Sandwiches
When life is especially busy, big hearty sandwiches are one of my go-to choices for a fast dinner. A good BLT, Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, and these Pesto Chickpea Sandwiches all fit the bill for a tasty, family-friendly dinner in a hurry!
When you load this chickpea mixture on a hearty sandwich bun with tons of veggies, these sandwiches can definitely be considered dinner fare — lunch shouldn’t get all the fun!
Even though these sandwiches are vegetarian, they have a very nourishing, meat-like filling that is loaded with (plant-based) protein. Pair the protein from the chickpeas with the good-for-you fats in the pesto and you’ll be amazed just how satiating these sandwiches are!
Pesto Chickpea Sandwich Ingredients
There are six primary ingredients in these sandwiches, with a few pantry staples to enhance the flavors. Let’s break down the ingredients below:
- Chickpeas: also called garbanzo beans — they’re one and the same!
- Pesto: more on this ingredient below!
- Mayo: use good, creamy, full-fat mayonnaise. We recommend Hellman’s/Best Foods®.
- Dijon: The Dijon adds a wonderful depth of flavor and a slight tang. Don’t use regular mustard; the two are very different.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Pick the tomatoes packed in oil — those have the most flavor! While they’re generally pretty small as is, a quick coarse chop (or cut with sharp kitchen shears) ensures they’ll make it into every bite of the sandwiches. Our brand of choice is California® sun-dried tomatoes that have been julienne cut and have herbs added.
- Sliced almonds: The almonds add a great crunchy texture and flavor. We skip toasting them because this is a life-saver (quick) recipe!
- Pantry staples: The last few ingredients tie everything together and balance all the flavors nicely — honey, lemon, salt, and pepper.
Thoroughly rinse and drain the chickpeas. Wet chickpeas will water down the sandwich mixture and make it less flavorful. Quick Tip
Let’s Talk Pesto
Since these sandwiches are supposed to be super quick and require minimal ingredients, we use a store-bought pesto instead of making our own. And because the pesto is a big part of these Pesto Chickpea Sandwiches, make sure you use a really tasty one. I’d recommend getting refrigerated, freshly made basil pesto. You’ll find it near refrigerated fresh pasta and gourmet cheese. Rana’s® Basil Pesto is our personal favorite store-bought pesto sauce (not sponsored).
Freshly made pesto can certainly be spendy, but it lasts a good amount of time and a little goes a long way to add loads of flavor to so many dishes.
Consider adding some leftover pesto to some of our favorite dishes like:
- Pesto Ravioli made on a sheet pan with roasted veggies
- Pesto Chicken Tortellini easy 30-minute meal
- Creamy Pesto Pasta with broccoli and tomatoes
- Pesto Chicken with a Corn and bean salsa
- Pesto Vegetable Bowls over couscous
- Creamy Pesto Orzo with ground turkey (one-pot meal!)
Pesto Chickpea Sandwiches: Serving Suggestions
- We like this sandwich best on hearty toasted whole-grain bread or toasted ciabatta sandwich rolls. We love adding fresh, ripe tomatoes, ripe and creamy avocado, and lettuce. Other sandwich addition ideas: red onion, smashed ripe avocado, extra mayo or pesto, pickles, banana peppers, and micro-greens.
- For a low-carb meal, layer this sandwich filling on butter lettuce leaves and enjoy it as a lettuce wrap.
- Add the chickpea filling to warmed pita bread or naan with fresh veggies of your choice. Fold it up and eat it like a taco.
- Layer the chickpea filling on small toasted whole grain rolls for a fun appetizer or side dish.
- Serve the chickpea mixture in a bowl (as a dip) with crackers!
More quick sandwiches or wraps
- Hummus Wraps with roasted chickpeas
- BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe with smashed avocado
- Black Bean Wraps with an avocado-tomato salsa
- Cucumber Sandwich with a ranch-mayo spread
- Honey Mustard Chicken Salad Sandwiches on croissants
Pesto Chickpea Sandwiches
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas also called garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, see note 1
- 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto see note 2
- 3 tablespoons mayo I recommend Best Foods/Hellman’s
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Serving suggestions see note 3
Instructions
- Drain, rinse, and pat dry the chickpeas. Pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except the almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Mix everything together with a fork, mashing chickpeas as you mix (you might need to use some muscle here; press them down firmly!). It’s okay if not all the chickpeas are mashed—I like lots of texture here! Once sufficiently mashed and mixed, stir in the sliced almonds.
- Toast the bread/sandwich rolls. Layer your sandwich faves—I like lettuce, tomato, and a ripe avocado sprinkled with some salt and pepper. Divide mashed pesto chickpeas among 4 sandwiches. Add the top piece of bread/sandwich roll. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
As your sister, this is the only thing I eat for lunch these days 😂 thanks for such an awesome recipe, this sandwich beats panera any day!
Thank you so much Callie! 🙂
Super delicious!! Made this for lunch today and what a treat!! I absolutely love the sun-dried tomato and basil pesto combination. Thank you for sharing! Looking forward to making this again. 🙂
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much Megan! 🙂