Chickpea Feta Salad Sandwich

Chickpea Feta Salad Sandwich makes an easy and nutritious, tasty and satisfying lunch. Semi-smashed chickpeas are mixed with tangy feta cheese, crunchy veg, garlic and herbs, plus a little creaminess from mayo or yogurt, to create a sandwich filling that’s both healthy and delicious.

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links. If you buy via my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Jump to Recipe

I love a classic tuna or egg salad sandwich for weekday lunches. Now and then though I like to ring the changes by subbing in chickpeas instead.

With their nutty flavour and buttery texture, chickpeas are one of my favourite pulses. So, unsurprisingly, they feature in loads of my recipes including Chickpea & Spinach Pasta, Spicy Sweet Potato & Chickpea Stew, Chickpea, Potato & Coconut Curry, and a twist on a classic: Hummus Soup. But as well as those hot dishes, whole, lightly crushed or smashed chickpeas make a nutritious and satisfying sandwich filling.

I often combine chickpeas with the same sorts of things I mix into my tuna or egg sandwiches. Chopped red onion and celery for crunch, garlic and various herbs for flavour, plus a little mayonnaise for creaminess. But recently, having not just the remains of a can of chickpeas from the previous night’s dinner but also a little feta, I put them together in a particularly tasty lunch. Chickpea Feta Salad Sandwich.

CHICKPEA FETA SALAD SANDWICH

You’ll find a recipe card at the end with suggested ingredient amounts to serve one person generously. But do read this post first for extra tips plus step-by-step photos to whet your appetite!

MAKE THE FILLING

To make the filling, start by putting in a roomy bowl a portion of cooked chickpeas. That’s 80 grams or around a third of a standard tin, drained. Add the feta too. It’s recommended that a portion of cheese is 30 grams, but I almost always sneak in a bit more!

Joining the chickpeas and feta are the vegetables. Here, to my usual finely chopped red onion and celery I’ve added colourful carrot for a little sweetness. I cut it with my fab little julienne peeler or you can grate it.

I love this combination, but you could swap in other veg if preferred. Just keep it crunchy with things like peppers, fennel, cucumber, or even go a little fruity with diced apple. For a fresh herb taste I’ve added parsley, but chives or dill would be good too.

Now take a fork and start mixing all those goodies together. As you mix, break up the feta and crush the chickpeas. I think it’s nicest with some chickpeas left whole and others more smashed, but it’s up to you.

When the texture’s right, it’s time to add a little moisture (which also binds) plus a few seasonings. For the moist/binding element, my preference is mayonnaise. You don’t need a lot so a rounded dessertspoon should be plenty. Alternatively, you could replace it with thick yogurt (or a combination of the two) or a drizzle of olive oil.

I think this sandwich filling is really lifted with a subtle hint of garlic. I’ve used garlic granules, but you could replace that with a small, finely chopped clove for a stronger flavour. I was out of fresh dill, which I love with feta, so added a little dried dill instead. Also in there is a good grind of black pepper.

Give everything a good stir then have a taste. Does it need any salt? Some feta is saltier than others so it may or may not. Add a little more pepper and garlic too if you think it would benefit.

ASSEMBLING CHICKPEA FETA SALAD SANDWICH

I think this chunky, wholesome sandwich filling is best eaten on good quality, chewy wholegrain bread. For the Chickpea Feta Salad Sandwich you see in this post, I used my homemade Multigrain Seeded Bread.

My Light Rye Bread or Oatmeal Bread would also be good. Of course you can use your own favourite loaf, roll, or wrap.

I don’t bother spreading the bread with butter or anything else. I just pile on plenty of the tasty filling.

For extra veggies and freshness, I lay on top some sliced ripe tomatoes followed by shredded greens. Here there’s a mix of sweet gem lettuce and kale. A final grind of pepper on the greens and you’re ready to pop on the top slices of bread.

For me, this sandwich ticks all the boxes for a satisfying, healthy lunch. Nutritious, nutty chickpeas, crunchy veg, a little creaminess from mayo, perfect seasoning, and the cheesy tang of feta.

Using my filling as a base, you can also create a range of different lunches. Try it on toast or with the bread on the side. You could even skip the bread altogether and just eat the chickpea feta salad on its own or on top of a big bowl of leaves.

You can also vary the filling by swapping in some of the different vegetables mentioned above. Play with the flavours too. For more acidity, add a squeeze of lemon or a drop of cider vinegar or wine vinegar. Chopped sun-dried tomatoes, olives, or roasted peppers plus basil would be a great alternative flavour profile.

The recipe card makes a generous amount of filling but covered and stored in the fridge, any leftovers will be fine for another easy, nutritious and tasty lunch the next day.

If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought, so please leave a comment and rating.

Print

Chickpea Feta Salad Sandwich

An easy and nutritious, tasty and satisfying lunch. Semi-smashed chickpeas are mixed with tangy feta cheese, crunchy veg, garlic and herbs, plus a little creaminess from mayo or yogurt, to create a sandwich filling that's both healthy and delicious.

It's recommended that you read the blog post for extra tips before starting the recipe.

Course Lunch, Light Meal

Cuisine Vegetarian, World

Keyword quick, easy

Prep Time 12 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Total Time 12 minutes

Servings 1 generously

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 2 slices good quality wholegrain bread (see Recipe Notes)
• shredded lettuce, kale, rocket or other greens
• sliced tomatoes

For the chickpea feta salad

• 80 g cooked chickpeas (approx. ⅓ of a standard tin, drained)
• 30 - 40 g feta cheese
• ½ medium carrot (grated or julienned)
• ¼ medium red onion (finely chopped)
• 1 stalk celery (finely chopped)
• 1 small handful parsley leaves, finely chopped (or chopped dill/chives)
• 1 rounded dsp mayonnaise (can be replaced or combined with thick yogurt OR a drizzle of olive oil)
• ½ - 1 tsp garlic granules (can be replaced with 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped or grated)
• 1 tsp dried dill (optional)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Put the chickpeas, feta, prepared vegetables and parsley into a bowl.

   Mix with a fork, crushing the chickpeas and feta as you go. Filling is nicest if some whole chickpeas remain.

2. Add the mayonnaise (and/or yogurt OR olive oil) plus the garlic, dried dill if using, and a generous grind of pepper.

   Stir until thoroughly combined, then taste and add salt if necessary and more garlic and pepper if liked.

3. Cut the slices of bread in half to give you 4 pieces.

   Spread the filling generously over 2 pieces of the bread, then add the sliced tomatoes and greens, seasoning them with a little salt and pepper if liked.

   Top with the remaining pieces of bread and serve.

4. Leftover filling can be covered and stored in the fridge for 1 day.

Recipe Notes

I love this chickpea and feta filling on my homemade Multigrain Seeded Bread but Light Rye Bread or Oatmeal Bread would be good too.

MORE LUNCH IDEAS