It seems like we come back every year with a bean salad idea similar to today’s buffalo chickpea variation (see this sandwich and this salad). Beans do so well when combined with all kinds of sharp, punchy ingredients, like pickled items, herbs, and spices. Dressed up like this, they make for a flavorful and satiating component to include in sandwiches, bowls, salads, etc. They last a while in the fridge, which makes them great for meal prep and generally for thinking ahead.
This buffalo chickpea version features a balance of spicy, savory, sweet, and briny. It’s especially delicious in a sandwich format, but it can definitely be enjoyed a bunch of different ways.
The chickpeas are mashed and dressed with buffalo sauce, lemon juice, mustard, etc., and bulked up with pieces of roasted red pepper, olives, red onion, celery, and dried cranberries (which provide perfect little pockets of sweetness). Most of the ingredients here are pantry items for us/things that we almost always have in the fridge, so this type of lunch-saver is always at an arm’s reach. Maybe that’s the case for you as well? We hope you’ll give this one a try :)
Buffalo Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Serves: around 6 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas (2 15 oz cans)
- 3 roasted red bell peppers - cut into bite-sized pieces
- juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup Buffalo hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup olives and capers or just olives - chopped
- packed ¼ cup dried cranberries - chopped
- 1 large celery stalk - finely chopped
- ¼ of a red onion - finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoon onion powder
- handful of herbs of choice like dill, basil, parsley, chives - chopped
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Put half of the chickpeas and all of the roasted red pepper in a large bowl and mash with a masher until fairly smooth. Add the rest of the chickpeas and mash them in, leaving some pieces intact for texture.
- Add the lemon juice, hot sauce, mustard, olive oil, olives/capers, cranberries, celery, red onion, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs, and salt and pepper. Mix everything through, taste for salt and adjust if needed. You can also do all of the mixing in a food processor.
- Keep the buffalo chickpea salad refrigerated in an airtight container. Serve in sandwiches with fixings like lettuce, cucumber/tomato slices, or in salads, bowls, etc. Enjoy!
Notes
Buffalo hot sauce varies greatly in hotness from brand to brand, so taste as you go when you add it, until you have the desired level of heat.
Fiona Manoon says
Brilliant Recipe. !! I loved it .
Thanks for sharing .
Keep Posting !!
Laurie Ogborn says
First of all, cut this recipe in half or you’ll be eating it until your dying day. Secondly – holy heck, this is GOOD. I roasted a couple yellow peppers I had on hand, and otherwise followed the recipe. It’s appetizingly beautiful, it’s crazy-delicious… I was tempted to omit the cranberries, but DON’T. This. just. works.
Anya says
Hi Laurie,
So glad you enjoyed it! I can imagine how good it must have been with home-roasted yellow peppers.
Anna J says
My 5 year old and me love this sandwich recipe. I mash avocado on the bread snd then top it with the chickpea mix; it’s so good! Yum.
Thank you for sharing. Love it.
Anya says
Hi Anna,
So glad you both like it! Love the avocado tip. Thank you for leaving this note :)