Smashed Chickpea Salad

This Smashed Chickpea Salad is creamy and full of flavor. It can be made ahead, so it is perfect for weekday lunches. Serve on toasted bread or over a plate of greens.

Let's face it, we all enjoy an easy, but delicious, weekday lunch that can be made ahead. This smashed chickpea salad is just that.

It is super quick to throw together, which means it could easily be prepped the night before a busy day. Slather some of this salad between two slices of toasted bread with lettuce and tomato, and you are set for the afternoon!

What's in this Smashed Chickpea Salad?

• Chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans): This recipe is for one 15-oz can of chickpeas. After draining and rinsing the beans, they are smashed with a fork before the other ingredients are added. Chickpeas are packed with protein and good for you ingredients, which makes this a great meat or fish alternative for a sandwich.
• Mayonnaise: This recipe does not require a large quantity of mayo. The chickpeas provide a subtle amount of creaminess on their own when smashed, so there is no need to drench them in mayonnaise. If you do not like mayo, you can certainly substitute it with healthy, protein-packed Greek Yogurt.
• Celery: The chopped celery is the crunch in this salad. It is essential for the overall texture. If you are not a fan of celery, you can certainly substitute it with another crunchy vegetable. I have used chopped green bell pepper before, which did work out nicely.
• Lemon: Like the crunch from the celery, the acid and flavor from the lemon juice are essential to this salad. Without the lemon juice, this salad would be one-note. We like flavor, right?
• Scallions: The scallions act as the onion in this recipe. You can certainly substitute it with finely diced red or white onion as well if you like more of a bite. The scallions offer just a subtle onion taste, which is nice.

How to make this recipe

1. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Place in a medium-sized bowl and mash with a fork until smooth, but with some remaining texture.
2. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery, green onion, and spices ( salt, to taste.) Mix until everything is well incorporated.
3. Serve room temperature or cold over toasted bread with lettuce and tomato slices. Or serve over a plate of greens.
4. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Best ways to serve this Chickpea Salad

This Smashed Chickpea Salad is best on toasted bread. I love a good sprouted sourdough (which is what it is on in the picture.) However, you can also enjoy it in spinach or whole wheat wrap. It would be great on a toasted English muffin or warm naan. If you are not in the mood for the carbs, this salad is great by the spoonful or scooped atop a spinach salad.

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Other Recipes You'll Love

• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
• Quick and Easy Tuna Salad
• Easy Italian Pasta Salad
• Arugula Farro Salad with Strawberries
• Farro Salad with Fruit

I hope you enjoy this smashed chickpea salad as much as we did. The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. While there are certainly a lot of chickpea salad recipes out there, I hope you will give this one a try. When you do, please let me know what you think!