This sun-dried tomato romesco chickpea salad uses a homemade tangy, nutty romesco. Meal prep it ahead and use as the ultimate nutritious sandwich filling.
Why You’ll Love This Sun-Dried Tomato Romesco Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Easy to make. Just blend up the sauce and stir it together with your chickpea mixture.
- Can be modified to fit your preference. I’ve included some ways to reduce the spice, make this nut-free, as well as some alternative serving suggestions to help fit your dietary needs.
- Nutrient dense spread. Between the chickpeas and the romesco you are getting plenty of fiber, protein, and antioxidants.
What is Romesco?
Romesco is a bold, tangy, nutty Spanish sauce originating in Catalonia. Traditionally made with sweet dried peppers, tomatoes, nuts like almonds or hazelnuts, olive oil, garlic, and vinegar. You may also see preparations that use stale bread to add more texture and body or roasted red peppers. The resulting mixture is smoky, slightly tangy, and full of depth. While it’s often served with grilled seafood or vegetables, it also makes a fantastic spread or dressing that can be used to elevate sandwiches, grain bowls, or roasted veggies.
For a fun use of this spread, I decided to mix it with chickpeas for the ultimate chickpea salad sandwich. My favorite part, romesco is very forgiving, so you can make swaps for what you have available on hand.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Peppers: I used a combination of different peppers including jarred roasted bell peppers and red chili peppers. You can always choose not to use red chilis if you are not a fan of spice.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: If possible, do not swap as they add more umami flavor to the spread.
- Chickpeas: White beans like cannellini beans are another good option.
- Pecans: Almonds or hazelnuts work great here. For a nut-free option, consider sunflower seeds or pepitas.
- Spices: I used smoked paprika, but if you don’t want any smokiness, you can omit.
- Parsley: A little pinch is all you need.
- Vinegar: Red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar taste the best here.
- Onion: I used red onion, but shallot or white onion can be a good alternative.
How to Make a Romesco Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Make the romesco base: Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low. Sauté garlic and jalapeño until golden (2–3 min), then cool slightly. Blend with roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, pecans, vinegar, paprika, parsley, and ½ tsp salt until mostly smooth. Adjust seasoning as desired.
Mix the chickpea salad: Mash chickpeas in a large bowl. Stir in bell pepper, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, jalapeño, and half the romesco sauce. Add more sauce as desired, a spoonful at a time, until the mixture holds together.
Optional roasted cabbage: Roast cabbage at 425°F for 15 min, tossing halfway, until golden and tender.
Assemble sandwiches: Spread cream cheese on bread, layer with chickpea salad, roasted cabbage, and marinated onions. Top with another slice of bread and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Adjust to your preferred spice level. Remove the seeds and membranes of your chili peppers to reduce the heat, or completely omit if desired.
- Choose julienned jarred vegetables. This is often my hack for making some meals a lot faster without extra chopping. Most stores generally carry jarred julienned or diced versions of roasted red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Add just enough romesco. I like to add half the batch of romesco to the chickpea salad first, then mix and see if I need to add more. You want the mixture to hold together, but not be too wet that the filling slides out of the sandwich.
- Instead of a sandwich, enjoy as a dip. The chickpea filling works really well served with crackers and other vegetables.
- Save on dishes. Prep the chickpea salad in the same container you plan to store it away in. No need to dirty another bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Swap the pecans for sunflower seeds or pepitas.
Instead of bread, consider serving this as a dip with some gluten-free crackers and other vegetables. I really enjoy this with some Simple Mills Seed Crackers. Another idea, back up a sweet potato and use the chickpea filling to stuff it with.
If you wanted to make this oil-free I would recommend charring the garlic and a whole pepper in a pan on both sides before adding to the blender. It should still blend well without the oil, but due note the oil helps to dull some of the sharp taste from the vinegar.
Build Your Sandwich Tips
This filling is great on it’s own between two slices of sourdough bread. However, you can add extra nutrition with a few additions:
- More protein: serve on top of some whipped tofu
- More veggies: you can layer some lettuce or some roasted cabbage on top like I did here
- Extra condiments: in place of whipped tofu, a good vegan cream cheese can be great here or I also love some marinated onions too
More Filling Plant-Based Sandwiches to Try
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Description
This sun-dried tomato romesco chickpea salad uses a homemade tangy, nutty romesco. Meal prep it ahead and use as the ultimate nutritious sandwich filling.
Sun-Dried Tomato Romesco
Chickpea Salad
Sandwich Accessories
- Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic cloves and jalapeño and stir occasionally until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 3 minutes.
- Transfer the garlic, pepper and oil mixture to a blender cup along with the roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, pecans, red wine vinegar, paprika, parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend until mostly smooth and adjust salt to taste.
- For the chickpea salad, add the chickpeas to a large mixing bowl and use a fork to mash them very well. Once mashed to your liking, add the diced bell pepper, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, jalapeño, and half the blended romesco sauce. Give the mixture a stir to fully combine. The mixture should hold together well once fully mixed. If needed, stir in additional romesco, a spoonful at a time, until your desired consistency is achieved.
- For the optional roasted cabbage, preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the cabbage out on the tray, drizzle with the oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat then spread out evenly over the tray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, giving a toss halfway through. The cabbage is ready when it is golden around the edges and softened.
- Assemble the sandwich by smearing some cream cheese between two slices. Layer on the chickpea salad filling, cabbage, and marinated onions then top with the remaining slice of bread and enjoy.
Notes
Adjust to your preferred spice level. Remove the seeds and membranes of your chili peppers to reduce the heat, or completely omit if desired.
Choose julienned jarred vegetables. This is often my hack for making some meals a lot faster without extra chopping. Most stores generally carry jarred julienned or diced versions of roasted red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes.
Add just enough romesco. I like to add half the batch of romesco to the chickpea salad first, then mix and see if I need to add more. You want the mixture to hold together, but not be too wet that the filling slides out of the sandwich.
Instead of a sandwich, enjoy as a dip. The chickpea filling works really well served with crackers and other vegetables.
Save on dishes. Prep the chickpea salad in the same container you plan to store it away in. No need to dirty another bowl.
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