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.
Ingredients
Sun-Dried Tomato Romesco
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeño pepper (for reference I used a red jalapeño)
- 1/2 cup roasted red pepper from a jar, drained
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes from a jar packed in oil, drained
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp parsley leaves
- Kosher salt
Chickpea Salad
- 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup roasted bell pepper from a jar, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes from a jar packed in oil, julienned
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
Sandwich Accessories
- 2 cups cabbage, shredded
- 2-3 tsp avocado oil
- Marinated onions
- 6 slices of toasted sourdough bread
- Vegan cream cheese (store bought or homemade, optional)
Instructions
- 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.
