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Barbecue-Flavored Chickpea Sandwiches

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Photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Cool romaine lettuce and barbecue-flavored chickpeas combine to create great flavor and texture in this hearty pita sandwich. This pairs well with many simple companions—potatoes or sweet potatoes, fresh corn, a simple quinoa salad or pilaf, or a light soup. And steamed green veggies are always welcome, too.

Ingredients

2–4 servings

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or 2 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into short, narrow strips
2/3 cup homemadeNo-Cook Barbecue Sauce, or store-bought
2 teaspoons good-quality chili powder
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) chickpeas
2 large fresh pitas, preferably whole wheat
Finely shredded romaine lettuce to taste
Fresh green sprouts, such as broccoli sprouts or pea shoots, to taste (optional)
2 medium ripe fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced
  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil, broth, or water in a medium skillet. Add the onion and sauté. until golden. Add the bell pepper, barbecue sauce, and chili powder, then stir in the chickpeas. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is reduced and envelops the chickpeas and veggies nicely, about 8 minutes.

    Step 2

    Place whole or half pitas on each serving plate, depending on appetites and what else is being served. Insert a generous amount of lettuce and sprouts and a few slices of tomato into each pita, followed by the chickpea mixture. Eat at once, out of hand.

  2. Variations:

    Step 3

    Substitute 8 ounces of well-drained, well-blotted extra-firm tofu or tempeh, cut into 1/2- inch dice, for the chickpeas.

    Step 4

    Add half a medium ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced, to the sandwiches with the lettuce and tomato.

FromPlant Power© 2014 by Nava Atlas. Reprinted with permission by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book fromHarperCollinsor fromAmazon.
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How would you rate Barbecue-Flavored Chickpea Sandwiches?

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  • This was so easy to make and so yummy. Worth the non-effort :). Served with rice or quinoa in the past and present.

    • Anonymous

    • 1/24/2022

  • Okay - this was really good! I boiled for 30 minutes, added celery for the last few minutes. Very tasty!

    • n_crutcher6157

    • Canada

    • 9/16/2020

  • Did not make this recipe as a sandwich, but rather just the chickpeas as a side dish for a barbecue. Followed the recipe cooking instructions with canned chickpeas, and found that it took closer to an hour on a low simmer, with occasional stirring to keep the peas from sticking, to get the sauce flavor into the chickpeas. Then it was sooo much better. I added a bit of cider vinegar at the end to replace the vinegar from the sauce that had cooked out, and added minced onion and pears at the end for crunch. Now it’s a staple in our house for lunches.

    • nicollett

    • California

    • 9/29/2019

  • Not a combination I would have put together on my own, but it's actually pretty good! I skipped the pita part as I think this would end up being a hot mess trying to eat. This would lend itself to the addition of leftovers/more vegetables/chicken broth as a goulash or soup.

    • Anonymous

    • Edmonton, AB

    • 11/26/2018

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