BBQ Chickpea Sandwich

This vegan BBQ Chickpea Sandwich is a delicious, quick, and easy weeknight dinner. A simple homemade barbecue sauce gets a quick simmer with mashed and whole chickpeas. Then it's piled high on a sesame seed bun and topped with your favorite cool, creamy coleslaw.

You Will Love These

• They're freaking amazing! Even if you're not vegan - you're going to LOVE these sandwiches! I was trying to mimic a BBQ chicken/pork sandwich with this recipe and my meat-eating husband will tell you that these totally hit the mark. The texture and the finger-licking flavor of the homemade barbecue sauce will leave your tastebuds wanting more!
• If you're trying to incorporate more meat-free meals into your family's weekly rotation - these BBQ chickpea sandwiches are perfect because they have familiar flavors that your family already knows and loves. The easiest way to get your kids to eat new foods is to serve them in a format that is similar to other foods they enjoy. Try these in place of sloppy joes or shredded chicken sandwiches. You might be surprised how much your family loves them!
• They're super quick and easy to make! Just 15 minutes and about 10 ingredients is all it takes to get this tasty vegetarian dinner on the table! Even on the busiest of weeknights, you can easily throw this meal together. Serve with my Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad or Roasted Bacon Potato Salad for a delicious summer dinner!

Instructions

Add ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and a couple large pinches of salt to a medium-sized saucepan.

Stir to combine and heat over medium-low heat.

Add chickpeas to a large bowl. Smash half of the chickpeas using the back of a fork.

Add chickpeas to the saucepan.

Stir to combine. Gently simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Serve barbecue chickpeas on sesame seed buns, top with coleslaw, and enjoy!

Tips

• You can totally skip the homemade barbecue sauce and just use store-bought if you're in a rush. Although, if you have a few extra minutes, the flavor of this homemade barbecue sauce is AMAZING. But your favorite store-bought brand will work in a pinch also! Just follow the directions below, heating it on the stove with the chickpeas.
• Feel free to play around with the barbecue sauce ingredients also! Add more sugar for a sweeter sauce or add more mustard for a vinegar-forward Carolina inspired sauce! Everyone likes something a little different. This sauce is our family's favorite flavor combination, but feel free to use it as a blueprint and make it your own!
• You could switch out the garbanzo beans for beans of your choice. I like to use chickpeas for this recipe because of their soft, yet toothsome texture. The combination of the smashed chickpeas and the whole chickpeas gives a mouthfeel that is reminiscent of a sloppy joe or pulled chicken/pork sandwich. However other beans that would work well in this recipe include:
  • lima beans
  • pinto beans
  • Great Northern beans
  • Cannellini beans
• If you choose to use a different type of bean, I'd recommend only mashing about ¼ - ⅓ of the beans as they will get a bit mushier than the garbanzo beans do and you don't want the entire mixture to be too mushy.
• You could also use lentils in place of the garbanzo beans for this BBQ chickpea sandwich. I would recommend cooked green lentils for this recipe as red lentils will not stand up to the sauce and will get too soft, giving it a less than ideal texture.
• Toast your buns! I like to give each bun a schmear of butter (use vegan butter if you'd like) or oil on each side and then cook them - cut side down - in a saute pan (or on the grill) over medium-high heat just until they start to get golden brown. This prevents the bun from getting soggy and adds a little extra layer of flavor.

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