Buffalo Chickpea Melt

When you want something cozy and comforting, this Buffalo Chickpea Melt is just the ticket. Chickpea salad is spiced up with a little bit of buffalo sauce and then sandwiched between 2 pieces of bread with a slice of vegan cheese and grilled until melty. Super yummy with the perfect kick!

Here’s what you need

Ingredients

• chickpeas
• avocado
• vegan mayo
• buffalo sauce
• smoked paprika
• pepper
• garlic salt
• celery
• red onion
• vegan American cheese
• bread
• vegan butter

Equipment

• skillet

Steps

Step 1: Make the Chickpea Salad

Chickpea salad is really a matter of your personal taste. So, take the listed ingredients and then play around with it until you love it!

Add the chickpeas to a large bowl and use a fork to mash them – doesn’t need to be perfect, just mash about 80% of them.

Add the avocado & vegan mayo and mash until combined. Pour in the buffalo sauce & dry seasonings and mix. Add the celery & red onion and gently fold in. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Step 2: Grill

Add a couple of scoops of the chickpea mixture to a slice of bread. Gently spread it out. Place a piece of cheese on top, followed by the other slice of bread. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Melt some vegan butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Place 1-2 sandwiches in the skillet (depending on how big they are) and cook until browned. Flip and brown the other side. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining sandwiches – melting more vegan butter in the skillet as needed.

You want to do this low and slow so that the vegan cheese has a chance to melt.

Step 3: Serve

Slice the sandwiches in half and dig in. I think these are best served with a pickle on the side to cut through some of the richness.

I also wouldn’t say no to some ruffles on the side.

These are best served right away while the cheese is still melty!

Tips & Tricks

Less is more when adding the chickpea mixture to the bread – if you overfill the sandwiches they will be super messy when you try to eat them!

You can also add softened vegan butter directly to the bread instead of melting it in the pan.

Use any type of bread you want – sourdough. wheat, rye, flatbread, etc.