Lemony Broccoli, Chickpea & Avocado Pita Sandwiches
This simple pita sandwich recipe features a fresh broccoli and chickpea slaw with Greek flavors, on a pita with mashed avocado!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
What day is it? What time is it? I’m in a tornado of last-minute cookbook details. Imagine a vortex of words, vegetables and papers with notes on them, swirling around a very frizzy-haired me in the middle. Then add Cookie running in circles around my feet, catching the crumbs and stray kale leaves. That’s about right.
With all the recipe testing, I’ve hardly been eating proper meals. Don’t worry, I’m not going hungry. I’m just eating bites here and there, all day long. I don’t remember the last time I ate a real sandwich, or a pita sandwich for that matter, so this recipe was a refreshing change of pace.
Basically, it’s a fresh, lemony broccoli and chickpea salad (lots of texture!) with Greek flavors, folded into a warm pita bread, with mashed avocado to keep it interesting. It’s fresh, delicious, and hearty.
I think the broccoli chickpea salad would be equally tasty on avocado toast, or if you want to take this idea and change it even further, you could use hummus instead of avocado. Then you would have double the chickpeas! Chickpeas offer a myriad of health benefits (they’re rich in protein, fiber, folate and more), and offer a lot of substance in this otherwise fresh and light meal.
You all know I’m a fan of beans, chickpeas, lentils and dry peas (called pulses, collectively), and I’m glad to be singing their praises during the United Nation’s International Year of Pulses. To learn more about the benefits of pulses, and to join me in taking the Pulse Pledge—a commitment to eating one serving of pulses every week (easy!)—visit PulsePledge.com.
Lemony Broccoli, Chickpea & Avocado Pita Sandwiches
These simple broccoli, chickpea and avocado pita sandwiches are a fresh lunch or dinner option. If you would like to have leftovers, store individual components separately, with plastic wrap pressed against the top surface of the mashed avocado to prevent oxidation (or, use hummus instead). Recipe yields 4 pita sandwiches, or 4 large toasts.
Ingredients
Broccoli chickpea salad
- 1 bunch of broccoli, florets removed and sliced thin
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- ⅓ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped
- ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese or thinly sliced Kalamata olives
Lemon dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey or maple syrup, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Pinch red pepper flakes
Everything else
- 2 medium avocados, or about ¾ cup of your favorite hummus
- Salt, to taste
- 4 whole grain pita breads, or 4 large, thick slices of hearty whole grain bread
Instructions
- To prepare the broccoli chickpea salad: In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients as listed. Toss to combine.
- To prepare the lemon dressing: In a small liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the ingredients as listed. Whisk the ingredients together until emulsified. Taste, and add additional salt if necessary. The dressing should be a little tart, but if it’s too tart, add a little more sweetener to balance the flavors. If it’s not tart enough for your liking, add a little more lemon juice.
- Pour the dressing over the broccoli chickpea salad and toss to combine. Set the bowl aside to marinate while you work on the rest.
- To make the mashed avocado, halve and pit the avocados, then scoop the flesh of the avocados into a bowl. Mash them with a pastry cutter or a fork until they are mostly mashed, and spreadable. Season with a pinch of salt, and add more to taste.
- To prepare the pita breads, warm them for a few minutes in the oven, or in a toaster oven, or even in the microwave. (If you’re using slices of bread, pop them in the toaster until golden.)
- Spread mashed avocado (or hummus) over one-half of the top surface of each pita round, and cover the other half with a few generous spoonfuls of broccoli chickpea salad. (If you’re serving on toast, spread avocado over the top surface of each slice, and spoon broccoli chickpea salad on top.) Serve immediately.
Notes
Make it vegan: Use Kalamata olives instead of feta, and maple syrup instead of honey.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
I love love love this recipe. I heat mine up a little and serve it on sweet potato “toast”. I’ve been making it at least twice a month for several months now and I usually never make things twice. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I was all set to make this when I noticed my husband had used up all the broccoli! Boo. I was going to throw in the towel, but figured I’d substitute spinach, and it ended up being delicious. I used hummus and avocado on the pita for a little extra flavor. Next time, I’ll guard the broccoli and try the original recipe. Thanks, Kate!
That is always a bummer! But, I’m glad you still tried it. Thanks for stopping to review, Lauren!
This tastes way better than I expected it to! Very filling and deliciously yummy flavors. Will be looking forward to having it for my lunch tomorrow!
Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Holy smokes, this is a wonderful recipe! The dressing makes it really special, but the combination of flavors is absolutely wonderful, and it came together in a jiffy.
Now, I did have to make a few adjustments this first time out. I somehow had no chickpeas on hand (?!), but I did have green lentils, which worked gorgeously, cooked just to soft and rinsed/cooled. I’m GF, so no pita. Instead, I simply cubed the avocado and let it play in the salad as it wished, then served it on lettuce. I’m also dairy-free, so I also cubed some almond mozzarella cheese and added a bit more lemon juice. (My son doesn’t like olives in anything but on a pizza, so no go on that change-up.)
Goodness, it was fantastic, and a HUGE hit with the boys. Definitely a -do-again, recipe, particularly on these increasingly warm afternoons!
Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you were able to make this work.
This was so good! Definitely will be a regular in my meal rotation. I used feta and olives in place of the tomato and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I’m happy to hear that! Thanks, Anne!
I made the chickpea salad with a very similar dressing at had made earlier in the week and put it on warm pasta. It was awesome and I plan on making again for a potluck next week. Thanks much!
You’re welcome, Katie!
Broccoli, Chickpea, avocado sandwich was great! I steamed the broccoli lightly, used havash and did not put the honey or syrup tin the dressing. I added rare roast beef to my family’s sandwich along with shredded purple cabbage I had in my frog. Gave it a great crunch. Delish.
Thanks for your review!
Have eaten this for lunch for the last two days. It was delicious. Had the leftovers fried in butter with a fried egg in the middle on toast for breakfast. Was equally delicious, yum! Thanks for such a great recipe.
I’m glad you loved it, Fiona!
My friend and I made this for our families for dinner. It is a great meal to make in the summer. It is not heavy, but really filling. We doubled the recipe and we both have a lot leftover for the next day. We decided to steam the broccoli for about 3 minutes so that our kids would be more inclined to eat it. We both loved it. When I served it for dinner, I forgot to add the avocado. It definitely makes it so creamy and holds everything together. The flavors combined are like fireworks in your mouth.
I agree! A great summer meal. Thanks for sharing, Stephanie.
I just bought your cookbook, I am SO excited, thank you for all your great veggie recipes!!!
I’m so excited you got it, Jill! Be sure to let me know what you think of it.
We have had two dinners so far and oh.my.gosh. Yum!!! A few more like these and I’m going to scrap all my other cookbooks. Kate, you have a GIFT!!!
This was wonderful, light and refreshing for a summer meal. I was surprised how flavorful it was. The sun dried tomatoes gave t a nice little zip. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Denise!
This was a great summer dinner! I feel like this would also make a great cold pasta salad.
I think that’s a great idea, Kelly!
I love that your recipes use basic items, are quick to prepare, use healthy ingredients, and are always scrumptious! Thanks for yet another winner!
Thank you for sharing, Krystal!
I made these last night and they were refreshing, light, but filling. The dressing was perfect and not overpowering. Any ideas on how to make this spicier next time?
Add additional seasoning or red pepper flakes? Thank you for your review, Faisal!
Kate! This was delicious. I tried it two ways—oven warmed pita with avocado and griddle warmed pita with hummus—and I definitely preferred the hummus version. The filling was spot on in both. Way to go!
Thanks for your feedback, Vanessa!
Absolutely LOVE this! Tried it first time today with a few adjustments, used tomato sauce in absence of sundried tomatoes, fine shredded cheese(never buy feta), and no oinion,. (Only can handle them cooked usually!) And used the hummus substitute. It turned out SO GOOD, that my picky 6 year old had a few bite of my dinner lol! Made enough to have leftovers for myself for work tomorrow!definitely saved the link and will make again!
Thank you for sharing, Shivonne!
Very yummy recipe. I doubled it and substituted half tahini and half cashew cream for the oil in the dressing. I was very happy with the outcome.
This was sooo good, great combo. I actually roasted the broccoli and it was yummy that way too. I might try with roasted Brussels sprouts next time.
Awesome as ever! My 16 year-old son gobbled this down. Fresh, easy, satisfying and stores like a dream! I know this is going to be even better tomorrow…if it lasts through the night.
Thank you!
We had these for dinner with the Kalamata Olives instead of feta. Nice refreshing flavor. I did add some oregano. Thank you.
Trina
This is so so good. I have made the vegan version of this many times, I love the flavours. I always recommend this recipe to everyone!
So, I tried this as a salad by adding 2c finely shredded red cabbage and I doubled the dressing amount. I plopped a (big) scoop of mashed avocado on top. So yummy! I’m not supposed to have bread, but I saw the picture and I had to make it somehow. Next time, I think I might add a few raisins. :O) Thank you Cookie & Kate! You are truly the best! Now, for your ratatouille later in the week…mmmm.
Hi there! I just made this for lunch today and it was fantastic! I wasn’t so sure because I am not typically a huge fan of broccoli, but I’ve found new way to eat it now. I did make it on the pita bread and didn’t have feta so substituted some cojita cheese I had, used local whipped honey, and a tiny bit of sunflower seeds. I didn’t have the sun-dried tomatoes but definitely want to try it with that soon. On the pita, I spread one half with hummus and one half with avocado just to be wild and crazy haha. It was sooo good! Thanks for the recipe that I know I’ll use again and again.
Hi Dori! I love it. Thank you for sharing. I like that you got creative, great subs!
This was REALLY good, a definite keeper. Since we didn’t have Pita bread, I pressed some tortillas (made with Olive Oil). In place of hummus, we had/used baba ganoush. It was delish. We now call this dish “Mediterranean Tortillas”
Thanks for sharing, Myrtle! I bet baba ganoush was delicious.
This was excellent!! Perfect for high temp and high humidity days! This light pita sandwich is doesn’t weigh you down and yet keeps you full and satisfied with a very hearty lunch. It’s super quick to put together and the marinated filling is even better the next day.
This recipe is amazing and the filling keeps well all week making it easy to prep for lunches and assemble the day of
Tried it as a salad and absolutely loved it! Added roasted carrots as I did not have dried cranberries and it worked perfectly. The lemon dressing was on point! Will definitely make it again :) Thank You!
This is my new favorite salad/sandwich! The flavors push all the right buttons for me.
This is my new favorite salad/sandwich! The flavors push all the right buttons for me. I used sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta.
Thank you for sharing, Nan! I’m happy to hear it.
Thanks for this, and all the other wonderful recipes here, my partner and I gave up meat recently and this has been a wonderful resource for us.
I’m glad you have been loving it, Sara! I appreciate your review.
This is a lunchtime staple for me and my family. Leftovers are amazing sautéed on pasta or avocado toast. My husband and stepdaughter love it. I make it at least once per week.
I have this recipe on summer repeat! I prefer a slightly bolder flavor, so I use your “liquid gold” salad dressing recipe from the cookbook instead and it’s perfect!
I have been making this once the weather has started warming up here in KY to have for lunches…. Tonight my 12 year old son asked for the recipe to learn to make it himself after running out of it yesterday. Yes- that is how good this is! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Jeanette! Thank you for sharing.
What a wonderful idea! I didn’t have broccoli so I used baby spinach in place, and it was perfect. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Alene!
That surely looks like a heart meal. I would love to substitute this with some ginger flavoured chicken cubes!
I swapped the chickpeas with the fried gingar toasted chicken pieces. My family loved it
Hi Kate, I could not wait to review this recipe! It is absolutely amazingly delicious!!! I had my reservations seeing the ingredients at first but then when we sat down to eat dinner last night, the yummy sounds kept coming; there was almost no talking because we were enjoying all the taste sensations! I love sourdough bread and so toasted several slices instead of the pita. I used black and green olives and also a sprinkle of feta. A truly crispy creamy satisfying meal. This one is a keeper and one to share!! Thank you, Francesca
You’re welcome! I’m glad you are so excited about this recipe. Thanks for sharing how you served it!
Hi please can you share the recipe for the pita bread.
Excellent recipe! I’ve made it 3 times in the past few weeks. It is so easy and we really enjoy this :) It has become a staple in our house!
Absolutely loved this! I made a few modifications for what I had on hand but mostly followed the recipe. I’m adding this to my lunchtime rotation. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Margaret! This one makes a great lunch.
Yum! I used tortillas since I’m from CO. I also used both the sun dried tomatoes and the olives. Delicious!
These were delicious; I made them with hummus & tried the salad both as toasts and in pitas – definitely prefer the pita version. Always nice to have another quick healthy lunch idea to make when I get bored of quinoa salads!
I made this today. I tried making pitas from scratch but it flopped, so defrosted and used tortillas instead. It was delicious nevertheless! I steamed the broccoli and also spread some toum garlic sauce on the wraps and it was amazing. Like everyone says, it’s filling yet not a heavy meal. Thanks for the great recipe!
WOW! Just WOW! This recipe was SO GOOD! We loved it and will be making and SHARING it often! NO cooking. Chop, chop, chop. Done. Easy Peasy! I’m going to have to buy that cook book of yours!
I love this recipe. In fact, it was one I choose to put on my menu. When I thought about what I wished to eat and make while I had to keep to myself, this had to be on my list even though my travel destination is cold and rainy :-). I make homemade flat breads to eat with it.
I eat this as a salad with chopped avocado. It’s great!
Everything I’ve made from your site has been AMAZING – i don’t think i’m ever going anywhere else for recipes again!!
Hooray! Thank you so much, Melissa.
This recipe is amazing! Seriously. Try it. We ended up eating this for dinner and roasted the broccoli and it turned out great.
Yum! The dressing really pulls it together
Have made multiple times now for our family. Delish! And I will definitely use this for some gatherings this summer!
That’s great! Thank you for your review, Rachel.
Just made this and all I can say is YUM! I did a few things differently, I found out I didn’t have chickpeas so I used a can of white beans instead,I added some diced celery, diced red bell pepper and cherry tomatoes and I used prepared honey mustard in the dressing. I made them as wraps with flat bread and added some fresh spinach. It was wonderful!