Name: Turkey Salad Sandwich with Chickpeas (No Mayo)
Prep time: 8 min
Total time: 8 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 300 g ready to eat turkey meat (chopped or shredded); 400 g canned chickpeas (reserve the water); 4 tbsp cream cheese; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 small garlic clove (chopped); 1 shallot (finely chopped); 3 tbsp chopped jalapeno peppers, pickled or fresh (adjust the amount to suit your preference); fine sea salt and pepper to taste; serve with your favourite bread

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This turkey salad sandwich is made using a simple homemade, rich and creamy (though still healthy) chickpea sauce instead of mayo. Delicious with jalapenos for a bit of heat!

This quick and easy to make turkey salad sandwich is a delicious way to use up your turkey leftovers. Add lemon juice for a bit of zest, jalapenos for sharpness, shallots for texture, combine with a deliciously creamy mayo-free chickpea sauce and enjoy!

If your Christmas/Thanksgiving centrepiece was roast turkey chances are you have leftovers! Which is fantastic as it means you’ll be able to whip up quick and easy dishes for days to come. For example, you can make this satisfying leftover turkey tomato soup or zesty turkey cranberry salad with lime dressing. Or you could create delicious party food such as these easy leftover turkey lettuce wraps. But you can also make a deliciously creamy (yet low in fat) turkey salad sandwich with chickpeas.

This turkey salad sandwich is super healthy! First of all, turkey meat itself is low in fat. The sauce contains no mayo or even oil. It is made using chickpeas (including the brine) and cream cheese. So it’s creamy, delicious and full of healthy protein. Stir in the meat and serve with your favourite bread. I chose a fresh crusty baguette but you could use healthier breads such as pumpernickel, seeded or rye.

Equipment you’ll need

Kitchen scales
Chopping board, knife and large spoon
Blender and bowl

How to make a creamy mayo free sauce for turkey salad sandwich

1.Blend the chickpeas with the cream cheese, lemon juice, garlic and half of the water from the chickpeas until the mixture is velvety smooth (a simple hand blender will do). Depending on the kind of consistency you like you may not need to add any more water. (Don’t forget to season!) I didn’t want the mixture to be too thick so ended up adding all of the water.

Chopped turkey, no mayo sauce and chillies in bowls on oven tray.

2. Add the chopped jalapenos, shallots and turkey, stir and make your turkey salad sandwich!

Side view of turkey salad sandwiches with chillies and baguette on oven tray.

Top tips for making turkey salad without mayo

Substitutions: I used full fat cream cheese as I find it tastier than the low fat variety, but you could use either. You can use either white and dark turkey meat or a mixture. You can also swap turkey for chicken if you prefer.
Jalapenos: Make this recipe as hot or mild as you like, and use either pickled or fresh jalapenos. I used a combination of pickled red jalapenos and fresh, medium hot, green ones for a bit of crunch.
Herbs: I didn’t use any but good options include freshly chopped cilantro or parsley.
No turkey leftovers: Buy a small piece of turkey breast, season, brush with oil and bake in a small oven dish for about 45-50 minutes at 190 C/ gas mark 5. Remove from the oven, allow to cool completely, then chop or shred and combine with the sauce.
Best served on the day. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Not suitable for freezing.

Keep in touch!

If you make this turkey salad without mayo I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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