Cheesy Chickpea Melts

If I were to look back at what I’ve eaten these past few months, I’d see a lot of greens, beans, and cheese staring back at me. My kitchen isn’t complete without these staples on hand — they’re the driving forces behind my trusty lunch salad, my favorite soups and shakshukas, and even this one-pot pasta.

Here, I’ve grouped them up for their best performance yet: cheesy, saucy, slightly spicy chickpea melts. Inspired by an overflow of crusty sourdough, these toasts are the incredibly easy, immensely satisfying, protein-packed vegetarian dinner you need. A stewy mixture of tomato-y chickpeas and greens are piled onto garlicky toast, then topped with cheese and broiled until browned and bubbly. Tuna melt who?

I’ve included as many ingredient options as possible in hopes you won’t have to leave the house to make them. Let’s take a look.

The bread: If you’ve been on a sourdough-baking kick like me, now’s the time to put your freshly baked or frozen loaves to use. But any type of crusty bread, pocketless pita, or even English muffin will do.

The beans: If you’re looking for a bean with a bit of a bite, opt for chickpeas. If you want a creamier bean, go for a white bean, like cannellini or butter beans.

The tomatoes: You’ll need two types of tomato products: one concentrated paste and one canned with juices. The paste can either be harissa, which has built-in heat, or tomato paste, to which you’ll add a pinch of red pepper flakes. As for the canned tomatoes, diced, crushed, and whole peeled are all fair game.

The greens: I’ve been using whatever tender greens arrive in my weekly produce box. You really can’t go wrong with spinach, kale, baby kale, arugula, or mustard greens.

The cheese: Here’s where things get fun. I like to use a semi-hard white cheese such as Swiss, Havarti, or, my favorite, jalapeño Muenster. But I’ve also had great success with cheddar, feta, and mozzarella (that one had major pizza vibes).

Whether you eat plant-based full-time or want to go meat-free once a week, Tonight We Veg will bring you the feel-good vegetarian meals you crave. Once a month, in addition to our existing lineup of great veggie recipes, we’ll share easy weeknight recipes that prove how diverse produce-forward food can be, each packed with smart tips we’ve picked up over the years. Cook along with us, and share your creations using #tonightweveg.