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Kaskrout Lablebi Recipe – Tunisian Chickpea Sandwich (20 Min)
Traditional Tunisian Chickpea & Harissa Sandwich
The Tunisian lablabi sandwich takes the bold flavors of traditional chickpea soup and transforms them into a rich, spicy street-food sandwich packed into crusty bread.
Creamy chickpeas seasoned with cumin, garlic, olive oil, lemon, and harissa create the heart of the sandwich, while eggs, tuna, olives, and parsley add texture and depth.
Warm, filling, and deeply flavorful, this sandwich is classic Tunisian comfort food with strong North African character in every bite.
What Is It?
A Tunisian lablabi sandwich is a baguette or khobz bread filled with warm mashed chickpeas seasoned with cumin, garlic, olive oil, lemon, and harissa.
Inspired by traditional Tunisian lablabi soup, the sandwich version combines creamy chickpeas with toppings like tuna, eggs, olives, and herbs for a portable street-food meal.
The chickpeas remain partly chunky, giving the sandwich a rustic texture.
A Little History
Lablabi itself has long been one of Tunisia’s most important comfort foods and street dishes, traditionally served as a chickpea soup poured over bread.
Over time, variations evolved into sandwich forms using baguettes introduced during the French colonial period alongside local Tunisian breads like khobz.
Today, chickpea sandwiches remain common in Tunisian cafés, bakeries, and street-food shops, especially as affordable hearty meals.
What You Need
- Baguette or Tunisian khobz
- Cooked chickpeas
- Chickpea cooking liquid
- Garlic
- Cumin powder
- Harissa
- Olive oil
- Hard-boiled egg
- Tuna
- Olives
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh parsley
The Process
The chickpeas are first warmed with garlic and cumin before being lightly mashed into a creamy but textured filling.
Harissa, olive oil, and lemon create the signature Tunisian balance of spice, richness, and acidity. The warm chickpea mixture is spooned directly into fresh bread before being topped with eggs, tuna, olives, and parsley.
The result is rich, messy, hearty, and deeply satisfying.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place the cooked chickpeas and a little reserved cooking liquid into a saucepan.
- Add garlic and cumin powder.
- Warm gently over medium heat until fragrant.
- Lightly mash the chickpeas with a fork while keeping some texture.
- Stir in harissa, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.
- Slice the baguette or khobz lengthwise, leaving one side attached.
- Drizzle the inside lightly with olive oil.
- Spoon the warm chickpea mixture into the bread.
- Top with slices of hard-boiled egg.
- Add tuna if using.
- Scatter olives over the top.
- Finish with chopped parsley.
- Close the sandwich gently and serve warm.
Serve immediately while hot and fresh.
Serving
This sandwich is best eaten immediately while the chickpea filling is still warm.
Serve with extra harissa, lemon wedges, or olives on the side for additional flavor.
Storing
The chickpea mixture can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days before reheating and assembling fresh sandwiches.
Kaskrout Lablebi
Ingredients
- 1 baguette or Tunisian khobz
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas warm, with some cooking liquid reserved
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1–2 tbsp harissa adjust to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 hard-boiled egg sliced
- 1 can tuna in olive oil optional, for topping
- 4–6 olives black or green, halved
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the chickpeas: Warm the chickpeas with their cooking liquid, garlic, and cumin. Mash lightly with a fork so they’re partly creamy but still chunky.
- Season: Stir in harissa, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Adjust to taste.
- Prepare the bread: Slice the baguette lengthwise, leaving one side attached. Lightly drizzle the inside with olive oil.
- Fill the sandwich: Spoon in the warm chickpea mixture. Top with slices of hard-boiled egg, tuna (if using), and olives.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle with parsley, close the sandwich, and enjoy warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Product We Use
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