Marry me chickpeas is an easy and delicious one-pot meal with sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, and Tuscan vibes, ready in less than 30 minutes.
It’s perfect with pasta, orzo, or simply with crusty bread. If you like easy chickpea recipes, see our chickpea salad, chickpea curry, and pasta e ceci.
Why you’ll love this recipe…
Louise and I have become obsessed with sun-dried tomatos lately. They add so much flavor!
After cooking marry me butter beans, tofu pasta, and sun-dried tomato pasta, we might need an intervention soon 😅.
Anyhow, we think you’ll love this recipe because it’s:
- Quick & Easy: One pot, minimal effort, ready in 20 minutes. Just mix chickpeas, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, and Parmesan for a rich, comforting dish.
- Deeply Fulfilling: Inspired by Italian flavors, this creamy chickpea dish is both hearty and satisfying.
- Perfect with Pasta: Serve it with short pasta like fusilli, orzo, or bowtie for an extra-cozy meal and a satiating vegetarian dinner idea.
Similar to pasta e ceci and paccheri pasta, chickpeas are a super easy plant-based protein addition to your pasta meal.
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Chickpeas: substitute navy beans. You can also use dried chickpeas but you have to cook them first. Here’s our how to cook chickpeas guide in case you need it.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: choose those that are packed in oil as they are tender and flavorful. Substitute roasted peppers.
- Parmesan: We love this with Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano. Substitute Pecorino Romano or non-dairy cheese to make this vegan.
- Heavy cream: substitute non-dairy cream to make this vegan. Blended cashews work well too.
- Spinach: Substitute another leafy green like kale or chard.
- Lemon zest
- Dried oregano
- Vegetable broth
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Tomato paste
- Red pepper flakes
Variations
🍝 ADD PASTA: Pick your favorite short pasta like bowties, campanelle, fusilli, penne, or rigatoni. Cook it al dente and toss it in the sauce. It’s SO good!
💪🏻 ADD PROTEIN: You can add your favorite protein, from fried tofu to chicken and shrimp. Or make this protein-packed marry me tofu pasta instead.
🫘 MAKE IT WITH BEANS: We have a quick and easy recipe for marry me butter beans you’ll love.
How to make marry me chickpeas
Step 1: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add grated garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and cook for another minute to deepen the flavor.
Add drained and rinsed chickpeas, season with salt and black pepper, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring to coat them in the aromatics.
Step 2: Deglaze with vegetable broth and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Watch as the chickpeas soften and absorb the rich flavor of the sauce.
Pour in heavy cream (or a dairy-free alternative), dried oregano, and chopped spinach. Let it simmer for a few more minutes until the spinach wilts and the sauce becomes lusciously creamy.
Step 3: Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese to taste.
Serve straight from the skillet or spoon onto a slice of rustic, crusty bread rubbed with garlic.
Finish with extra Parmesan, fresh basil leaves, and a generous sprinkle of grated lemon zest.
Tip
Not all canned chickpeas are the same! Some are firmer and benefit from an extra 10-15 minutes of simmering with a bit more broth for a softer, creamier texture.
The key? Taste as you cook and adjust the timing as needed. Your marry me chickpeas should be tender, flavorful, and perfectly coated in the creamy sauce when served.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure you can! Soak the dried chickpeas overnight, then cook them in plenty of boiling water until tender (about 2 hours) before using in this recipe.
It’s easy to substitute heavy cream. The easiest way to do it is to buy a store-bought dairy-free cream for cooking. There are several options made from rice, soy, or cashews.
Alternatively, you can use coconut milk. That would add a wonderful creamy texture and a mild coconut flavor.
Finally, you can blend 1 cup of cashews with 1 cup of water and a squeeze of lemon juice in a high-speed blender until smooth. If you don’t have a high-speed blender make sure to soak the cashews in hot water first for at least 30 minutes.
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil are a magical ingredient because they are packed with umami, which means they add instant flavor to any recipe. You can substitute roasted bell peppers or cherry tomatoes for a milder flavor.
You can store leftover marry me chickpeas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop with a splash of water, or in the microwave for 2 minutes.
More recipes with a can of chickpeas
Curry Recipes
Chickpea Curry
Mains
Chickpea Fritters
Salads
Chickpea Salad
30-Min Meals
Moroccan Chickpea Stew
If you tried this Marry Me Chickpeas recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Marry Me Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cans chickpeas (15oz / 230g net each) or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream or non-dairy cream
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan or more to taste
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 handful basil leaves + lemon zest to garnish
- ½ teaspoon salt + black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves garlic (grated) and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in 3 tablespoons tomato paste and cook for another minute to deepen the flavor.Add 2 cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed), season with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring to coat them in the aromatics.
- Deglaze with 1½ cups vegetable broth and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Watch as the chickpeas soften and absorb the rich flavor of the sauce.Pour in ½ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, and 2 cups spinach. Let it simmer for a few more minutes until the spinach wilts and the sauce becomes lusciously creamy.
- Turn off the heat and stir in ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped) and ⅓ cup grated parmesan or more to taste.Serve straight from the skillet or spoon onto a slice of rustic, crusty bread rubbed with garlic.Finish with extra Parmesan, 1 handful basil leaves, and a generous sprinkle of grated lemon zest.
Notes
- Chickpeas: Substitute butter beans.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Substitute roasted peppers or cherry tomatoes.
- Parmesan: Substitute Pecorino Romano or a non-dairy cheese.
- Heavy cream: Substitute a non-dairy cream or make your own cashew cream by blending 1 cup cashews with 1 cup water and a tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Spinach: Substitute kale or chard for spinach.
- Dried oregano: Substitute an Italian herb mix.
- Add pasta: Pick your favorite short pasta like bowtie, campanelle, fusilli, penne, or rigatoni. Cook it al dente and toss it in the sauce. It’s SO good!
- Add protein: You can add your favorite protein, from fried tofu to chicken and shrimp. Or make make this protein-packed marry me tofu pasta instead.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
This dish was amazing! I substituted the cream for soy milk and the cheese for nutritional yeast. 10/10
Fabulous, Heather. Thanks so much for your valuable suggestions, I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe. Have a great weekend when you get there.
Kindest, Louise
Wow! This is a must try recipe. It’s absolutely delicious and super easy to make! I had some extra cans of garbanzo beans that I’ve been meaning to use, so I was very excited when I saw this recipe in my email.
I already love the flavor of the marry me chicken pasta and now I can try it with chickpeas!! When I made this recipe and served it to my daughter she loved it and I did as well.
Hi Mia,
That’s great, and a wonderful meal to share your your daughter 🥰.
Thanks so much for your kind comment, and have a great week ahead!
Love love love. It’s quick, tasty, healthy and really the best for a weeknight dinner. We served it with mezze maniche and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Michelle. We are happy you liked the recipe 🙂 Love mezzemaniche!
All the best.
Nico