Win hearts and prepare to fall in love with these Marry Me Chickpeas, a vegetarian twist on Marry Me Chicken! With a creamy Italian-style tomato sauce and nutritious chickpeas, this incredible 15 minute meal is perfect for vegetarian date night.
These Marry Me Chickpeas – the vegetarian equivalent of Marry Me Chicken – are about to have you head over heels for chickpeas! Wrapped in a creamy Tuscan sauce and absolutely loaded with flavor, they’ve quickly become one of my favorite ways to use a can of chickpeas! They’re:
- Easy to make, requiring just 1 pan and 15 minutes
- Served any way, like with a thick slice of sourdough bread or over a bed of rice
- Made with mostly pantry staples so you can enjoy this without much advanced planning!
Reader rating
“I made this dish for the first time about a month ago and last week my boyfriend proposed. Could be a coincidence, but also could be the power of delicious Tuscan cooking.” —Kyra
Here’s What You’ll Need
The ingredients for these Marry Me Chickpeas are mostly pantry staples, so you can make it just about whenever the mood strikes!
- Butter: We’re starting this proposal-worthy dish off strong with unsalted butter to cook our garlic and seasonings in. For a vegan version use margarine.
- Garlic: Alright garlic may not be the most romantic ingredient, but if you’re about to propose, we should be past the point of caring about garlic breath, right?
- Seasonings: Salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper bring flavor and spice!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Bring that savory Tuscan flavor.
- Broth: Vegetable broth, either from a carton, cube, or homemade from veggie scraps.
- Chickpeas: We’re using two cans of chickpeas, or you can cook your chickpeas from dried.
- Creamy: Take things up a notch with heavy cream. Feel free to use half-and-half for a lighter dish, or coconut milk for a vegan option.
- Parmesan: Brings a savory taste perfect for rounding out this dish. Vegans should omit or use a plant-based parm.
- Basil: Finish it off with fresh basil!
How to make Marry Me Chickpeas
Making this dish takes just 1 pan and less than 15 minutes. You’ll just:
- Make the flavor base, a delicious combination of butter, garlic, and spices.
- Add the fillings and cook for a few minutes.
- Finish it off with cream, parmesan, and basil!
Sarah’s Tip
While I absolutely love this dish just how it is, sometimes I’ll bulk it up with veggies! I’ll cook a bunch of veggies in the air fryer (zucchini and cauliflower are my favorites for this one), then stir them in right before serving.
Storage
This recipe does well stored in the fridge for up to 5 days (it’s great for vegetarian meal prep)! When ready to reheat, just pop it in the microwave in 30 second bursts until warm.
Protein Variations
Not a fan of chickpeas? Try one of these variations!
- White Beans – add them at the same time that you would have added the chickpeas (see also Marry Me Butter Beans)
- Tofu – cube and crisp it up (air fried tofu is my personal favorite)
- Soy Curls – this vegan ingredient has the texture of chicken and would be great here (how to cook soy curls here)
Serving Suggestions
These chickpeas can be served in so many ways! Here are a few of my favorites:
- With bread, like crusty sourdough or fluffy naan (here’s how to make your own naan).
- With rice, like jasmine or basmati rice (though any type of rice works well).
- On toast, like a thick slab of sourdough or rye.
- With vegetables, like roasted broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, or parsnip.
Reader rating
“Holy h*ll this was amazing!!! Wow I was scared it wasn’t going to be much because of how few ingredients it called for but WOW it packed a flavorful punch!” —Sam
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 28 g
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp each salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 cup vegetable broth 236 mL
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas drained, 425 g cans
- 1 cup heavy cream can sub half-and-half
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, 4 cloves garlic, ½ tsp each salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper in a large saute pan or pot over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.
- Fillings: Stir in ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, 1 cup vegetable broth, and 2 15-oz cans chickpeas. Continue cooking on medium, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- Finish: Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream ½ cup grated parmesan, and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil. Serve warm with crusty bread.
Cortney Mccall says
My family ate every last drop! It was a little spicy so I added a little more broth and HC. This was definitely a win for my family.
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear it, Cortney!! 😀
EVONNE says
Very good flavor! I was surprised at how simple it was to make. I added a little cornstarch to thicken because I added too much liquid. Down side is the sodium and carb content.
Ivette S says
What is considered 1 serving? Asking for calorie counting purposes since I made a batch and measured out 1/2 cup serving size for myself.
Sarah Bond says
It’s just 1/4 of the whole recipe!
Spillt User says
Cannelini and butter beans, added caramelized onions to start
Katie says
Delicious, quick and easy!!! Thank you so much for this it’ll be sure to be a repeat recipe. My dad hates chickpeas but he loved the sauce so much!
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear it, Katie!! Enjoy! 😀
Christine says
Quite good for little effort! I smushed some of the chickpeas with the back of my spoon so they could thicken the sauce. Perfect for lunch.
Sarah Bond says
Such a great idea! Glad you loved it, Christine! 😀
Sam says
Holy h*ll this was amazing!!! Wow I was scared it wasn’t going to be much because of how few ingredients it called for but WOW it packed a flavorful punch!!!
Sarah Bond says
YAY! So happy you loved it, Sam! 😀
Spillt User says
I’ve made marry me chicken and I preferred that recipe. I did add frozen spinach and Gruyère. We served this over rice and felt it needed some more flavor so we ended up adding some bomba pepper spread from Tjs.
I would try making this again and add some more seasoning and more sundried tomatoes.
Kari ward says
Awesome sauce! This was so tasty as are ALL of Sarah’s recipes. Thank you Sarah for constantly experimenting in the kitchen and letting us reap the benefits!
Sarah Bond says
Aw thank you, Kari!! I’m so happy you’re liking all the recipes!! 😀
Spillt User says
Sally Weaver says
Simple and delicious. I served with grilled chicken breasts and white rice. My husband, who “doesn’t like chickpeas” scarfed it right up. Will definitely make again.
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear it was a hit, Sally! 😀
Lacey says
My best friend made this & brought it to me for Shiva.
It’s amazing!
Mika says
I made this recipe vegan and with lentils and it was SO good. I know it would be been better with beans but my son loves lentils so it is what it is. I’m pumped to have a recipe him and I both love!
Sarah Bond says
That’s such a great idea! Happy to hear you both loved it! 😀
Alicha says
I made this today, as I needed to bring a dish to Christmas lunch tomorrow. It came out so delicious! I added baby spinach, and with the sundried tomatoes and the green spinach it actually looks like the perfect Christmas dish! I’m sure everyone will love it. 😊
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear it, Alicha! Merry Christmas! 😀
Melanie says
Delicious and incredibly easy! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I doubled the broth and used an immersion blender at the end to blend some of the chickpeas and create a thicker sauce. Will definitely try again.
Caroline says
Loved this recipe! I was missing a few ingredients so I did some ad libbing and it still turned out delicious … namely, I sautéed a sweet onion with the garlic, butter & spices in instant pot. Then added French lentils, and after sautéing a few minutes I added some water and broth concentrate and set the instant pot to 1 minute with 10 min come down. I didn’t have any sun dried tomatoes so I added a chopped tomato, then a can of coconut cream and white beans. I didn’t have any fresh basil this time of year, so I added dried. By the time I added grated parmesan it was a pretty watery soup…so I added some corn starch to thicken and it turned out wonderful. We enjoyed over riceZz. I’m excited to eat it again for lunch tomorrow! Thank you for the recipe inspiration, it was a hit with my husband too!
Sarah Bond says
That sounds amazing! So glad you loved it, happy the recipe could inspire you 🙂
BARBARA says
This was a big hit with both a vegetarian and a meat eater. It came together very quickly, was very flavorful, and provided great leftovers for the next day. As the suggestions stated, I did roast a bag of frozen broccoli and added that directly into the dish and served with Aldi mini naans. I did increase the amount of sun dried tomatoes as the ratio of 1/2 cup to 2 cans of beans seemed light for our tastes. It had the perfect amount of spice for us. This recipe will be on repeat in our home. This was much preferred over a marry me salmon recipe we tried previously. Thank you!
Sarah Bond says
Your modifications sounds so tasty, Barbara! I’m happy to hear it was a hit for you all – enjoy! 😀
Kyra says
I made this dish for the first time about a month ago and last week my boyfriend proposed. Could be a coincidence, but also could be the power of delicious Tuscan cooking.
Sarah Bond says
Oh my gosh!! That’s amazing congratulations Kyra!!
Donna Sinnes says
Marry Me Chickpeas was the first recipe of yours that I tried. I’ve been a vegetarian for something like 8 years and I’m always looking for new recipes to try. I did a half mash on the chickpeas and used coconut milk, as recommended. My husband and I loved it so much that I recommended it to both of my daughters and several friends. Everyone loves it!
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear this, Donna! 😀 Enjoy!
Pamela joy marshall says
As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a favorite at my house, and I was right!
It is so delicious, it will be a regular around here, and I have told several folks about it.
I have also – many times – turned people on to your website, letting them know about black bean brownies, chickpea blondies, miso pasta, and wild rice-mushroom soup!
Thanks Sarah!
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear this, Pamela! And thanks so much for sharing the site with others as well! So happy to have you here 🙂
Claire says
Delicious! I added a bit of tomato paste for even more flavor.
Sarah Bond says
Such a great idea!
Cara says
I made this last night as I shockingly had all of the ingredients on hand! I served it over Banza chickpea rice and it was absolutely delicious! Plus it was super easy to make.
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear it, Cara! Enjoy! 😀
Val says
This is so quick and delicious. I served it over pasta. I used 1/2 a jar of sundried tomato pesto instead of the sundried tomatoes. Delicious!
Sarah Bond says
That’s SUCH a good idea, Val! Thanks for sharing! 😀
Molly says
My picky kids ate a full bowl with rice and the suggested air fryer cauliflower! In the rotation now!
Sarah Bond says
I was thinking about making an air fryer cauliflower version! Smart kids! 😀
Katie says
Absolutely loved this recipe! My boyfriend is vegetarian so I’m always on the lookout for vegetarian recipes we’d both enjoy. I was surprised at how flavorful this recipe was considering there are so few ingredients. I added in some spinach and served it with some stovetop risotto and garlic bread and it was delicious. When I make this again, I think I’ll boil the chickpeas separately ahead of time as the 5 minutes as outlined in the recipe wasn’t quite enough to fully soften the chickpeas I’d used.
Kay says
This one is a winner for my entire family! I made white rice and Naan for dipping; added some spinach also!
Sarah Bond says
Yum!! SO happy to hear it, Kay! 😀
Courtney Smith says
OMG!!! This turned out so AMAZING!!! I was so skeptical! I’m such a meat eater, and I was wanted to explore more with beans and veggies, and I was shocked at how good this dish was!!! I took a pic of it too, but I guess we aren’t to share it. I will definitely make this again. I also didn’t do anything different to the recipe except triple it.
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear it, Courtney!! Enjoy!! (P.S. you can always post it on Insta and tag me so I can see! @liveeatlearn)
Victoria says
This was so good! Even my pickup husband liked it!
Nancy zych says
Amazing I love it. Thank you. Four star 12 star if you have it.
JJG says
This is dinner tonight. Can’t wait to try it. Looks delicious
Sarah Bond says
Yay! I’d love to hear how it goes! 😀
Patricia Cobb says
Fantastic, Delicious, and Addicting!!!! So thrilled I made this for my family.
Ellie says
Made this for me and my boyfriend we are trying to eat less meet and it was filling and yum I used asiago cheese instead and chicken broth! Great recipe!
Lubhna says
Tried this as is, found it to be a bit bland. Ended up adding tomato paste and a chunk of red pesto
Tauni Whitley says
Dearest Sarah,
I read your emails everyday with anticipation! Today I combined your “Marry Me Chickpea” recipe with your spaghetti squash recipe … OMG!! I used the Tuscan sauce recipe in place of the Alfredo sauce and combine the two together and WOWZA!!! Thank you so much for your exquisite ideas
Sarah Bond says
Oh my gosh!! SUCH a great idea! I’ll have to try that!
Claudia says
Very simple and tasty. I used an immersion blender to reduce the amount of whole garbanzo beans and give the soup a smooth thick texture. I will make it again but I will use white beans.
Heather says
Love this! I added an onion, mushrooms and towards the end I stirred in a bag of fresh spinach to up the veggie count. Served it over rice. It was really good and lots of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Will definitely make again.
Sarah Bond says
Spinach is such a great idea for this one! And the mushroom! And the onions! Happy you loved it 🙂
Heidi Beasley says
Absolutely delicious!!! I happened to have some fresh spinach so I added a couple handfuls when I took it off the heat. Thrilled to find this recipe as I don’t each much meat anymore.
Sarah Bond says
Spinach is such a great idea here! Such an easy way of thinking in some veggies 😀
Kay says
Delish and easy!
Vee says
It was a bit bland but a good start. I added pesto , tom paste and rosemary with everything and paired it with angel hair pasta it def helped
Rachel Dhanaraj says
Substituted the heavy cream with blended cashews and water for a low cal swap and it was PERFECT.
jILL says
So, so good! Added some mushrooms and spinach and served over spaghetti. Huge hit with all (including a toddler!) so a win for us!
Alison says
This was really good! I mashed up some of the chickpeas to make it a little more creamy in texture. I was also out of black pepper and we like some spice so I added some smoky hot sauce which complemented the other flavors really well! Served with roasted carrots and rice. I’ll definitely make this again!
Vee says
Can I substitute vegetable broth with water?
Sarah Bond says
Yes! Taste and add a bit of salt at the end if needed to compensate.
Devon says
This is by far my favorite recipe (meal) in the whole world! My husband said at dinner, “Never lose this recipe!” to which i replied, I am printing, framing and hanging in our kitchen. I will always have the ingredients on hand to make for us and others! It is that good!
Sarah Bond says
Oh my gosh, best review EVER! 😅 I’m so happy you loved it, Devon! 😀
mylene says
Super easy to make and very tasty! Sarah, do you have any trick to make it thicker? It was a little « soupy ».
Sarah Bond says
Yes! You could add a cornstarch slurry (about 2 Tbsp water mixed with 1 Tbsp cornstarch, whisk it in and simmer until thick). Or you could mash the chickpeas up a bit to release their starches!
Sarah says
To make this dairy free I am hoping to use olive oil, coconut milk (canned) and nutritional yeast. Do you think the recipe will work with those substitutions?
Sarah Bond says
Yes those should work! It will taste a little different but pretty close. You could also use vegan parmesan cheese 😀
Karen says
Excellent recipe. Substituted with coconut milk to make vegan. Added chopped collards and oyster mushrooms.
Sarah Bond says
Oh yum!! Those changes all sound delish!
Sarah says
I don’t like sundried tomatoes. Can I omit them, or I replace with something and if so what? Thanks!
Sarah Bond says
I would use a tablespoon or so of tomato paste to bring a savory element!
Sheila Humphrey says
I didn’t think I lied sun dried tomatoes either but decided to follow recipe as is. The sun dried tomatoes made the flavor of this dish as it melded with the other ingredients. I urge you to try it as is. I think you will be in for a pleasant surprise.
Priscilla says
This was super yummy! Even my meat eaters enjoyed this meal. It is quite filling so a little goes a long way. The red pepper flakes add depth to the meal which was very nice.
Annabelle says
Seriously delicious and super simple, I made this right before I came home from the grocery store and had it ready to eat in less than 30 minutes (a real accomplishment for me). I did half chickpeas and half great northern beans and it was sooo yummy. Great recipe!
Armandt says
I made this last night, and it was so easy and delicious. I had some left over sour cream left so I just substituted that for the heavy cream, along with some milk. Quite rich, but still it ends up being so cheap and very filling. It’s a great, really flexible recipe!
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear you loved it! The sour cream is a great idea 😀
Sheila Humphrey says
I am not a vegetarian but tried this because it sounded so good. It was so good that I crave it. Even had it for breakfast over rice. Can’t get enough of it.
Cecilia Riley says
I just finished making this and it is heavenly. I bought some naan to eat it with, but I almost prefer eating it by itself. Even my husband, who doesn’t like chickpeas, tried it. I’m bringing it to work for my colleagues but my husband wants it for dinner again this week. Thank you!