This post contains affiliate links.
Win hearts and prepare to fall in love with these Marry Me Chickpeas, a vegetarian twist on Marry Me Chicken! With over 35 million views across social media, this incredible 15-minute meal chickpea recipe has been devoured in thousands of kitchens around the world.
Pairs well with Air Fryer Veggies on the side. Finish the meal with Vegan Panna Cotta!
save this recipe!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
Key Ingredients
The ingredients are mostly pantry staples, so you can make it just about whenever the mood strikes! Jump to the recipe for measurements–this is just an overview.
- Chickpeas: We’re using two cans of chickpeas, or you can cook your chickpeas from dried.
- 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. Get the kind packed in oil!
- Broth: Vegetable broth, either from a carton, cube, or homemade from veggie scraps.
- Cream: In testing, I found heavy cream to give the best texture, but 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.
How to make Marry Me Chickpeas
Making this dish takes just 1 pan and less than 15 minutes. This is an overview, jump to the recipe for the full printable recipe!
- 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!
I like adding veggies
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.
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)
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
Serving Suggestions
- With vegetables, like these air fryer veggies which can cook while the chickpeas cook
- With bread, like crusty sourdough, fluffy naan, or toasted rye
- With rice, like jasmine or basmati rice
How To Make Marry Me Chickpeas
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!Meal Prep it!
Make a batch of these proposal-worthy chickpeas and portion them into 4 or 5 meal prep containers with a grain (like brown rice or quinoa) and a steamed veggie (like broccoli or asparagus). I like to add a handful of cherry tomatoes as well!
Hi. I’d like to know if it can go in the freezer. Thank you.
I think freezing this one would impact the texture too much with the chickpeas probably getting pretty mushy. But if you try it out, I would love to hear how it goes!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Definitely a keeper and I like that whatever roasted vegetables are on hand can be added. Adding a couple of handfuls of spinach would be good too.
So pumped you loved it Sandy!
Can you use oil instead?
Thanks.
Yep!
Absolutely loved this dish. The way you do the base flavours and the basil at the end just elevates it. A lovely stew of chickpeas. Next time I’ll add a little less stock but apart from that just delicious.
So thrilled to hear that you loved it. Happy eating!
Love this recipe. I’m a meat eater and I prefer it over the marry me chicken. I’m curious about thickening the sauce. I find it to be too liquidy after adding the cream. I typically let it simmer for a bit. Do you have any tips for thickening?
Yep, you can just let it gently simmer uncovered until it reaches the thickness that you like!
Very tasty! I halved the recipe for my toddler and I. She loved it! We are carnivorous household at that. Hooray for a tasty vegetarian dish!
You’re the best, thanks for the feedback Natasha!
That was sooooo good. It was so easy. I will make that on repeat. I’ve never had sun dried tomatoes on hand, but I will now!
So pumped you loved it Kara, happy eating!
This is so so so good! My sun dried tomatoes are brown instead of red (they are not expired) so mine isn’t as pretty- but it’s so delicious anyway?
One difference was that I realized I didn’t have the fresh basil so I subbed 1/2 teas. Dried basil.
So so good! I immediately wrote this recipe down to keep in my folder. Thank you!
So glad it turned out so well Bethany!
It’s great! I roasted the chickpeas and briefly used an immersion blender. The cream and Parmesan makes all the difference along with the fresh basil!!!
Thanks for your regular emails.
Thrilled you loved it, thanks for the review Gene!
We added some spinach for more color and nutrition, but it was absolutely delicious and was a hit even with my teens and preteen!
So glad it turned out so well Becky!
I’ve made this a few times but I swap out the basil for spinach. This time I left out the crushed red pepper because I was feeding it to my one year old. I added some dried bell pepper seasoning I got from pampered chef so it had the pepper taste without the spice. I also mixed in some bow tie pasta. It was really good and the one year old was saying “mmmmm” and “num num” the whole time she was eating.
So happy to hear your little one loved it, thanks Amy!