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Ultra-creamy, garlicky, and packed with sun-dried tomatoes, my Marry Me Chickpeas are a vegan spin on the popular “Marry Me Chicken”. Made in one pot under 30 minutes, this rich Tuscan-style dish makes a great family dinner. Serve it over pasta, rice, or with crusty bread!
After making Marry Me Tofu and Vegan Marry Me Chicken, I knew I needed to create another twist on the TikTok sensation. I’m not usually one to jump on every trend, but this one was just too good to pass up. And honestly, this chickpea version might be the coziest one yet. It took me quite a few tests to perfect the seasoning and consistency of the sauce, but I finally nailed it.
It’s even faster and easier to make than my previous recipes! No pressing tofu, no baking, no air-frying. Just simmer, stir, and serve. It’s savory enough for a date night and simple enough for a family weeknight dinner.
💕 Why You’ll Marry This
- Ultra creamy and savory. There’s no shortage of sauce in this recipe. And it’s a good thing because the sauce, which is the star of this dish, is velvety smooth, infused with plenty of garlic and herbs, and has chunks of sun-dried tomatoes for texture.
- Ready in just 30 minutes. No complicated steps or ingredients here. Sauté the aromatics, pour in the liquid ingredients and chickpeas, and simmer for 5 minutes. Done. Dinner is ready to be served!
- Serves the whole family. One batch serves about 4 people, and you can easily double that if you want leftovers for the next day.
🍅 The Main Characters
Here are the key ingredients you will need. Remember that you can find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Butter – To sauté the garlic, I use a combination of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and vegan butter. The butter adds richness, while the tomato oil carries concentrated umami.
- Chickpeas – Use canned or jarred cooked chickpeas to save time. I’ve noticed that glass-jar chickpeas are often cooked longer, hence softer, which works best here. If your canned chickpeas are too firm, simmer them for a few more minutes before using to soften them.
- Vegetable broth – Since the sauce relies on a savory base, you will need vegetable broth. You can use either regular vegetable broth or Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base.
- Garlic and dried herbs – Four whole cloves of garlic go into the sauce for plenty of garlicky flavor! You will also find thyme, oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. I recommend sautéing the dried herbs in the hot fat to intensify their flavor.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – Use the type of sun-dried tomatoes sold in a jar of oil.
- Tomato paste – Tomato paste deepens the sauce with concentrated glutamates. Cooking it briefly in fat caramelizes its sugars and removes its acidity.
- Plant-based cream – You’ll need cream to finish the sauce and give it its luxurious creaminess. You have two options: Use a store-bought plant-based cream (I like Flora) or make your own cashew cream. The second option, which I’m going with here, consists of blending soaked cashews with water and nutritional yeast – it works incredibly well in this dish as it also slightly thickens the sauce.
- Fresh basil – Finally, for brightness and freshness, you will need basil leaves.
🥣 How It Comes Together
- Sauté the aromatic. Sauté the garlic until fragrant. Add the herbs and cook for one more minute.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes. Next, add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and the tomato paste.
- Pour in the broth. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir to combine.
- Add the chickpeas. Then, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas.
- Pour in the cream. Pour the cashew cream into the pan and stir to combine.
- Let simmer. Let the chickpeas simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes and enjoy!
📔 Make It Perfect
Don’t brown the garlic.
You just need to cook the garlic briefly in the oil and butter – about 1 minute. Do not brown it, or it can make the sauce bitter.
Double the love.
You can easily double this recipe by cooking everything in a Dutch oven or large pot instead of a skillet. This way, you will have leftovers for the next day or two!
Play with the seasonings.
I’ve tried replacing the herbs, red pepper flakes, and onion powder with 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and got great results, so feel free to use whatever dried herb you have on hand.
🍃 Add-ins
What I love about this dish is that you can add different extras like:
- Greens: Quick-cooking greens such as baby spinach, bok choy, kale, or green peas can be added at the same time as the chickpeas.
- Crumbled tofu or tempeh: Up the protein content by incorporating crumbled tofu or tempeh. In that case, I suggest using only one can of chickpeas and adding about 1 cup of scrambled tofu/tempeh.
🍚 Pair It With
While the chickpeas are cooking, you will have time to prepare the side. Here are some options we usually pick:
- White rice: Our favorite way to serve these Marry Me Chickpeas is over a bed of white rice. Brown rice, farro, or quinoa will also work.
- Pasta: Basically, any shape works here. From short varieties like farfalle, macaroni, or fusilli to long noodles like spaghetti or ramen noodles.
- Crusty bread: French baguette, banh mi bread, air fryer garlic bread, or even naan!
❄️ Storing
- To store: You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To freeze: Transfer the chickpeas and the sauce to a freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat: Add a splash of water and a pinch of salt and reheat in a non-stick skillet or pot over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
💬 FAQs & Troubleshooting
You can use dried chickpeas, but you will need to cook them until tender. They won’t cook directly in the sauce.
You can add a few more tablespoons of vegetable broth to make the sauce thinner.
Yes, you can skip the oil and butter and simply simmer everything together. It won’t taste as rich, but it will still taste great!
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Creamy Marry Me Chickpeas (One Pot, 30 Minutes)
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
- 1/4 cup (37 g) raw cashews (soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 2 tbsp (16 g) nutritional yeast
Marry Me Chickpeas
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar
- 1 tbsp (14 g) vegan butter
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup (40 g) finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tbsp (14 g) tomato paste
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable broth
- 2 14-ounce can (2 400-g can) cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves (roughly chopped)
Instructions
Cashew Cream
- Blend the cashews. Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a high-speed blender. Add the water and nutritional yeast, and blend for about 30 seconds or until smooth. Set aside.
Marry Me Chickpeas
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil and butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic and sauté for about one minute. Then, add the thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for one more minute.
- Add the tomatoes. Next, add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add the vegetable broth, drained chickpeas, onion powder, salt, and cashew cream.
- Let simmer. Stir to combine and let the chickpeas simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened. Stir in the chopped fresh basil. Enjoy with white rice, pasta, or bread!
- You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Don’t brown the garlic.
You just need to cook the garlic briefly in the oil and butter – about 1 minute. Do not brown it, or it can make the sauce bitter.Double the love.
You can easily double this recipe by cooking everything in a Dutch oven or large pot instead of a skillet. This way, you will have leftovers for the next day or two!Play with the seasonings.
I’ve tried replacing the herbs, red pepper flakes, and onion powder with 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and got great results, so feel free to use whatever dried herb you have on hand.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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