Creamy, rich, and luscious Marry Me Chickpeas with incredible depth of flavor! One-pot and ready in less than 30 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, or bread so you can soak up every last drop of delicious sauce!
If you’re looking for more vegan chickpea dishes to add to the dinner rotation, try my Chickpea & Lentil Curry, Chickpea Meatballs, Chickpea Smash, and Tomato Chickpea Salad recipes.
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Are you ready for the coziest, rich, deeply comforting, easy but decadent, saucy, stunning, vegan chickpea recipe? Good! Because these Marry Me Chickpeas are IT!
With tender chickpeas swimming in a thick, creamy, delicious, and super-easy flavor-packed cashew cream sauce packed with garlicky, sun-dried tomato goodness, tender greens, and just a hint of chili heat, it's quick and simple enough for weeknight dinners but special enough for occasions like Valentine's Day.
Inspired by Delish's Original Marry Me Chicken Recipe this is a meal you won't be able to get enough of. Supremely delicious. One pot. Under 30 minutes. What's not to love?
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Vegan butter - My preference for flavor and richness. You can use olive oil if you prefer, or even the oil from your jar of sundried tomatoes.
- Chickpeas - These can be canned or home-cooked dried chickpeas.
- Cashews - These are to make a plant-based cream sauce. Can't use nuts? Try hulled sunflower seeds instead or use 1 cup of vegan culinary cream or dairy-free unsweetened half-and-half instead of the cashew cream (read my notes about reducing the stock slightly though).
- Sun-dried tomatoes - I like to use the ones packed in oil for this recipe. It's not cooked for long and if you use dry ones they can still be a little tough at the end of the cooking time.
- Italian seasoning - Or you can use any combination of basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, or rosemary. Use some fresh herbs if they are in season and you have them available to you.
- Nutritional yeast - The original Marry Me Chicken recipe uses grated parmesan. I find that if you use vegan parmesan (even a really good one), it doesn't stand up against the other very punchy flavors and gets a bit lost. That's why I prefer to use some nutritional yeast in the sauce for umami, slightly cheesy flavor instead, and save the parm for grating at the table.
- Stock - Any vegan stock will do. I like to use vegan chicken stock if I can for the very best flavor. If you're cooking for a special occasion a 50/50 blend of stock and white wine is incredible!
- Greens - These are optional. It's really great without them but they add some color and texture so I tend to use them if I've got some handy. I love to use finely shredded kale but spinach works too. Fresh or frozen. No need to defrost. Just throw it in and let it melt into the sauce.
- Red pepper flakes - Some subtle heat is lovely but if you prefer you can omit these or reduce the amount.
Let's Make Marry Me Chickpeas!
Can't wait to make it? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen. I recommend watching my recipe video if you're more of a visual learner:
1 - Blend up the cashew cream and set aside.
2 - Saute the onions and garlic then cook out the tomato paste, dried herbs, and chili flakes.
3 - Add everything else except the greens and simmer until almost thickened to your liking.
4 - Add the greens and let them wilt and become tender in the sauce. Dilute the sauce with a little hot water if it gets a bit thick for your liking. Then serve.
What To Serve With Marry Me Chickpeas
I like to serve Marry Me Chickpeas over a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice. A sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese and some fresh basil (if you have it) is lovely too.
Add a side of steamed veggies (tender green beans work really well), or a simple salad dressed in tangy vegan vinaigrette to cut through the richness and you'll have a meal to remember!
Be sure to give yourself an extra scoop or two of sauce because you deserve it and it's nice for swooshing some crispy, golden vegan garlic bread or focaccia through!
Recipe FAQs
Try hulled sunflower seeds instead of cashews. Or use 1 cup of vegan culinary cream or dairy-free unsweetened half-and-half instead of the cashew cream. I recommend reducing the stock a little though as it is much thinner. Start by using ¾ cup (180ml) of stock and add more as needed to thin it out to your liking.
Recipe
Marry Me Chickpeas
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140 grams) raw cashews , for alternatives see the FAQs just above the recipe card
- ½ cup (120 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter , or olive oil or sundried tomato oil
- 1 medium onion , diced very finely
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning , or any combination of dried herbs like basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, or rosemary
- ½ cup (120 grams) chopped sundried tomatoes , (packed in oil)
- 2 x 15oz cans chickpeas ,(2 x 398ml/400g cans in Canada/UK)
- 1¼ cup (300 ml) stock , or half white wine, half stock
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast , or ¼ cup grated vegan parmesan
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- OPTIONAL 2 big handfuls shredded kale or spinach
To serve
- vegan parmesan
INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak the cashews in boiling water for at least 15 minutes. Drain, then blend with half a cup of fresh water until thick, smooth, and creamy. If you don't have a high-powered blender and it struggles with the thickness, add a little of the stock from the recipe to thin it and make it easier. Set aside.
- Set a wide saute pan/skillet over medium heat. Add the vegan butter. When hot add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until just starting to color lightly, then add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes more stirring frequently.
- Spoon in the tomato paste, chili flakes, and Italian seasoning. Cook for another couple of minutes stirring frequently until the tomato paste darkens slightly.
- Add the sundried tomatoes, drained chickpeas, stock, nutritional yeast/parmesan, salt, pepper, and the cashew cream. Use a spatula to scrape the blender out well so you don't waste any. Stir and allow to simmer gently for a few minutes until almost thickened to your liking.
- Throw in the optional greens. Cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes until tender then serve immediately. If at any stage the sauce gets a little too thick add a few drops of water to thin.
NOTES
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marti says
hi, this looks tasty, thanks. do we use the liquid from the canned chickpeas or do we rinse and drain them?
Melanie McDonald says
They should be drained. I never rinse them. Hope you enjoy it!