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My family can’t stop asking me to make this Marry Me Chickpeas dish and I never say no because it’s just so easy: ready in 10 minutes, takes only 1 pot, and uses up pantry-staple ingredients we always have on hand. AND it’s shockingly flavor packed for such simple ingredients!

This is comfort food when you’re short on time- and it delivers!

marry me chickpeas in a saucepan

Why you’ll love this ridiculously easy dinner recipe:

  • Incredibly simple: Actually, technically speaking, all of the ingredients you’ll find in your pantry (the dairy-free milk can even be made from just oats or cashews and water!).
  • Super flavorful: You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how fantastically deep we can get a flavor with just “common” pantry ingredients that you wouldn’t think much of otherwise!
  • Quick & easy while also feeling fancy: This recipe is fantastic in a pinch when you don’t know what to serve for dinner, but it’s also delicious enough (hence the name, Marry me!) that you cane easily serve this for date night or even a dinner party.

Key Ingredients:

  • Chickpeas: I love Jovial Foods because they’re in a glass rather than a can and have no added salt, so it won’t mess with the flavoring of the recipe.
  • Tomato paste
  • Sun-dried tomatoes
  • Dairy-free milk: Really, you can use your preference here- I used oat milk, but feel free to use almond milk or soy milk. Or even cashew cream!
  • Flour: Or cornstarch or arrowroot starch for gluten-free. This is what makes our roux and what will thicken our Marry Me sauce without any cheese nor heavy cream!
scooped marry me chickpeas in a saucepan

Britt’s Tips: How to Make Marry Me Chickpeas:

Though I wasn’t actually intending it and I know “Marry Me” anything is a thing (given my love our our Marry Me Gnocchi with Tofu!), I didn’t set out to create a Marry Me Chickpea dish.

I was actually planning one night to finally photograph our favorite creamy lemony butter beans and spinach. But then my husband changed his mind and wanted something tomato-y and with chickpeas instead.

So I set aside the lemon, looked in the fridge at what we had: tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, kale, and almond milk. Now, we get to work!

The process is actually ridiculously similar to my lemony butter beans and spinach dish. But now it has a Tuscan flair to it!

The coolest part, in my opinion, is the roux. After you’ve sautéed the shallots and garlic together with the chickpeas, you’ll create the roux. Simply whisk together the flour, tomato paste, and some of the dairy-free milk until smooth. Then pour into the pan, along with the remaining dairy-free milk, and watch the liquid quickly cook to this gorgeously thick, creamy sauce that you’d think tastes almost like cheese was added!

scooping the marry me chickpeas
finished marry me chickpeas

I’m not exaggerating- I served this to my in-laws as well, and they were convinced we had broken vegan. Nope, just some good plant-based cooking is all that’s ever needed 😉

Variations:

As you’ve read above, this recipe was born from another one, so that makes these Marry Me Chickpeas extremely customizable! Here’s how I like to switch it up:

  • Swap kale: for spinach, broccolini, rapini, zucchini, or even bell peppers for a more puttanesca inspired sauce.
  • Add in vegan cheese: Just because I don’t call for it doesn’t mean you can’t use it! I recommend a vegan parmesan or mozzarella (even my bean-based homemade vegan mozzarella would be delicious!).
  • Switch up the bean: I know, that seems a bit impious towards chickpeas, seeing as the recipe is called Marry Me Chickpeas! But if you don’t have chickpeas on hand, don’t fret. It will go great with butter beans, cannellini beans, or borlotti beans too.

Ways to serve Marry Me Chickpeas:

Personally, my family is obsessed just eating it as-is as our main dish. I usually serve this alongside some roasted veggies and potatoes in the winter or sautéed greens and rice in the spring. But it’s also really delicious:

marry me chickpeas in a saucepan

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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marry me chickpeas in a saucepan

10 Minute Marry Me Chickpeas with Kale- NO Vegan Cheese

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 3
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 13 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Meals
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

My family can’t stop asking me to make this Marry Me Chickpeas dish and I never say no because it’s just so easy: ready in 10 minutes, takes only 1 pot, and uses up pantry-staple ingredients we always have on hand. AND it’s shockingly flavor packed for such simple ingredients!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 16 ounces chickpeas, rinsed*
  • 2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup (240 mL) dairy-free milk, divided
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour or einkorn flour
  • 5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup kale, rinsed

Instructions

  1. Prep: Rinse and roughly chop the kale, and rinse the chickpeas. Make sure the shallot and garlic have been minced and the sun-dried tomatoes chopped.
  2. Sauté: Heat the olive oil in a large pan on the stovetop at medium heat. Add in the minced shallot and garlic, and sauté until the garlic is golden brown and the shallot and garlic are fragrant. 
  3. Continue to cook: Reduce the heat to low, and add in the chickpeas, parsley, oregano, and sea salt. Mix together then cover and reduce the heat to simmer while you make the roux.
  4. Make the roux: In a small bowl or glass, whisk together 1/2 cup (120 mL) dairy-free milk, tomato paste, and all-purpose flour until there are no more flour clumps. Pour the roux into the simmering chickpeas, and stir. 
  5. Cook: Immediately after pouring in the roux, pour in the remaining 1/2 cup of dairy-free milk. Continue to stir and bring the chickpeas to medium-low heat as you stir to cook the sauce. The sauce should become thick. 
  6. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes and kale: Once the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes, add in the sun-dried tomatoes and kale, cover, and reduce the heat to simmer once more. Let the kale cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Once cooked, remove the cover, and stir to integrate the kale and sun-dried tomatoes into the marry me chickpeas. 
  7. Serve and enjoy! Serve the marry me chickpeas immediately as is, over toasted bread, in pasta, or as a side dish. Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

Chickpeas: Save the aquafaba for desserts like my small batch brownies or vegan French toast!

Einkorn flour: This is a lower gluten-flour. I have not tested this with gluten-free flour, but a gluten-free alternative is using only 2 tsps cornstarch or arrowroot starch in lieu of 1 tbsp flour.