Marry Me Chickpeas

Category: Dinner Ideas

We put a vegetarian spin on Marry Me Chicken, a dish typically consisting of chicken coated in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce, by swapping in fiber-packed chickpeas as the main ingredient. From the creamy chickpeas to the umami-laden sun-dried tomatoes, you’ll want to sop up every last bit of sauce. To riff on this recipe, you could swap the chickpeas for white beans, like cannellini or navy.

ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomato jar

  • 1 large shallot, chopped

  • 2/3 cup drained julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes in oil with herbs, chopped

  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 (15-oz.) cans no-salt-added chickpeas,  rinsed

  • 1 cup lower-sodium vegetable broth

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1 teaspoon paprika, preferably Hungarian sweet

  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, divided

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided

  • 2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 4 ounces crusty whole-wheat baguette, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces

demo

Direction

  1. Heat oil from sun-dried tomatoes in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot; cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until the tomatoes are slightly broken down and deep red in color, about 2 minutes.
  2. Stir in chickpeas, broth, water,  paprika, Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are warmed through and the mixture is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream and 1 tablespoon basil; cook until the sauce starts to bubble around the edges. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan until melted and combined, 30 to 45 seconds.

  3. Brush melted butter on cut side of bread pieces. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Arrange bread buttered-side down in the pan; cook until golden brown and crisp on the edges.

  4. Top the chickpea mixture with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan, 1 tablespoon basil and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Serve with the toasted bread.