Marry Me Chickpeas

5 from 3 votes

Creamy, cozy and flavourful, you will love these amazing marry me chickpeas for a plant-based spin on marry me sauce. They're rich and savory, a little spicy and so easy to make in one pan.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Author: Deryn Macey

Ingredients

¾ cup raw cashews
1 tsp light miso paste
1 tbsp olive oil or oil from sun dried tomatoes
1 medium onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp red pepper flakes reduce to 1/4 tsp if sensitive to spice
½ cup sun dried tomatoes*
2 cans cans chickpeas, drained but not rinsed (2x19oz cans or 3x14oz cans)
1 cup vegetable broth 250 mL
1 handful fresh basil
2 cups baby spinach optional

Instructions

Soak and Blend Cashews: Bring ~2 cups water to a boil in a kettle or stovetop. Pour the hot water over ¾ cup raw cashews in a bowl and let soak for 10-30 minutes or up to an hour. Drain cashews, then add to a high powered blender with 1 cup of fresh water, miso and a pinch of salt. Blend until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
¾ cup raw cashews, 1 tsp light miso paste
Cook Onion: In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil (or oil from sun dried tomato) over medium heat. When hot, add onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-6 min, stirring often, until tender and golden.
1 tbsp olive oil or oil from sun dried tomatoes, 1 medium onion
Cook Seasonings: Add tomato paste, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2-3 min, stirring often, until fragrant and tomato paste is toasted.
4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Cook Chickpeas: To the skillet, add chickpeas (drain them but do not rinse), sun-dried tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 4-6 min, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced.
½ cup sun dried tomatoes*, 2 cans cans chickpeas, drained but not rinsed, 1 cup vegetable broth
Finish Chickpeas: Reduce heat to low. Stir in cashew cream, basil and spinach, if using. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
1 handful fresh basil, 2 cups baby spinach

Notes

If you're using dried sun dried tomatoes, re-hydrated in hot water until soft. If you're using sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, use some of the oil to cook the onions and drain off the rest.

If you have a high-speed blender, cashews can be soaked in boiled water for 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients and start cooking the onion. If you do not have a high-speed blender, you may want to soak them a little longer for a smoother sauce.

Makes approx. 5 heaping cup servings ~1.25 cup each. These would be meal-sized or a large side dish serving. You can reduce the serving size to about 1/2 cup to make around 10 servings.

Nutrition