This Marry Me Pasta Is Ready In 30 Minutes Flat

Wherever you stand on the “marry me” trend, this tasty pasta will please.

By
Stephanie A Ganz
Stephanie A Ganz
Stephanie A Ganz
Stephanie Ganz has been writing professionally for 10 years and is a regular contributor to Richmond Magazine and Virginia Living. She has also written for Bon Appetit, Eater, The Kitchn, and The Local Palate.
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Published June 16, 2025
Stephanie A Ganz
Chickpea pasta in tomato-based sauce served in a pot, with a serving spoon and nearby place settings

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

As a proud feminist, the idea of “marry me” recipes has always rankled me a bit. The concept of making a dish “worthy of a marriage proposal” is, at best, dated and silly. But the fact remains that the formula for recipes inspired by the internet darling “marry me chicken” is a winner—a rich, comforting sun-dried tomato sauce amped up with Parmesan cheese and perfumed with basil will always get an emphatic “yes” from me. 

So, when I recently hosted a book club dinner for The Power by Naomi Alderman—a book that flips gender norms on their head—I thought it would be the perfect occasion to contribute to the “marry me” canon. I wanted a vegetarian dish that could feed (and delight!) a crowd, with lots of deep tomato flavor and a hint of cream, served over satisfying, bouncy noodles. Thus, marry me chickpea pasta was born.

A bowl of penne pasta with chickpeas and marinara sauce, garnished with a basil leaf and a fork rested on the side

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

The Inspiration for Marry Me Chickpea Pasta

Traditional ‘marry me’ recipes usually include a roux-thickened sundried tomato sauce, made deliciously creamy with heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. It’s often made with chicken, but the recipe’s viral popularity has led to lots of riffing. 

My recipe for marry me chickpea pasta includes canned tomatoes to freshen things up. I also skip the roux and the stock, and instead allow the sauce to reduce on the stovetop to thicken and develop flavor. The result is somewhere between “marry me” and vodka sauce.

Tips for Making Marry Me Chickpea Pasta

  • I like using chickpeas for this recipe because they’re nice and sturdy and hold up to longer cooking times, but you could use a navy bean or another firm white bean instead.
  • This recipe is well-suited to smaller pasta shapes. Look for something that sauce clings to, like fusilli corti bucati, paccheri (especially fun when the chickpeas get hidden inside the pasta), penne, or lumache.
  • Save the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and use it for salad dressing or to finish dishes that need a little oomph. Or skip draining and chopping the sun-dried tomatoes and use a jar of sun-dried tomato bruschetta instead.
  • Serve with a big, zippy salad and bread for dipping. For more protein, add grilled chicken.
A close-up of cooked pasta with chickpeas and basil leaves

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Marry Me Chickpea Pasta

Prep Time 10 hrs
Cook Time 20 hrs
Total Time 30 hrs
Servings 4 to 5 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 shallot, minced

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

  • 1 (8 to 10-ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped

  • 1 (15.5)-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 1 pound short pasta (such as fusilli corti bucati, paccheri, penne, or lumache)

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

  • 4 sprigs fresh basil, leaves picked and sliced thin

Method

  1. Boil water:

    Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. 

  2. Start the sauce:

    Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté until fragrant and translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. 

    Add the crushed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and chickpeas and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, to bring the flavors together and thicken the sauce, 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

  3. Cook the pasta:

    While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions, drain, and set aside. 

  4. Finish the sauce and combine:

    Add the heavy cream and Parmesan to the sauce and cook until incorporated and thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the drained pasta to the pot and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, if using. 

  5. Serve:

    Divide the pasta among four serving bowls, garnish with the fresh basil, and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat for about 2 minutes in the microwave or on the stovetop.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
559 Calories
30g Fat
62g Carbs
16g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 5
Amount per serving
Calories 559
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 39%
Saturated Fat 13g 66%
Cholesterol 58mg 19%
Sodium 559mg 24%
Total Carbohydrate 62g 22%
Dietary Fiber 10g 34%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 16g
Vitamin C 56mg 280%
Calcium 163mg 13%
Iron 4mg 24%
Potassium 1169mg 25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.