Marry Me Chickpeas and Orzo

“Marry me” chicken recipes have been flooding the internet over the past few years, and with good reason — a pan full of creamy, sun-dried tomato and basil chicken can’t help but be a winner! Here in our house, though, I wanted to make a version that my vegetarian friends and pasta-loving kids could enjoy too. Thus, this orzo and chickpeas dish was born. 

It’s basically just a “marry me” take on our family’s favorite lemony spiced orzo and chickpeas recipe. But this time, of course, made with tangy sun-dried tomatoes, a garlicky creamy broth, loads of fresh basil and a generous shower of Parmesan, all simmered together with perfectly chewy al dente pasta and protein-packed chickpeas. It’s a one-pot, 30-minute dinner that the whole family adores. And I’m pretty sure even all of the omnivores out there won’t miss the chicken!

That said, meals like this one are inherently customizable. So if you feel like adding in an additional protein (such as Italian sausage, shrimp, salmon or chicken), it would be quite easy to do. Or there are all sorts of other veggies and add-ins that could be delicious mixed in too. However you approach this one, the basic formula is famously so good that it will want to make everyone want to marry the cook. So…get ready to fall in love! ;)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1/2 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup roughly-chopped fresh basil leaves
• fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper