This Marry Me Chickpea Soup is the wholesome, plant-based soup version of the viral “Marry Me Chicken.” It features chickpeas, orzo, and kale, all swimming in a creamy broth with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and parmesan. This soup is so flavorful you won’t believe how quick and easy it is to make!
I’ve been a little obsessed with this cozy Tuscan flavor profile as of late. If you’re a fan of my Marry Me Tofu, this soup takes that concept to the next level, and I love that it’s a balanced one-pot meal on its own. The recipe is ultra-flexible, so sometimes I’ll make it with plant-based chicken or white beans (instead of chickpeas), and sometimes I’ll swap out the coconut milk for homemade cashew cream.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Marry Me Chickpea Soup
- Olive oil. To sauté.
- Onion & garlic. Our aromatic flavor-makers.
- Sun-dried tomatoes & tomato paste. For a well-rounded tomato flavor. I recommend the sundried tomatoes that come packed in oil. If using the dry ones, rehydrate them in boiling water for a few minutes ahead of time.
- Vegetable broth. I use a standard veggie broth from a carton, but you can use chick’n style bouillon for a more savory flavor.
- Chickpeas. This soup is also delicious with white beans.
- Orzo pasta. Or another small pasta shape like ditalini or acini de pepe.
- Kale. Baby spinach can also be used.
- Coconut milk. To make the soup extra creamy. You can also use homemade cashew cream, or a store-bought vegan heavy cream or half-and-half substitute.
- Parmesan. My favorite plant-based options are from Violife and Follow Your Heart.
- Fresh basil & Italian seasoning.
How to Make Marry Me Soup
- Sauté onion, garlic & sun-dried tomatoes.
- Sauté tomato paste till darkened.
- Add beans, broth, and seasoning.
- Cook the pasta.
- Cook kale till tender.
- Add finishing touches. (Coconut cream, basil, & parmesan.)
Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute in about 2 cups of your favorite plant-based chicken substitute. We have had good results with the Daring Original Plant Chicken pieces.
You can also use soy curls; just rehydrate them in boiling water first, then give them a chop before adding.
Homemade cashew cream is a great alternative. There are also plenty of plant-based heavy cream substitutes on the market from brands such as Silk, Califia Farms, Forager, and Country Crock.
Otherwise you can just use a creamy plant-based milk, such as unsweetened oat milk or cashew milk, although the soup will be a little less creamy.
You can always substitute in 2-3 fresh Roma tomatoes â give them a dice first and cook them down with the tomato paste.
More Soup Recipes
- Italian Wedding Soup – Bite-size meatballs and tiny pasta in a flavorful herby broth.
- Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup – Similar to this soup but with zesty Greek-inspired lemon and dill flavor.
- Roasted Garlic Noodle Soup – A take on classic chicken noodle soup, featuring lots of roasted garlic flavor.
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Marry Me Chickpea Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili paste (optional)
- 1 white or yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced (optional)
- 1 medium carrot peeled and diced (optional)
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas or white beans drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt more or less to taste
- 4 ounces dry orzo or ditalini pasta (about 1/2 cup orzo or 3/4 cup ditalini)
- 2 cups Tuscan kale stalks removed, chopped
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk can sub cashew cream (recipe in notes), or store-bought nondairy cream
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan plus more to garnish – I like Violife or Follow Your Heart
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil or vegan butter in a pot over medium heat till oil shimmers. Add red pepper flakes (optional), diced onion, diced celery (optional), sliced carrot (optional), and minced garlic, and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Cook the tomato paste: Add in sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, and tomato paste. Stir, breaking up the tomato paste to coat the aromatics, and sauté for another 2-3 minutes, until the tomato paste darkens to a rusty color.
- Add broth + chickpeas: Add in vegetable broth to deglaze, scraping up anything sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add in chickpeas, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring this up to a boil.
- Add pasta: Stir in the orzo and reduce heat to medium-low, or as needed, to establish a rapid simmer. Allow the pasta to cook for about 10 minutes, or until it's almost done but still quite al dente (with a bit of chew in the center). Make sure to stir often to keep it from sticking to itself or the bottom of the pot.
- Add kale: Stir in the chopped kale. Keep simmering the soup for about another 5 minutes, until both the kale and pasta are tender. (If you're substituting spinach instead of kale, you can add it a little closer to the end since it's less hearty.)
- Finishing touches: Stir in the coconut milk (or other nondairy cream of choice), along with the vegan parmesan and fresh basil. Season with extra salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy: Serve with extra vegan parmesan and fresh basil. Goes great with a side of crusty bread.
Notes
Chickpea (Protein) Alternatives
- Vegan chicken: Make Marry Me Chick’n Soup by substituting about 2 cups of your favorite vegan chicken substitute, defrosted and chopped. Daring brand is really tasty and we use it in our Chicken Pot Pie with great success. You can also use 1 cup of dry soy curls â just rehydrate them in boiling water ahead of time, squeeze out the excess liquid, and coarsely chop.
- Vegan sausage: You can also sub the beans out for 12-16 ounces of your favorite plant-based Italian sausage. I recommend browning it first, then removing it from the pan and setting aside. Add it back to the soup at the end, to help keep it from getting soggy.
Coconut Milk Alternatives
- Cashew cream: Soak 1/2 cup raw cashews in water for 4+ hours, or boil for about 10 minutes. Blend with 3/4 cup fresh water until completely smooth. Makes about 1 cup.
- Nondairy cream: There are a few store-bought options on the market, from Silk, Country Crock, Forager, and Califia Farms, to name a few. I haven’t tested these personally. You can also try adding in about 1/4 cup of your favorite vegan cream cheese â just stir it in to dissolve.
Other Recipe Notes
- Italian seasoning: You can sub in 1/4 teaspoon each of dried basil and dried thyme, plus 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano. You can also add 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, parsley, or marjoram if you have them in your pantry.
- No vegan parmesan: If you don’t like processed vegan cheese, you can always sub in a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast for the vegan parmesan.
Just made this tonight and itâs so good! I have an annual soup party and plan to make this one this year đ
Made this last night and OMG. I added 1/2 the chickpeas and some fennell seed and double the spinach, and did a cornstarch slurry with oat milk as the thickener. It is SO good and creamy and comforting and all of the things. Sarah is my Winter Soup Girl and she continues to deliver every year.
This soup is SO good, I made it yesterday and Iâm loving the leftovers so much I had to come back and comment. I added carrots cause I had tons I needed to use but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. I will be making it again, thanks sarah!
Made this today and it is so delicious. Definitely making it again soon and it seems really adaptable to other veggies and beans and greens!
Delicious soup, Sarah! I tweaked the recipe a bit with seitan sausage, extra kale, and leftover rice instead of pasta. It turned out hearty and comfortingâdefinitely making it again!
Really delicious! Flavours are just right, made it with soy creamer and butter beans, it was a scrumptious dinner, both light and rich somehow! Thank you for this great recipe, Sarah!
I’ve made this 3 times in less than 2 weeks! My husband and I love it – it’s rich, bright, and the sun dried tomatoes add a heap of flavour. Love it!
I haven’t made this yet, but it sounds delish. I’m just wondering if you have nutritional info for this recipe. I don’t see it anywhere on this page. Thanks
Great recipe! I was looking for a new soup recipe and wanted it to be simple and this was great. I will definitely make again and try some of your others as well. I do think it may have needed a bit more broth with the ditalini though. Thanks for this great recipe, already looking forward to making again. Anything simple and I’m in!
Made this last night to contribute to a church soup supper. I always like to have a plant based option to show others how good this way of eating can be. It was sooo good so I (sadly) donât have any leftovers. Iâll have to make it again soon for me. The only tweak I made was to add more kale than it called for. Included both the (optional) celery and carrots of course. Thanks so much for the recipe! đ„°
My daughter, husband and I made this soup for supper tonight. Easy to make, easy to find ingredients and delicious!
Amazing and even better reheated the next day.
I’ve made this a couple of times, and it’s just so good! This will be in the rotation for many years to come – thanks Sarah!
I just did the recipe for dinner and lunch tomorrow at work. And I loved it. Thank you
Amazing recipe. We are not vegan so I used cream and it was fantastic!
The whole family including two picky eating kids loved this. Will be on constant rotation. I used a whole can of Mutti cherry tomatoes and threw in some extra orzo. I ran out of Italian seasoning so threw in a teaspoon of oregano, a bit of rosemary and some of my favorite Haw River mushroom seasoning salt. Great with crusty Italian bread on the side.
Great soup, only one problem… I cant stop eating it! Thank you!