Chickpea Marinara (Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce with Melty Mozzarella Cheese)

Chickpea Marinara is the extra easy pantry recipe you need in your life! Chickpeas simmer in tomato sauce until fragrant and flavorful, then quickly broil with mozzarella cheese until everything is melted and bubbling. 

This chickpea marinara recipe is from my second cookbook, “The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner,” featuring more than 125 easy Mediterranean Diet-inspired recipes to eat well and live joyfully.

Like many of my favorite meals, this chickpeas in tomato sauce was born from an empty fridge and a hungry household on a Sunday afternoon. Two cans of chickpeas came to my rescue yet again!

I found a lingering jar of marinara sauce and thought: Who said marinara has to be pasta? I’ve loved this fragrant red sauce with mussels, why not the protein-packed, humble-yet-mighty chickpea?

So I added a flavor-boost with onions and garlic and let the chickpeas soak up all the goodness on my stove. Then I topped with mozzarella and broiled for a couple of minutes until everything was melty, and finished with nutty grated Pecorino Romano and fresh herbs. 

The result? A very comforting but incredibly easy pantry meal that had the whole family reaching to scrape up what was left in the pan. I loved it so much and made it so often that I put it in my second cookbook! 

As a bonus, if you have picky kids (or partners) who don’t normally love legumes, this healthy recipe has some serious pizza vibes. It’s perfect for the days and nights when you just can’t be bothered but want a wholesome meal that will leave you satisfied.

Table of Contents

1. Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce Ingredients 
2. Ingredient Spotlight
3. How to Make Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce
4. Swaps and Substitutions
5. Ways to Mix It Up
6. What to Serve with Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce
7. Easy Chickpea Dinners
8. Chickpea Marinara (Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce with Melty Mozzarella Cheese) Recipe

Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce Ingredients 

This is very much a pantry dinner, ideal for when you (or your family) is hungry and you needed something on your table 5 minutes ago. And feel free to leave out the cheese for a vegan option, or experiment with your favorite plant-based variety. You’ll need:

• Extra virgin olive oil: I like the richness of our buttery smooth Italian Nocellara for this Italian-inspired recipe.
• Yellow onion and garlic add an extra kick to the sauce, but in a serious pinch, you can leave them out (particularly with a good marinara).
• Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor—without them the dish would taste bland. 
• Marinara sauce: You could really use any red sauce you have on hand like homemade spaghetti sauce.
• Chickpeas: You can of course cook the chickpeas from scratch or thaw some from your freezer if you did so already. I offer my favorite dried chickpeas in our shop for when I make them from scratch. For this recipe, however, I went for a couple of cans to save time. 
• Fresh mozzarella: Adds creamy, melty goodness. 
• Herbs: Parsley and basil add freshness and an aromatic quality to lift the richness of the dish. 
• Pecorino Romano: This aged sheep’s milk cheese adds an assertively salty note. It’s a very dry cheese, so it won’t melt into the sauce but rather add a burst of umami with each bite.
• Red pepper flakes are completely optional, but add a good lingering heat.
• Crusty bread, though optional, is a lovely way to sop up the sauce as you go. 

Ingredient Spotlight

Mozzarella is a rabbit hole of a topic worthy of its own post, but at the risk of offending our Italian friends I’ll break it down into two main categories that you can buy at the store: Fresh and Low-Moisture. 

• Fresh mozzarella: Comes packed in brine or a water solution. Richer and creamier, fresh mozzarella is perfect when you want that extra decadence and aren’t worried about the dish getting soggy, like Caprese Salad or this Chickpea Marinara. Common varieties include Fior di Latte, Buffalo, or Ciliegine. You can use any type you like for this recipe.
• Low-moisture: Usually sold in blocks, pre-shredded, or sliced. It’s saltier, drier, and turns more golden in the oven without adding too much extra moisture. Something like a thin crust Pita Breakfast Pizza, for example, runs the risk of getting soggy with fresh mozzarella, so dried is best.  

Though I prefer the full creamy flavor of fresh mozzarella in this recipe, whatever you have will work. As a general rule of thumb, any cheese that comes in a block rather than pre-shredded or crumbled tends to be higher quality. 

How to Make Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce

You only need about 10 minutes of hands on time to make this easy recipe. Here are the steps:

• Get ready. Roughly chop 1 yellow onion and mince 2 garlic cloves. Drain and rinse 2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas.
• Sauté the aromatics. In a large oven-safe skillet, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium until it shimmers. Add the onion and garlic and season with a big pinch of salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each). Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and fragrant (adjust the heat as needed to make sure the garlic does not burn).
• Simmer. Add 24-ounces (3 cups) marinara (or homemade spaghetti sauce), 1/2 cup water, and the chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and partially cover the pan. Simmer for 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, just to let everything get acquainted.
• Meanwhile, get your fixings ready. Roughly chop enough parsley and basil leaves to yield 1/2 cup each. Grate enough pecorino Romano to give you 1/4 cup. If you’re serving with crusty bread, slice it and toast it if you’d like. 
• Broil. Position a rack in the oven about 6 inches below the broiler. Turn the broiler to high. Remove the lid from the pan of simmering chickpeas and tear 6 ounces fresh mozzarella on top, nestling the pieces into the sauce. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese has melted and browned in some parts.
• Finish and serve. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with the parsley, basil, pecorino Romano, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional). Serve with the bread on the side to sop up the sauce, if you’d like. 

Swaps and Substitutions

Any good pantry recipe will have an easy swap for just about every ingredient. Here are my suggestions, but please let me know if you get creative in the comments: 

• Yellow onion: Any onion color, scallion, or leek. 
• Marinara: Any red sauce you have, something spicy like Arrabbiata, or Homemade Spaghetti Sauce.
• Mozzarella: Super-creamy mozzarellas, like Burrata or Stracciatella or another melty cheese, like cheddar or gruyere.
• Pecorino Romano: Parmesan.
• Crusty bread: Anything you can dip. Gluten free bread, flatbread (like Pita), Ciabatta Garlic Bread, and Kritsinia (Crispy Sesame Breadsticks) all come to mind. 

Ways to Mix It Up

You can certainly jazz up this simple recipe. Here are 3 ideas:

• Add anchovies and/or tomato paste for an umami-boost. Add them after you sauté the onion and garlic, and stir until the anchovies are melted and/or the paste well-distributed and a deeper crimson color. 
• Toss in cooked pasta (like rigatoni) before broiling. 
• Add spice. Add a big pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce, or a dried chili pepper or two.

What to Serve with Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce

Chickpea Marinara is not a traditional recipe, but I think it’s safe to say it has an Italian spirit. A simple salad, like my Big Easy Italian Salad, goes best alongside, and perhaps a glass of Italian red if you’re indulging. If you’re in the market for an after dinner treat, I love the simplicity of this Lemon Ricotta Cake.

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