Artichoke Hearts with Sun Dried Tomatoes Pasta


Every Spring season I look forward to two vegetables: asparagus and artichokes. And even though it is not summer, you can still find asparagus in the market. The season for artichokes, on the other hand, unfortunately never lasts long enough. Each year I make my favorite artichoke recipe: sauteed artichokes in lemon parsley sauce. This year I got a bit more creative with the recipe adding a fiesta of colors: bright red sun-dried tomatoes, deep green spinach and pasta to make it a complete meal. 



These colorful components are seamlessly integrated with a bright lemony garlic sauce. This pasta can be made ahead of time, and makes for great leftovers.

Artichoke Hearts and Sun Dried Tomatoes Pasta
Ingredients
  • 1 lemon
  • 6 medium-sized artichokes
  • 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, steeped in hot water for 5 minutes, drained and chopped
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 2 cups cooked pasta
Method

  1. Prepare the artichoke: Have ready a large bowl of water. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the water. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, cut off the stem near the base. Peel back and snap off the first 1 or 2 layers of leaves, then cut off the top one-third of the artichoke. Starting at the base, break off the tough outer leaves, snapping them downward, until you reach the tender, pale green inner leaves. Cut off the uppermost part of the artichoke again, leaving about 1 inch of leaves rising. Trim around the base to make a smooth surface, then cut the artichoke in half lengthwise. If the center choke has developed any prickly tips, scoop it out with the edge of a spoon. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 pieces and drop them into the lemon water. Repeat with the remaining artichokes. When all the artichokes are trimmed, drain and pat dry.
  2. Butter and lemon saute: In a heavy-bottomed large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and the artichokes and sauté until the artichokes turn lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan, stirring to dislodge any browned bits from the pan bottom. Then add the stock, butter (if using) and salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the bases of the artichoke pieces are easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
  3. Finish:  Stir in the parsley and sun-dried tomatoes. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the artichoke and sauce to a medium mixing bowl. Toss in the fresh spinach and pasta. Serve hot or at room temperature.

38 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Now THAT is a fabulous pasta dish. Yum.

Gloria Baker said...

Christine thia look absolutely delicious!! gloria

Victoria said...

Great fresh pasta recipe! Colorful and it looks delicious. Hope you're well :)

PFx said...

Definitely a recipe that screams out the title of your blog:fresh, local and best! :) Lovely summer treat!

Anonymous said...

I love artichokes and would like to try out the lemony sauce with it!

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

I love how bright, colorful and flavorful this pasta dish is! PERFECT for summer!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Love your bright and healthy pasta dish Christine. Just in time for summer too.
Sam

From the Kitchen said...

These are a few of my favorite things and I've never "invited" them into a salad together. We'll be enjoying your recipe soon.

Best,
Bonnie

Mari Nuñez said...

Exquisite pasta dish. I love how it looks. Thanks for sharing :)

Belinda @zomppa said...

This definitely smells of summer!

Cathy at Wives with Knives said...

We are right in the middle of artichoke season here and the farmer's market is full of them. What a delicious dish, Christine! I can't wait to try it. I also want to try your artichokes in lemon parsley sauce. Yum.

Sherry said...

Christine, the colors in this dish are so vibrant! It looks so delicious!

TKW said...

Looks and sounds delightful! What a great way to use summer's bounty.

Barbara said...

That's one lovely salad, Christine. The Orecchiette pasta looks perfect in it. Love artichokes anyway and often make them just for me. :)

How's Alexander? Are you having fun? I know you are loving him to pieces!

Delicious Dishings said...

This is exactly the kind of pasta dish I would love to eat. I'm a huge fan of artichokes too.

A Canadian Foodie said...

It is so gorgeous - and as you say - great for left overs. It looks like it would be a delicious pasta salad, too!
:)
Valerie

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

So good to see another post from you. I'm sure you are busy as can be with that beautiful boy :)

This sounds delicious - I love artichokes!

tasteofbeirut said...

Well I am glad you are still cooking and healthy dishes at that! Love that tangy combo and will try soon, thanks!

nancy at good food matters said...

I like your creative tweaks to your summery favorite--the sundried tomatoes make a nice visual and flavor contrast in this sunny dish.

I'm sure motherhood is a joy that is keeping your days very full--nice to see your post today.

That's Ron said...

fresh indeed!

lisaiscooking said...

I always dread cleaning artichokes, and then it's always so worth the effort! They sound delicious with the sun-dried tomatoes and lemon garlic sauce.

kat said...

I miss living in Half Moon Bay, CA & getting the giant artichokes

Deb in Hawaii said...

Such a gorgeous pasta dish and I especially love the artichokes. Perfect for summer.
;-)

Beth said...

What a gorgeous pasta! I love all the colors and flavors you've used.

El said...

This is definitely my kind of meal. I love artichokes too. Brilliant.

sweetlife said...

yummy pasta, a light lunch or dinner meal for mommy..with plenty of leftovers. thanks for sharing.

sending hugs to your little one, how is it going? mommy

Erica said...

Amazing flavors! What a delicious dish!

Unknown said...

I love the strong flavours you've used. If you've got left overs, you can definitely send them my way :D
*kisses* HH

Deana Sidney said...

Perfect combination with that lemony sauce... must be heaven on a hot summer day. Artichokes just aren't used enough in pastas... and they are so good with it.

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

Wonderful - perfect ingredients, topped with delicious lemon flavor!

That's Ron said...

nice, i've nvr tried cooking artichoke, some reason... maybe a lil scared cos it looks like a big flower. but i might try it soon

Ingrid de Villiers said...

I am so sorry that my visits are so few but I enjoyed looking at your latest posts and beautiful photographs. Congratulations on the birth of you precious little boy Alexander...he is beautiful and I am so happy for you and your husband. Children are indeed a blessing!
Ixx :)

Juliana said...

Wow, this pasta is just so perfect...tasty and color. Love the combination of artichoke and sun dried tomatoes. Beautifully done.
Hope you are having a fantastic week :-)

Velva said...

Christine, this looks delightful. Love it.

Velva

Jamie said...

Love it! I regularly make pasta salads with all these ingredients - more or less depending on what's in season and my mood - and now you've got me wanting it again. Love this salad! Love summer fruits and vegetables the best.

Juliana said...

Christine, perfect pasta with artichoke and sun dried tomatoes...the colors are so pretty as well. Beautiful pictures!
Hope you are having a wonderful week :-)

Magic of Spice said...

Gorgeous and fresh way to serve pasta...beautiful!
Hope all is well :)

Kelsey Ann said...

and with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes, you absolutely cannot go wrong! YUM <3

xoxo