Artichoke Pasta

This simple, delicious Artichoke Pasta is made with lemon, butter, and plenty of Parmesan. And it’s made with frozen artichoke hearts so you can enjoy it year-round.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Fettuccine: Or substitute linguini, spaghetti, or your other favorite pasta.
• Water: A little starchy pasta water helps bring the sauce together. If you’re worried you might forget to reserve pasta cooking water (it happens to the best of us), put a measuring cup in your colander. That way, when you go to drain your pasta, you’ll see the measuring cup and remember.
• Lemon: Zest the lemon before you juice it.
• Artichoke hearts: Use frozen artichoke hearts that have been thawed and drained well. Do not substitute canned artichoke hearts here.

Step-by-step-instructions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, usually about 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve one cup of the cooking water to use later, then drain the pasta well.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil until melted together. Stir in onion, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in artichokes and sauté until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.

2. To a large serving bowl, add drained pasta, artichoke mixture, ½ cup reserved cooking liquid, and cheese. Toss until combined, adding more liquid if needed to bring the sauce together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes 6 generous servings.
• Make ahead: This recipe tastes best the day it is made.
• Spinach: Add a handful of baby spinach to the skillet with the artichokes for extra color and flavor.
• Goat cheese: Instead of Parmesan cheese, make artichoke pasta with a creamy goat cheese that melts into the dish. Tastes fabulous with the lemon!
• Chicken: Leftover rotisserie chicken adds protein to the recipe and tastes great, too. Add cooked chicken when you add the artichokes.
• Bacon: Cook some chopped bacon or pancetta in the butter/olive oil mixture until crispy, then proceed with the recipe as written.

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Artichoke Pasta

By Meggan Hill

This simple, delicious Artichoke Pasta is made with lemon, butter, and plenty of Parmesan. And it's made with frozen artichoke hearts so you can enjoy it year-round.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 6 people

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Calories 550

5 from 78 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 pound fettuccine (1 cup pasta water reserved, see notes 1 and 2)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion large, chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest (see note 3)
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ 18 ounces frozen artichoke hearts thawed and drained (see note 4)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
• ▢ 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)

Instructions 

• In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add fettuccine and cook until al dente, about 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and then drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil until melted and combined. Add onion, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in artichokes and sauté until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.
• To a large serving bowl, add drained pasta, artichoke mixture, ½ cup reserved cooking liquid, and cheese. Toss until combined, adding more liquid if needed to bring the sauce together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Fettuccine: Or substitute linguini, spaghetti, or your other favorite pasta.
2. Water: A little starchy pasta water helps bring the sauce together. If you’re worried you might forget to reserve pasta cooking water (it happens to the best of us), put a measuring cup in your colander. That way, when you go to drain your pasta, you’ll see the measuring cup and remember.
3. Lemon: Zest the lemon before you juice it.
4. Artichoke hearts: Use frozen artichoke hearts that have been thawed and drained well. Do not substitute canned artichoke hearts here.
5. Yield: This recipe makes 6 generous servings.
6. Make ahead: This recipe tastes best the day it is made.
7. Spinach: Add a handful of baby spinach to the skillet with the artichokes for extra color and flavor.
8. Goat cheese: Instead of Parmesan cheese, make artichoke pasta with a creamy goat cheese that melts into the dish. Tastes fabulous with the lemon!
9. Chicken: Leftover rotisserie chicken adds protein to the recipe and tastes great, too. Add cooked chicken when you add the artichokes.
10. Bacon: Cook some chopped bacon or pancetta in the butter/olive oil mixture until crispy, then proceed with the recipe as written.

Nutrition

Calories: 550kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 20gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 379mgPotassium: 452mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 568IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill

Meggan Hill

Website | + posts

Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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