Pasta with artichokes and tomato sauce is an inviting first course made with this delicious and nutritious vegetable.
It’s a quick, satisfying dish that, in its simplicity, encompasses all those flavors and ingredients that can enrich and enhance the taste of artichokes.
As is well known, consuming them is indeed a good habit since artichokes are rich in beneficial properties.
In fact, these vegetables, of which only the bud is consumed, harvested before flowering, contain important minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and iron.
Artichokes are low in calories and high in fiber, and thanks to this, they help proper intestinal transit and have a low glycemic index.
The characteristic bitter taste of artichokes is due to cynarin, a substance contained in them, which stimulates bile secretion and aids digestion. A well-known bitter, on the market for many years, exploits this very characteristic.
Artichokes aid in kidney detoxification, lower blood pressure, and counteract cellulite. They also lower bad cholesterol and are rich in antioxidants that combat the action of free radicals.
They are also well known for their protective function of the liver.
It is, however, important to know that artichokes should not be consumed by those allergic to any substance contained in them, those who suffer from gallstones, and women during breastfeeding.
As you can see, they have numerous qualities, not least of which is being very versatile in the kitchen.
In fact, having artichokes available, even frozen, and a few other simple ingredients, you can make both first and second courses and even appetizers and side dishes, thus easily solving an entire meal.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 418.89 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 54.47 (g) of which sugars 2.91 (g)
- Proteins 12.98 (g)
- Fat 19.60 (g) of which saturated 3.66 (g)of which unsaturated 1.39 (g)
- Fibers 13.09 (g)
- Sodium 533.46 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 450 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 11 oz spaghettoni
- 1.5 lbs artichokes
- 14 oz tomato sauce
- 0.9 oz parsley (fresh)
- 2 cloves garlic (large)
- to taste hot chili pepper (fresh or dried)
- 5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- to taste salt
- to taste sugar
- lemon juice (from one lemon)
Tools
- Bowl
- Piping Bag Paring Knife
- 2 Pans large
- Gloves kitchen, for vegetables
- 1 Knife for vegetables
Steps
Per preparare la pasta con cuori di carciofi e salsa, iniziare dal pulire i carciofi.
This operation, if done with bare hands, will stain them for several days, so it’s advisable to use special gloves for cleaning vegetables.
Remove the toughest part of the stem from the artichokes and peel the remaining part, detach the outer tougher leaves.
When reaching the intermediate leaves, which are more tender, detach them in such a way so as to leave the lower part of the leaf attached to the artichokes. To do this, bend the leaf first downwards and then pull it away almost by tearing and not detaching.
Of the soft inner leaves, simply cut off more than half of them with a clean cut using a vegetable knife.
Cut the artichoke into four wedges and with the help of a paring knife, remove all the central fuzz. Immerse the wedges in acidulated water with the juice of half a lemon to prevent them from darkening.
Finely chop parsley and garlic. If you prefer to remove the garlic after it has released its flavor, just cut it in half.
Thinly slice the artichokes and rinse, leaving them briefly in clean water.
In a large pan, sauté about 5 tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped parsley, garlic, and drained artichoke slices.
Let them flavor over moderate heat, stirring often and being careful not to burn anything.
When the artichoke slices are slightly golden, add the tomato sauce, the right amount of water to cook (about 2 or 3 cups of water), salt, red chili pepper and cook semi-covering the pan until the artichokes are tender and the sauce has reduced.
Meanwhile, bring water to boil to cook the pasta, and when it boils, salt and throw in the spaghettoni or other pasta of your choice such as spaghetti, fusilli, or penne.
Make sure the sauce does not dry out too much during cooking, adding a little water if necessary. Adjust salt and, if necessary, correct any acidity of the sauce with a level teaspoon of sugar.
At the end of cooking, we should have artichokes that look intact but are well-cooked, and a thickened sauce, but not excessively. It will take about half an hour.
Drain the spaghettoni very al dente, retaining half a cup of pasta cooking water. Pour the pasta over the sauce along with the reserved water and continue cooking for a few minutes, stirring often but gently.
Lastly, mix in 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.
Pasta with artichoke hearts and tomato sauce is now ready.
Serve immediately with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and parsley leaves for garnish.
Artichoke sauce, sealed in an airtight jar, can be stored well in the fridge for 2-3 days. If fresh ingredients were used, it can also be frozen.
Artichoke sauce, sealed in an airtight jar, can be stored well in the fridge for 2-3 days. If fresh ingredients were used, it can also be frozen.
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