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This simple, delicious Artichoke Pasta is made with lemon, butter, and plenty of Parmesan. Frozen artichokes make it easier to enjoy year-round without the fuss of cleaning fresh artichokes.
Meggan’s notes
I look forward to Artichoke Season every year, but when it comes to pasta recipes, we don’t like limitations! That’s why this recipe is made with frozen artichoke hearts.
We like to keep things easy.
Flavor the artichoke hearts with butter and lemon, red chili flakes, and Parmesan. Serve with chewy pasta for a simple, elegant dinner that is wholly satisfying, and thank me later!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
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
- In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve one cup of the pasta cooking water to use later, then drain the pasta well.
- Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium heat, heat butter and extra virgin olive 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.
- To a large serving bowl, add drained pasta, artichoke mixture, ½ cup reserved pasta water, and Parmesan cheese. Toss until combined, adding more liquid if needed to bring the sauce together. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley leaves.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 generous servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: This recipe tastes best the day it is made.
- Garlic: This recipe is conspicuously missing garlic cloves! Sometimes garlic can overpower all the other flavors in a recipe, so I left them out. I like it better that way. For the garlic lovers, just add a few sliced or minced cloves with the onions in Step 2.
- 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.
- More artichoke recipes: Try hot and bubbly Spinach Artichoke Dip, Stuffed Mushrooms with artichoke hearts, or my easy Flatbread Pizza with artichoke hearts and dollops of cream cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Artichokes taste especially good with onions, lemon, parsley, thyme, tomatoes, garlic, mint, and white wine. Any dish that can incorporate a few of these complimentary flavors together is going to be a winner! I also love to serve artichokes in recipes featuring bacon or pancetta, sausage, chicken, shrimp, potatoes, and mushrooms.
Artichokes and recipes featuring them are often served with dry white wine. It’s a delicious flavor combo. The best wine to serve with them, though, is the one that you like the best.
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Artichoke Pasta
Ingredients
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces 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) plus more for garnish
- minced fresh parsley for garnish
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 Parmesan cheese. Toss until combined, adding more liquid if needed to bring the sauce together. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.
Recipe Video
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.
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 generous servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
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.
Delicious . I love love artichokes. My husband wants it again for Father’s Day so do my children. Thank you
That’s great to hear! Have a great Father’s Day! – Meggan
I made the recipe artichoke pasta I added toasted pumpkin seeds which gave it that extra something nice
Thk u
John
Hi John, that’s so great! Great idea. I do think the recipe is very soft, has only soft ingredients, toasted pumpkin seeds sound like a great addition. Thank you so much for the comment, and take care. -Meggan
Hi Meggan,
Excited to try the recipe! How long can we store the leftovers in the fridge?
Many thanks!
Hi Bettina, leftovers are safe in the refrigerator for up to 4 days! Thank you so much, I hope you love this pasta, it’s one of my absolute favorites. Take care – Meggan
Absolutely amazing! I made a cegan version for my husband and roasted jarred artichokes before adding them to the pan and oh my!!! Yummy. Definitely will be making again!
So glad you loved it, Jacqueline! Take care! – Meggan
Being new at cooking due to my wife’s disability I have tried many online recipes and came across this one as I’m a fan of pasta dishes. I made it exactly as the recipe says and I must say I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to make and how delicious it tasted. My wife also loved this dish as she just loves artichoke. Thank you for posting this easy to make and delicious recipe. I will be trying more of your dishes.
Hi Sal, thank you for taking the time to write! It’s so wonderful to hear that the artichoke pasta dish was a hit and easy to make. I’m so happy that you’ll be exploring more dishes to share with your wife. If you ever have any questions or need help with any recipe, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Take care! – Meggan
Hi Meggan,
We buy marinated artichoke hearts that are in a jar along with oil, lemon juice and herbs. They have lots of flavor. Do you think these could be substituted for frozen? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks,
Lee
Hi Lee, thank you so much for your question! I haven’t tested this recipe with the marinated type of artichoke. I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to use them, but I would keep in mind the flavor they have when you’re making this dish and adjust the seasonings. I wouldn’t want your dish to be ruined. Take care! – Meggan
I did the same thing and used marinated artichoke hearts with some of the liquid (lemony as well). Delicious.
Hi Angeld, thank you for your comment! I’m glad you loved it. Thanks for sharing! – Meggan
Hi! Would Farfalle work as the pasta
Hi Michelle! Yes, I think it would be delicious with farfalle. Hope you love it! – Meggan
Lovely and simple. Definitely recommend the bacon bits and go easy on the lemon juice. Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for your comment, Joseph! I’m so glad you loved it! – Meggan