Description
This easy and elegant artichoke pasta recipe features roasted baby artichokes in a tangy lemon butter sauce, tossed with spaghetti or linguine and finished with fresh herbs, pine nuts, and optional pecorino cheese. Perfect as a light spring dinner, it can be made vegan by using vegan butter and skipping the cheese.
Ingredients
Artichokes
- 8 roasted baby artichokes, halved or quartered
Lemon Butter Sauce and Pasta
- 8 ounces spaghetti or linguine pasta
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup (approximately) lemon butter sauce (recipe assumes prepared lemon butter sauce)
Garnish and Serving
- ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Pecorino cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Artichokes and Lemon Butter Sauce: Roast and halve or quarter 8 baby artichokes and prepare the lemon butter sauce separately, ensuring they are ready to combine with pasta.
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook 8 ounces of spaghetti or linguine according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce and Artichokes: Drain pasta and return it to the pot. Add the roasted artichokes, lemon butter sauce, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Toss well to coat evenly. If the mixture appears dry, add reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time until a light sauce forms.
- Plate and Garnish: Portion pasta into bowls. Top each serving with ¼ cup pine nuts and sprinkle fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and, if desired, pecorino cheese for extra flavor.
Notes
- To make this dish vegan, substitute vegan butter for regular butter and omit the pecorino cheese.
- Reserving pasta water is essential to achieving a silky sauce texture.
- Roasted baby artichokes can be prepared ahead of time for convenience.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste during tossing step.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
