Artichoke Pasta

This artichoke pasta recipe is an easy, elegant spring dinner. It's tossed in a rich, flavorful lemon butter sauce and garnished with lots of fresh mint.

Artichoke pasta

I got the idea for this artichoke pasta recipe a few weeks back, when my fridge was overflowing with spring artichokes. Jumbo ones, baby ones, and every size in between. One day, I had steamed a few of the large artichokes for this post, and after I finished taking the photos, I stood at the counter, snacking on the meaty leaves dipped in lemon butter sauce.

Of course, I knew that artichokes and butter were a classic combination, but it had been a while since I’d tasted them together. After one bite, I started grinning. The artichokes and lemon butter sauce were a perfect match. I immediately started dreaming up ways to make them into a meal.

Enter: this artichoke pasta recipe. I still had a stash of baby artichokes on hand, so I roasted them up and tossed them with pasta and the lemon butter sauce. Then, I added mint and parsley for fresh flavor and finished it off with pine nuts for crunch. I took one taste, and I was hooked. I think you will be too!

Artichoke pasta recipe ingredients

Artichoke Pasta Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this artichoke pasta recipe:

  • Pasta, of course! Any long pasta shape will do. I especially like spaghetti and linguine here.
  • Baby artichokes – If you’ve never cooked fresh artichokes, don’t let them intimidate you! Once you get the hang of it, they’re easy to work with. Find my method for trimming and preparing them here.
  • Lemon butter sauce – You only need butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to make this rich and flavorful sauce. Make it plant-based by substituting vegan butter.
  • Parsley and mint – For fresh flavor.
  • Pine nuts – For crunch.
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Baby artichokes in a roasting dish

To make this recipe, you’ll start by roasting the artichokes according to this method.

While they’re in the oven, make the lemon butter sauce and boil the pasta, reserving some of the starchy pasta water.

When the artichokes are ready, toss them with the pasta, the sauce, and the parsley, adding pasta water, as needed, if the pasta is dry.

Season to taste, portion the pasta into bowls, and garnish it with pine nuts, fresh mint, and, if you like, some pecorino cheese. That’s it!

Bowl of artichoke pasta

Artichoke Pasta Serving Suggestions

Serve this artichoke pasta recipe as a meal on its own, with a slice of focaccia or crusty bread handy for wiping up any sauce that’s left at the bottom of your bowl. It’s also delicious with a simple vegetable side dish like roasted asparagus, roasted radishes, or a salad. It would pair nicely with any of these salad recipes:

Enjoy!

Artichoke pasta recipe

More Spring Pasta Recipes

If you love this artichoke pasta recipe, try one of these spring pastas next:

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Artichoke Pasta

rate this recipe:
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves 3 to 4
This artichoke pasta recipe is an easy, elegant spring dinner. Make it vegan by substituting vegan butter and omitting the pecorino cheese.

Ingredients

  • 8 roasted baby artichokes, halved or quartered
  • Lemon Butter Sauce
  • 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
  • cup fresh mint leaves, for garnish
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
  • Pecorino cheese, for serving, optional

Instructions

  • Prepare the artichokes and the lemon butter sauce.
  • Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions, or until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
  • Drain and return the pasta back to the pot. Add the artichokes, lemon butter sauce, parsley, salt, and several grinds of pepper and toss to coat. If the pasta looks too dry, add the reserved pasta water, ¼ cup at a time, until lightly saucy. Portion into bowls and top with the pine nuts and mint leaves. Serve with lemon wedges and pecorino cheese, if desired.

12 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Nicole
    07.18.2022

    AMAZING! I absolutely love the flavors in this and would make it again. I would advise against taking on fresh, whole-sized artichokes if you are a novice to artichokes like me (I couldn’t find baby ones). I’m definitely going to try canned artichokes next time just to make life easier :D.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.19.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  2. Joanne
    05.09.2022

    5 stars
    This really does taste like restaurant food for very little effort. I used tinned artichoke, lentil pasta, ghee. Delicious!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.09.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  3. Lanie Trent
    09.29.2021

    5 stars
    OMG! I made this last night. Only alterations: I used dried parsley, about a third of the red pepper flakes, used jarred artichokes, and vegan butter. Holy moly it was amazing!! It tasted like something out of a restaurant and was SO EASY to make!!! I will definitely be making this again

  4. Christine Whittington
    05.27.2021

    5 stars
    This was *amazing*! The likelihood of finding baby artichokes in our tiny mountain town is nonexistent, so I used canned whole artichokes, halved them, and followed the instructions for roasting them. They seemed perfect, so I can only imagine how the baby ‘chokes would taste.

    I paired with L&L’s roasted asparagus, and Gruner Veltliner, which seems to be the best choice for artichokes and asparagus.

    Great recipe! Sharing!

  5. Hi – I wanted to know if this recipe exists in one of your cookbooks? thanks

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.14.2021

      Hi Robin, it doesn’t – the book recipes aren’t on the blog and vice versa.

  6. Jade
    05.13.2021

    Hello,
    I wanted to ask if you think it would still taste ok if it was canned artichokes? I live in Alaska, and while it’s finally getting to be growing season our vegetable selection is not always the greatest. At least until mid summer!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.13.2021

      Hi Jade, yep, they’ll be great! Drain them and slice them in half (or quarters), and just toss them with the hot pasta and the sauce so that they warm through.

      • Jade
        05.13.2021

        Great! Thank you! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂

    • Katiemac
      02.08.2022

      5 stars
      I made this using marinated artichokes. I love them and since I don’t ever get near a fresh artichoke,, I chose them over just canned artichokes.
      It was delicious! I have a bit of a drive to the nearest store, so I keep mint leaves in my freezer. The recipe says to save some of the pasta water, but I used a little of the marinade from the artichokes.
      I loved it and will be making it again.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.