Artichoke Hearts and Pasta

This pasta dish is the answer to the question, “What should I have for dinner tonight?”

Pasta dishes, for the most part, are super simple to make and pretty hard to screw up. This recipe has simple ingredients and isn’t difficult to prepare.

Artichokes

When it comes to what type of artichokes to use, canned (or jarred) versus frozen, it doesn’t matter. Both are suitable for this dish.

Of course, like many frozen foods, frozen artichoke hearts must be thawed and drained first to make sure the water they release won’t ruin the dish.

Canned artichokes are reasonably priced and like many canned foods, like beans for example, ideally should be drained and can be rinsed with water to remove excess sodium if desired.

Prebiotics for gut health

Amazingly, artichokes are one of the best sources of prebiotic fiber. Prebiotic fiber supports gut health by preferentially promoting the growth of healthy bacteria found in your digestive tract, a.k.a. microbiota.

As an excellent food source for your gut bacteria, the fibers in artichoke help them do their job of synthesizing vitamins and keeping a good balance between so-called ‘bad’ bacteria and good. A robust microbiota population also helps to keep your immunity strong.

Not only that, as they feed on the prebiotics, your gut bacteria produce something called short-chain fatty acids which are another fuel source for both you and your cells of your digestive tract.

Pasta recipes

A lot of people are used to pasta dishes including meat sauces or pasta recipes with shrimp etc but this doesn’t have to be the case.

Non-meat and seafood versions work well and are often easier to make. Recipes like this one are easy as well because it doesn’t have a complicated ingredient list or prep methods.

A delightfully simple artichoke pasta recipe, ideal for a weeknight supper. Use fresh herbs to get the best flavours and complement the artichokes.

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Artichoke Hearts and Pasta

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Indian

Prep Time 6 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 31 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium shallot minced
• 1 12-ounce jar or can artichoke hearts, halved
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine such as a chardonnay
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley divided
• 6 basil leaves chopped, divided
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
• 6 slices bacon, fried chopped

Instructions

1. Fry bacon in a pan until crispy, move to a plate covered with paper towel and let cool. Once cooled, chopped into small pieces

2. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the package instructs.
3. While the water is boiling, add the extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallot and sauté together for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the artichoke hearts, lemon zest, lemon juice, and white wine. Bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to half and coats the back of the spoon.

5. Stir in half the parsley and basil. Add the butter and let it melt into the sauce. Stir. Add bacon bits. Season with salt and pepper and turn down the heat on the sauce until pasta is ready.

6. When the pasta is cooked, drain and toss it in the skillet with the sauce and remaining parsley and basil.
7. Finish with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Recipe Notes

Tip: Artichokes marinated in oil bring more flavor to this dish.

Option: add roasted cherry or grape tomatoes to add some depth of flavor and color, or add chopped sun dried tomatoes instead

Doug Cook RDN is a Toronto based integrative and functional nutritionist and dietitian with a focus on digestive, gut, mental health.  Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.