Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta

Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta is a delicious, fast meal the whole family will love. The lemon artichoke pasta has a fantastic, creamy sauce and is made with plenty of cheese, fresh lemon juice and of course artichoke hearts. 

Artichokes are one of those vegetables that I could eat in every possible way. When I was a kid my parents would make full artichokes for us when they were in season and I would savor each leaf as I dipped it in butter and worked my way down to the heart.

This weekend Kevin and I went out of a date night to a new seafood restaurant and I order a crab broil and added artichoke hearts to it. They were amazing and worked perfectly with the cajun spices in the dish.

Artichokes’ Earthy and slightly nutty flavor gets me every time. I love them fried, boiled, battered, baked, marinated, buttered, in salads, as a garnish, in creamy dips and more. They are my Bubba Gump-kind-of food. It’s a wonder that I haven’t included them in more pasta dishes, honestly.

Ingredients Creamy Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta

This Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta is certainly one of my favorites though, and it is largely due to the addition of the artichokes. And even though artichokes are technically a cool weather vegetable – most prevalent in fall, early spring or even winter in some climates – you can make this recipe year-round using jarred artichokes.

I recommend using jarred artichokes in plain extra virgin olive oil over canned. They’re fresher and have an overall better flavor and structure than canned artichokes.

Other ingredients used also include freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly zested lemon. I also use fresh spinach because it wilts nicely and adds a little flavor, nutrients and color to the dish.

The base for the Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta sauce is heavy cream. Feel free to try other cream substitutes if you like and as long as you’re used to the flavor trade offs. If you can have heavy cream, I recommend using that though. The flavor is much more robust and decadent.

I added chicken to this because Kevin likes

to have a protein in the meal. Personally, I prefer this Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta without chicken. However, if you also want to add it to the lemon artichoke pasta, I’ve included instructions below.

Tips for making Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta

• I made this all in the large pan from my Caraway Pan set that you can find {HERE}. I love this pan and would recommend it for anyone that likes to make one-pan meals. I also LOVE my Ninja Possible Pan {HERE} for making pasta dishes like this because you can cook the pasta in the pan too like I did for this Sun Dried Tomato Pasta {HERE}.
• Make sure to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
• Use the freshest ingredients you can find for the basil, spinach and artichokes. It really just makes the flavor so much better.
• Remember to reserve the pasta water before draining the pasta! SO IMPORTANT!
• Use sea salt versus table salt. The flavor is just so much more when it comes to flavoring for the pasta noodles and the Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta overall.
• Other additions – If you want to try this with Kale or even broccoli to get in more greens, I fully recommend that! The kale will wilt down like the spinach and for the broccoli I would use the microwaveable kind and add it around the same time the spinach is added.
• You don’t have to make this with chicken. If you prefer you can also serve this with shrimp or salmon or maybe sausage. Just be aware how these other proteins may or may not impact the flavor of the lemon artichoke pasta.

Looking for more delicious pasta recipes? 

If you’re a pasta lover, try some of my other amazing pasta recipes!

• Garlic Ricotta & Arugula Pasta {HERE}
• Pasta with White Wine Butter Sauce & Blistered Tomatoes {HERE}
• Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken {HERE}
• Creamy Lemon Butter Pasta {HERE}
• Rotini Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing {HERE}

Thank you so much for visiting today friends! You can find the full, printable recipe for the Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta below. If you are looking for more pasta recipes, click {HERE}. And make sure to try my delicious Spinach Artichoke Dip {HERE}.

Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta

Lemon and Artichoke Hearts Pasta is a delicious meal with a creamy sauce everyone will love. Save the recipe now!

5 from 9 votes

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Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Artichoke Hearts Pasta, artichoke pasta, lemon artichoke pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 5

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• Large skillet pan
• Large pot for boiling noodles

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 3 cloves grated garlic
• 2 jars 9.9 oz artichoke hearts in extra virgin olive oil, lightly rinsed and sliced in half or quartered I use Napoleon brand
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup pasta water
• 2-3 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Plus more for plating)
• Zest of two lemons, divided
• Box of penne or rigatoni pasta
• 3 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• Additional sea salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: Sprinkle of red pepper flakes when plating

For the Chicken

• 1 lb. chicken, sliced or cubbed
• Salt and pepper to season
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Boil water on a large pot and add in 2 tsp. or sea salt. Once boiling, add the noodles.
• If you're making this with the chicken, add the olive oil to a warm pan and let it heat.
• Then salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and add it to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and lightly (and carefully) wipe it out.
• Add in another 2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil and let it heat through on medium heat. Then add the shallots and grated garlic. Stir continuously until the shallot start to cartelize. About 3 minutes.
• Add the artichoke hearts to the pan and heat for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
• Turn the heat to low and add the heavy cream and simmer about two minutes.
• Add in the lemon juice, pasta water and the salt and pepper.
• Then add the chicken back to the pan and let simmer 2 minutes.
• Add the lemon zest and add the pasta to the pan. Mix well. Use tongs if you need to to get the pasta fully covered in the sauce.
• Add in the spinach and mix until it begins to wilt. Then add in the Parmesan cheese and mix well.
• Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste, the rest of the lemon zest on top, the fresh basil and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Serve and enjoy!