Tomato Artichoke Pasta
Skip that heavy, creamy sauce. This tomato artichoke pasta recipe is a great new way to enjoy artichoke hearts. The savory sauce is loaded with chopped artichoke hearts and crispy pancetta, and seasoned with basil for a unique pasta dish that’s sure to satisfy your artichoke craving. If you can’t find pancetta, feel free to swap it for bacon or prosciutto. Makes 6 servings.
What I love about tomato artichoke pasta
When I first saw this recipe on Shutterbean, I immediately had a flashback to the tomato artichoke ravioli that was on the menu at the first restaurant I worked at in Milwaukee.
The ravioli had pancetta in it and I once served it to a vegetarian and I felt so so so bad. But, to be fair, the menu said it had pancetta in it. So it’s not my fault she didn’t know what it was and didn’t ask me. Don’t worry though, I got her a new meal to replace that one.
So when I saw this recipe for tomato artichoke penne, I immediately thought of adding pancetta to it hoping to replicate the flavor of the ravioli because – let’s be honest – I have no intention of going through the process of making homemade ravioli.
And, the flavor turned out to be perfect. So perfect, that I made it twice in one week. But beware – this is not a vegetarian meal (unless you leave out the pancetta).
If you like this recipe, you have to try this pasta carbonara, and this sesame noodles and this fennel sausage pasta. But if you prefer the ease of a slow cooker recipe, this slow cooker beef ragu is hearty and comforting, classic Italian sauce you will love.
Searching for more artichoke recipes? Try this skinny spinach artichoke chicken or this roasted garlic and artichoke dip.
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- Pancetta – I found diced pancetta in the deli section at our grocery store, but if yours doesn’t carry it like that, ask the deli counter to slice you a 4-ounce thick slice for you to dice yourself. You can also add bacon or prosciutto instead.
- Artichokes
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make tomato artichoke pasta
Cook the pasta to al dente in a large stockpot of salted, boiling water. Follow the directions on the package for your pasta to make sure you get the cooking time right.
Make the sauce. Start by sautéing the onion and pancetta in olive oil over medium-high heat. After the onions are translucent add the garlic and crushed red peppers and cook for an additional minute.
Next, add the artichokes, tomatoes, chicken stock and basil. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it thicken up as the pasta cooks. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper, to taste.
Toss the pasta with sauce. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the skillet with the sauce and stir to coat the pasta. Serve immediately.
FAQs and tips for making artichoke pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 large sweet or yellow onion (chopped)
- 4 ounces diced pancetta
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 14- ounce can quartered artichoke hearts (drained)
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water (reserving 1/2 cup pasta water for sauce).
- In a large skillet or saucepan, heat olive oil to medium-high heat.
- Add pancetta and onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes – cooking for 1 minute more.
- Stir in diced tomatoes, artichokes, chicken broth, basil and salt & pepper.
- Cover pot and simmer sauce on medium-low for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and continue to simmer until sauce thickens.
- Toss pasta with sauce, adding pasta water as needed.
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Shutterbean.
Looks delicious!
This looks so good! I rarely use artichokes at home …. not really sure why since I like them! This sounds like a perfect weeknight meal : )
This is a wonderful recipe. My family loved it. I had to use blanched bacon because my store doesn’t carry pancetta. I will be making this again and again.
Delicious and easy!! I’ve made this several times!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! My husband said ‘restaurant quality’. I always try to follow a new recipe exactly but couldn’t find pancetta in my tiny town, so used prosciutto…but since you offered it as a substitute, I call it even. The artichokes gave it such a great flavour and texture. Don’t skimp on the basil…it’s key! I am in Canada and had to convert everything to ml so I think I added more crushed and diced tomatoes than asked for but I just simmered it longer to reduce the liquid. Fantastic meal. I will keep this sauce as a standby for all pastas. Tastes so fresh. Thank you