This Pasta with Artichokes In Lemon Parmigiana Cream Sauce is a wonderfully light dish that’s guaranteed to please!   If you haven’t yet had the delightful experience of tasting a pasta sauce made with lemon, artichokes, cream, and Parmigiana, then you are in for a real treat.   First of all, an amazing simple cream sauce (“pasta alla panna) is heaven on earth.  But adding in lemon and artichokes, the dish has a bright, light lemon-garlic essence to it. The idea of combining lemon and cream with pasta might sound unique to you at first, but just one bite and you’ll understand how unforgettable it is. The sauce has a delicious, rich complexity that results from classic Italian ingredients bursting with unforgettable flavor in every bite.  

Oh yes, continue to serve traditional sauces, but surprise everyone with pasta in a bright, unexpected, and unforgettable lemony sauce.

This recipe is one of the easiest pasta dishes to make.  It’s ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes.   That means it’s perfect for either busy weeknights or for more leisurely weekend evenings.  You can make the sauce ahead of time, prep the pasta, heat up the sauce, combine . . . and dinner is good to go!  

As we move forward into spring this week, my brain started thinking about transitional recipes to prepare alongside several other of my family’s favorite spring recipes. 

My daffodils arrived late this year, at the end of February,

indicating how much colder winter was.

It’s cherry tree season now and the blossoms are huge from getting so much rain this year.

We’re blessed with bird nests filled with beautiful eggs of every color

from birds that return year after year.

So let’s get to the kitchen, have some fun, and shake up that ho-hum, same old spaghetti dinner night with this recipe!

First, gather up your ingredients, all measured out.

What You Need to Make Pasta with Artichokes in Lemon Cream Sauce

  • Pasta: Use whichever pasta you have on hand.  I just love how these thick pappardelle noodles hold up to the cream sauce.
  • Olive oil: to coat the artichokes for roasting
  • Butter: For the cream sauce
  • Onion: In the hot butter, they help develop a delicious flavor base for the sauce.
  • Artichoke hearts: cut into either halves or quartered
  • Garlic cloves:  I mean, are you kidding? Absolutely a must!
  • Lemon juice and zest from 1 large lemon: Adds a fresh, bright flavor to the mild cream sauce.
  • Heavy cream: For a sauce that has a more rich creamy texture
  • Fresh Italian parsley: Always adds another layer of flavor and splash of brilliant color. And yes, it has much more flavor than regular parsley.
  • Parmigiana cheese DOP: A must for a rich pasta cream sauce.
  • Hot red pepper flakes: Just a few pinches to tease taste buds.
  • Salt and Pepper: To taste!

What about adding protein?

Versatility defines this ‘already-delicious-no-need-to-mess-with-it’ recipe.  But if you like, you’ve got lots of options to add to and enhance this Pasta with Artichokes In Lemon Parmigiana Cream Sauce.  Simply cook them, either sliced or whole, on the side and add to the pasta before serving.

  • Chunks of sauteed chicken or turkey, pancetta, ham, bacon, or “guanciale” (the fatty cheek of a pig).
  • Fresh fish such as salmon, shrimp, or lobster.
  • Vegetarian protein options such as chickpeas and white beans can also be used.

 

Now that you have all of your measured out ingredients, let’s MAKE Pasta with Artichokes In Lemon Cream Sauce

This goes really fast, so make sure that you have everything, including your cooking equipment right there in front of you.

  1. Turn on a stovetop burner to HIGH and bring a large pot of water to boil.
  2. Turn the oven on and set it to “broil”. 
  3. Drizzle olive oil all over a baking sheet.
  4. Roll the artichokes, garlic, and onions on the baking sheet to coat with olive oil.
  5. Roast/broil the oil-covered ingredients until the edges are golden brown.
  6. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente (to the tooth).  Remove pasta from the hot water and set it aside covered with plastic wrap. If you don’t use the pasta right away, drizzle a tiny bit of olive in it and stir so that the pasta noodles don’t stick to each other while you’re preparing the rest of the recipe.
  7. In a large skillet, promptly melt the butter, add the cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Simmer. Then add the parmigiana cheese. When melted into the mixture, add the roasted artichoke hearts, garlic, and onions, along with the red pepper flakes. Stir until nicely combined and heated through completely.
  8. Place the pasta on a nice serving platter and then pour about half of the sauce on the pasta. Sprinkle freshly minced parsley and lemon zest all over the top. Serve.
  9. Have a serving bowl with extra artichoke lemon parmigiana sauce and allow guests to add more sauce to their pasta.

More delicious recipes with lemon and cream that I know you’ll just love!

https://www.italianbellavita.com/2018/02/salmon-peas-and-asparagus-with-pasta-lemon-cream-sauce/
https://www.italianbellavita.com/2020/04/chicken-in-creamy-lemon-garlic-parmesan-sauce/
https://www.italianbellavita.com/2015/05/grilled-italian-swordfish-with-creamy-lemon-caper-sauce/
Yield: 4 servings

Pasta with Roasted Artichokes In Lemon Parmigiana Cream Sauce

Pasta with Roasted Artichokes In Lemon Parmigiana Cream Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. pasta of choice (here I used pappardelle - a wide flat noodle to capture the delicious sauce)
  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil (for roasting the artichokes and garlic)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 cans or 1 bag of frozen, whole or quartered artichoke hearts, drained (cut whole artichoke hearts into quarters)
  • Couple pinches of dried red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Juice of one lemon, and completely zested
  • ½ stick unsalted butter
  • 1 - ½ cups of heavy cream
  • 1 - 2 cups finely grated parmigiana cheese
  • 1 cup freshly minced Italian parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Begin by bringing a tall pot of water boiling.
  2. While water is boiling, heat the oven to "broil".
  3. Lay artichokes, garlic, and onions on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil all over and roll the artichokes, garlic, and onions in the oil until nicely covered.
  4. Sprinkle a few pinches of red pepper flakes over the artichoke and garlic (optional).
  5. Roast while keeping a good eye on the artichokes so they don't burn black. When there is a nice brownish color on the artichokes, remove them from the oven and set them aside, covered to stay heated. Add a drizzle of olive oil and very gently stir so that the pasta doesn't stick together while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
  6. Boil the pasta until al dente and even a little less than that.
  7. In a large skillet, melt the butter, add the cream, lemon juice, and zest. Simmer at a warm temperature. Then add the parmigiana cheese. When the cheese is melted into the mixture, give it a good taste, and add more of any ingredient, if desired.
  8. Add the roasted artichokes, garlic, and onions to the sauce, and heat through completely.
  9. Place the pasta on a nice serving platter and then pour about half of the sauce on the pasta. Sprinkle freshly minced parsley and lemon zest all over the top. Serve.
  10. Have a serving bowl with extra artichoke lemon parmigiana sauce and allow guests to add more sauce to their pasta.