The best way to enjoy an artichoke! Onions, garlic, butter, and bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan make a delectable stuffing in this healthy, pretty side dish.
If I had to pick a favorite vegetable, I think it might have to be the artichoke.
And these impressive-looking (but really easy) stuffed artichokes might be the best way ever to enjoy them.
I'll never complained about having artichokes, especially if I had a little ramekin with some melted butter for dipping.
This is one veggie I have a hard time sharing with anyone.
I love scraping the "meat" off the leaves and then just when you feel sad because your artichoke is all gone, you have the best part left! The heart! Oh how I love artichoke hearts!
There's one teeny little problem with artichokes... they aren't cheap.
Most of the time they are around $2 or $3, and I can't justify spending that much on one serving of a vegetable for a regular night.
So you can imagine my excitement when I went to Rouse's the other day and they had artichokes 10 for $10!!
I literally squealed and clapped my hands.
10 artichokes for $10!!!
$1 for an artichoke!
Then I proceeded to text my sister to tell her how my grocery store had 10/$10 on artichokes. I think she might like artichokes more than I do, and that price is seriously unheard of!
Plus, since I live by myself, I wanted to have an outsider's point of view on how many artichokes I should buy.
I started with five. {Who was I kidding?!}
My sister, being the intelligent lady that she is, advised me to get 10. She's such a smart person.
Needless to say, I was beyond excited and have been brainstorming artichoke recipes all week.
These stuffed artichokes were a great way to enjoy my budget-friendly artichokes.
If you can't find artichokes on sale, then you can save this recipe for company or a special dinner because it's a really pretty/fancy side dish. Or you could even serve these as appetizers.
No one will complain when you give them their own stuffed artichoke to enjoy.
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[Note: Want to know what vegetable you are?! Take this quiz!]
Oh and I almost forgot to tell you all the health benefits. Artichokes are...
- packed with antioxidants
- only 60 calories
- full of fiber {almost 7 grams}
- a very good source of folate, Vitamin K, and Vitamin C
- a good source of Magnesium, Manganese, and potassium {almost as much as a small banana}
For me, that would almost be reason enough to eat this funny looking vegetable.
What's even better?
The stuffed artichokes are a little lighter than most stuffed artichoke recipe you'll find.
Yes, there is still butter in there but not as much, and I added flavor with lemon zest, cayenne pepper, garlic, onion, and parmesan.
And if you are serving people who aren't obsessed with artichokes and are willing to share, you can cut the cost by making one artichoke for every two people.
But I highly advise you to make one per person because they are goooooooood!
Luckily, I have two more stuffed artichokes to eat or I'd be back in my kitchen making the stuffed artichokes again with one of my 7 remaining artichokes... (and I'll definitely be making at least 2 more of those into this stuffed artichoke!)
Stuffed Artichokes
Ingredients
- 4 artichokes
- 1 lemon you'll need the juice & the zest
- 3/4 tsp salt divided
- 4 tsp butter
- 1 small onion finely diced {about 1 cup}
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2/3 cup whole grain bread crumbs from about 2 slices bread
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut the stems off of the artichokes. Cut the top of the artichoke off {about 1/3 way down the artichoke}. Snip off any remaining pointy ends of the leaves. Zest the lemon, and reserve for stuffing.
- Fill a large pot with water and add artichokes. Squeeze half of the lemon {reserve at least 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for stuffing} over the artichokes and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt.
- Bring water to a boil, and cook artichokes for 20 minutes.
- Drain upside down on a plate or cooling rack for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add onions, and saute for about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and bread crumbs. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 tsp reserved lemon zest, cayenne pepper, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Once the artichokes have drained, put them on a baking sheet or baking dish. Push the leaves out a good bit to give you room to put the stuffing in.
- Stir together bread crumb mixture and Parmesan cheese.
- Take a small spoon and spoon a small amount into the leaves. It's best to pack it in there pretty well, so it'll stay on the leaves after they are cooked.
- Repeat process with all the artichokes until the stuffing is gone.
- Cover lightly with foil and bake in preheated for 15 minutes. Remove foil, and bake another 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Need more artichoke recipes?
You absolutely must try the Shrimp Nicole with a spinach-artichoke sauce on top...
Or just make some Spinach Artichoke Dip that's the best chip partner...
And there's always the Blue Cheese & Vegetable Alfredo that is quite delicious...
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