Quick dinner: Creamy artichoke and parmesan angel-hair pasta

Posted by Dana McMahan on April 29, 2008

Here's another staple from from my Minute Meals Vegetarian cookbook. We make this once or twice a month. It's an easy dish, makes the house smell yummy -- to me anyway, not everyone likes the smell of cooking garlic (mom!) -- and tastes great. I've adapted the original recipe -- it had too much pasta and not enough sauce for me. I also added the sun dried tomatoes.

For the pasta
4 quarts water
Salt to taste
8 ounces angel hair or other thin pasta

For the sauce
4-5 garlic cloves
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Cook the pasta until al dente.
Remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Don't forget the pasta water (like I always do)

Meanwhile, make the sauce:

Melt olive oil and butter in pan over low heat.
Chop the garlic and sautee in pan.

Drain, rinse, and quarter the artichokes.
Chop enough parsley to measure ¼ cup.

When garlic is cooked but not brown add artichokes, parsley and tomatoes.
Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pasta, Parmesan, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Toss, adding enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to make a creamy sauce. Top with pine nuts.

This makes two hearty dinner and lunch for one the next day. Add a little water before reheating.

TAGS: Artichokes, Pasta, Pine Nuts, Sundried Tomatoes
POST TOOLS: