Hearty Italian-Stuffed Artichokes have everything you love about Italian food! Full of toasty breadcrumbs, sausage, garlic, cheese, and seasonings, this can be prepped ahead of time for an impressive appetizer or side dish.
Add a salad, simple pasta dish or my Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque and you've got a meal!
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
Stuffed artichokes are classic Italian-American fare. Typically made with breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and garlic, my version includes Italian sausage and onions for a hearty appetizer or side dish. The Italian sausage in Italian-Stuffed Artichokes adds more flavor and texture but doesn't mask the delicate, nutty flavor of artichokes.
Artichokes take a little bit of prep work, but the prep is not difficult--just a little "putzy." You can even get the artichokes prepped ahead of time and baked later. Add a salad or simple soup and you've got a meal!
Let's make this stuffed artichoke recipe!
How to Make Italian-Stuffed Artichokes:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this stuffed artichoke recipe along with how to prep. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes:
- Artichokes: Artichokes are the immature flower bud of a thistle plant. Nearly 80% of all artichokes consumed in the United States are grown in California so you can feel good about enjoying this mostly U. S. crop. Look for larger, round artichokes with thick bottom stems and tight, intact leaves. See the FAQs for more tips on how to select a good artichoke.
- Breadcrumbs: This is a great way to use up those crusty bread heels or other day-old remnants. Simply place in a food processor and grind to a coarse consistency. While you can use dried breadcrumbs, the texture is very fine. If you want or need to use dried breadcrumbs, opt for panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs which are coarser.
- Italian Sausage: I used pork Italian sausage but you can also substitute turkey or chicken Italian sausage.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is always preferable to pre-shredded. For ultimate Italian flavor, use freshly grated imported Parmigiana-Reggiano.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Adds a touch of heat but can be left out if you don't like spicy.
- Marinara Sauce: Optional but we liked it because of the Italian sausage. Use your favorite jarred marinara.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Make the filling: First, lightly toast the breadcrumbs. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring often for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to take on some color and turn golden. Transfer to a bowl to cool then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Wipe out the skillet to remove any remaining crumbs. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pan. Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the Italian sausage and cook, stirring often to break up the sausage as much as possible. (You want small pieces so they fit inside the leaves of the artichoke--not large chunks.) Cook until browned and no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease. Let cool and if necessary, break up the sausage more with your fingers.
- Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook briefly. Drain the excess grease from the pan and let cool briefly.
- Transfer the onions, sausage, garlic and seasoning to the bowl with the breadcrumbs then add crushed red pepper flakes and parsley. When completely cool, add the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate the filling while prepping the artichokes.
- Prep the artichokes: Fill a glass or other microwave-safe bowl approximately ¾ of the way with water. The bowl should be large enough to hold both artichokes and also fit in your microwave. Add the juice of three lemons.
- Trim the stems and tough outer leaves from the bottom of each artichoke. Immediately immerse in the acidulated water to prevent browning and repeat often during the trimming process.
- Cut the top ¼th off the top of the artichoke then trim the tips from each one of the remaining leaves. Immerse them periodically in the lemon water to prevent browning. Artichokes can have extremely thorny tips, so handle them with care!
- Immerse both of the trimmed artichokes into the bowl of water. Cover with plastic (which also helps hold them down). Microwave on HIGH for 12 minutes.
- Remove the artichokes with tongs, drain the excess water and let cool to the touch.
- Gently pry open the center leaves. Using a large soup spoon, carefully scoop out the center leaves and the fuzzy "choke" with a twisting motion.
- Place the artichokes in a baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. (You can also give them a glug of dry white wine.)
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Starting in the center, stuff each artichoke with equal amounts of the sausage and breadcrumb mixture. Then, work your way to the outer leaves, distributing the mixture as evenly as possible pushing it down between the leaves of the artichoke and into the cavity of the artichoke.
- MAKE AHEAD: This stuffed artichokes recipe can be made a day ahead of time up to this point. Cover securely then refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the center of each artichoke registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. The leaves should come out without resistance.
- That's it and so impressive! Italian-Stuffed Artichokes!
- Serve the stuffed artichokes with a marinara sauce for dipping if desired.
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- Choose artichokes that are uniform in size so they cook at the same rate and in the same amount of time.
- A good glug of white wine added to the bottom of the baking dish will also help to flavor the stuffed artichokes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
>>PICK IT UP: Artichokes should feel heavy when you pick them up. If not, they've dried out and the leaf bottoms won't be as fleshy as they should be.
>>SQUEEZE IT: Gently squeeze the artichokes; the leaves should "squeak."
>>INSPECT IT: Because artichokes are basically the flower bud of a thistle plant, the leaves (petals) should be closed with only a small amount of separation. As the artichoke ages, the leaves open up.
>>FROST-KISSED IS A GOOD THING: "Frost-kissed" artichokes will have brown leaves. However, frost conditions enhance the flavor of artichokes and growers label them as such.
Fresh artichokes that meet the criteria for a good artichoke can be stored loosely wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Artichokes may be served hot or cold. The edible parts of an artichoke are the fleshy parts at the base of each petal, the "heart" which is in the center and the tender part of the stem.
>>To eat, pull off the petals (leaves) one at a time.
>>Dip in melted butter or other sauce, then pull the base of each petal through slightly clenched teeth to strip off the soft, pulpy portion. Discard the remaining petal. Continue until all the petals have been removed.
>>Spoon out fuzzy center at base and discard. Cut the heart into small pieces and dip into a sauce.
>>For this Italian-Stuffed Artichokes recipe, you can eat the filling with the help of a fork or pile the filling up on the bottom of the leaf and dip it into the marinara sauce.
Yes! Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 6 to 8 hours or on the HIGH setting for 3 to 4 hours. The leaves should pull out easily.
Serve stuffed artichokes with:
- Broccoli Cheese Soup with Garlic Croutons
- Spinach Goat Cheese Bisque with Crispy Lemon Chickpeas
- Butternut Squash Soup with Thyme and Taleggio
- Gnocchi with Spinach and Avocado Goat Cheese Sauce
- Zucchini Ricotta Fritters
- Tuscan Cherry Tomato and White Bean Salad
- Sicilian Cauliflower Salad
- Massaged Kale Antipasto Salad
Love artichokes? You'll love these recipes:
For the quickest, easiest way to cook artichokes, check out this recipe for Instant Pot Artichokes!
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Italian-Stuffed Artichokes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil - plus more for drizzling
- 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs - very coarse
- salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- ½ small red onion - finely chopped (approximately ½ cup)
- 8 ounces Italian sausage - mild or spicy
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - or to taste/tolerance
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 large lemons - juiced, divided plus more for serving if desired
- 2 large artichokes
- White wine - optional, for baking dish
- Marinara sauce - optional, for serving
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often or until lightly toasted. Transfer to a mixing bowl to cool. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Wipe out the skillet to remove any crumbs. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet or saute pan used to toast the breadcrumbs. Add the onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the Italian sausage and cook, stirring frequently to break up the sausage as much as possible. (You don't want large chunks.) Cook until no longer pink then drain off any excess grease.
- Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook briefly. Drain the excess grease from the pan and let cool briefly. Transfer the sausage to the bowl with the breadcrumbs.
- To the bowl, add crushed red pepper flakes and parsley. Add the Parmesan cheese when the sausage and breadcrumbs are completely cool. Adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
- Fill a glass or other microwave-safe bowl with water that's large enough to hold both artichokes so they're both submerged. (The bowl should also fit in your microwave.)
- Add ¾ of the lemon juice.
- Trim the stems and tough outer leaves from the bottom of each artichoke. Immediately immerse in the acidulated water to prevent browning and repeat often during the trimming process.
Prep the Artichokes
- Cut the top ¼th off the artichoke then trim the tips from each one of the remaining leaves.
- Immerse both trimmed artichokes into the bowl of water. Cover with plastic. Microwave on HIGH for 12 minutes.
- Remove the artichokes with tongs and let cool to the touch. Gently pry open the center leaves and carefully scoop out the center leaves and the fuzzy "choke" with a twisting motion using a large soup spoon.
- Place the artichokes in a baking dish. Give them a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Starting in the center, stuff each artichoke with equal amounts of the sausage and breadcrumb mixture then work your way to the outer leaves, distributing the mixture as evenly as possible.
- Pour ½ cup dry white wine in teh bottom of the baking dish if using.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the center of each artichoke registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
- Serve with marinara sauce for dipping if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
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