Ultimate Stuffed Artichoke Recipe

This Ultimate Stuffed Artichoke recipe is out of this world. Serve it for a scrumptious vegetarian shared appetizer or first course. One of the best artichoke recipes ever, your guests will absolutely flip for it!

The Ultimate Stuffed Artichoke is simply put, mind-blowing. The buttery-lemony-garlic bread crumb filling sits inside every nook and cranny. And the artichoke leaves are the perfect, delicious vehicle for it.

There are a few restaurants I grew up with in and around Pacific Palisades, that I'll never forget. Vittorio is one of them.

My friends and I -- and pretty much everyone in the Palisades -- LOVED their garlic rolls. The warm twisted rolls were soft and dripping with garlic-herb butter that was perfectly salted.

Most of us would get some sort of pasta and/or pizza with the garlic rolls. My friend Aimée however, would always order their amazing stuffed artichoke.

Vittorio Restaurant is still open, and while the garlic rolls are still on the menu, the artichoke is not. For years Aimée has been missing it, so I had to recreate it!

The Ingredients

(I often suggest brands I love and use — these are only suggestions and this is not a sponsored post.)

• artichokes - Use any artichoke variety, as long as they're "jumbo" (about 1-pound each). I love how beautiful purple artichokes are, so when I see them, that's what I use. When selecting, look for leaves that are tightly packed. Artichokes should be heavy for their size, and when squeezed, you should hear little squeak. If they're squishy, they're past their peak. 
• butter - I always cook (and bake) with unsalted butter so I can control how much salt is in the recipe.
• garlic - Look for firm heads of garlic without soft spots or green shoots, which is a sign of old garlic. (Raw cloves should be firm without any dark spots.)
• shallots - Shallots are slightly more mild and delicate than red onions, and they're perfect with garlic and lemon. Choose those that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
• parsley - Flat leaf Italian parsley or curly parsley. For either, choose perky bunches without brown, bruised or yellow leaves.
• lemon juice - Lemon juice is an integral part of the filling for the stuffed artichokes, so using good lemons is important. I use Meyer lemons over regular lemons when given the option -- they're less tart and a touch sweeter. With thin skin and fewer seeds, they are incredibly juicy. Choose lemons with brightly-colored skin, that are heavy for their size, and give a bit with gentle pressure.
• white wine - Use a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or Pinot Grigio.
• Parmesan cheese - For this recipe, we want a very finely grated cheese that will be sprinkled on top of the artichokes and their stuffing. Use Parmigiano Reggiano if possible.
• breadcrumbs - I like Panko, which is a Japanese-style breadcrumb without crust. They're more like flakes than crumbs, and they are also lighter and crispier than regular breadcrumbs.
• salt - I cook (and bake) with Kosher salt. I prefer it for a few reasons: its larger flake size, it's less refined and usually doesn't contain additives, and it does a great job enhancing the flavor of foods without making them taste salty.
• pepper - Preferably freshly ground.
• extra virgin olive oil - For drizzling on top of the artichokes. I like this one.

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions

• There is a lot of buttery goodness in the stuffing. If you want it to be a bit lighter, you can substitute some of it with extra virgin olive oil. I wouldn't cut all of the butter, because we brown it which adds a scrumptious nutty flavor to the recipe.
• If you're gluten-free, or cooking for those who are, substitute with gluten-free breadcrumbs. The texture will be different, but the flavors will be the same. I suggest using about ½ cup less of it, keeping the other measurements in the recipe the same.
• This recipe is quite lemony and garlicky -- if don't love a lot of lemon flavor, just decrease the amount. No need to substitute with anything. For the garlic, if you lessen the amount, substitute with more of the shallots.

How to Make Them

- Cut a couple of inches off of the top of each artichoke, and enough off of the bottom to form a nice base so they won’t wobble.

- Remove any especially tough outer leaves and discard them. Then use kitchen scissors to cut off the sharp tips of the leaves. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice on each artichoke.

- Fill a pot with a few inches of water, and place a rack on top. Bring the water to a boil and then place the artichokes, stem-end up, on the rack, cover and steam until tender, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool.

*While the artichokes are steaming, preheat the oven to 375°F.

- To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over low-medium heat. Let it simmer until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Pour in the lemon juice and the wine. Stir, and let this simmer for a few minutes. Add the bread crumbs and parsley, stir, and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and set aside.

- Once the artichokes are cool enough to handle, gently pull the leaves away from the center of the artichoke -- just enough to see the choke. Use a spoon to reach down and very gently scrape away and discard all of the fuzz, to reveal a clean heart.

- Place the artichokes, on their bases, in a baking dish. Carefully fill the center of each artichoke with the stuffing. (If you think there's too much stuffing, don't worry just pack it in.) Then fill all of the spaces between the leaves as much as possible. Sprinkle the top of each one with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan and then drizzle them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil each.

- Place the stuffed artichokes in the preheated 375°F oven and bake until the breadcrumbs are golden and the cheese has melted, about 15 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• There will be a lot of stuffing, and it might seem like too much. It's not! You want to fill the artichoke to maximum capacity. Not only in the center, but between each leaf.
• It's easiest to remove the choke after the artichoke has been steamed, but you can do it when the artichoke is still raw if you'd like. Some people like it to be ready to be filled right after steaming time, rather than waiting for it to cool to remove the choke first.
• If the top of the stuffing and cheese isn't golden brown after its cooking time in the oven, place it under the broiler for just a few seconds.
• It can be tricky to cut the artichoke once it's stuffed and cooked. You will need a very sharp knife. If your stuffing is packed in well, and the cheese has melted nicely over the top, once it has cooled a bit, you can actually turn it upside down to cut it, which I've found is bit easier. (Only if you're sure the stuffing won't fall out!)

Serving Suggestions

• My favorite way to serve these stuffed artichokes is as an appetizer to share, and they're also great as a side dish, cut in half or into fourths.
• They're fantastic served before or with chicken dishes and main-course salads. Some of my favorites to serve with them are Roasted Salt-Crusted Chicken, Honey-Lemon Roasted Chicken, Apple Cranberry Salad with Chicken and Salmon Cobb Salad with Basil Vinaigrette.

Other Artichoke Recipes and Information

• How to Grill Artichokes
• Steamed Artichokes with Lemon Beurre Blanc
• Baroda Farms and Sangria Artichokes

Making Them Ahead

• You can make the stuffing a day ahead of time. Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you begin making the rest of the recipe.
• While ideally the artichokes are steamed, stuffed and baked, the day you want to serve them, you can also make them through adding the stuffing up to a day ahead, and then finish them in the oven about 30 minutes before serving. (If you do this, wrap each one in plastic wrap once they are room temperature, and thenstore them in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature again before baking them.)

Frequently Asked Artichoke Questions

I'm hoping this becomes one of your favorite artichoke recipes of all time too!

Enjoy!

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