Roasted Artichoke Salad Recipe

If you can get your hands on fresh artichokes, make this bright artichoke salad right away. Topped with mint pesto, it's perfect for spring.

It’s spring… which means I can’t help but bring home artichokes from the farmers market. They’re just SO pretty, although they take a bit of effort to clean and cook.

My first tip for fresh artichokes is to use them in a pretty simple way so you can really appreciate their delicate flavor after you’ve put in the time to prep them. Save your artichoke dip recipe for canned or jarred artichokes.

Tip number two: delegate artichoke-trimming to someone else in your family! The day I brought these home, my mom (who’s been staying with us lately), gave me a “what are you going to do with those” sort of look, right before I handed them to her to figure out. We ended up roasting them to perfect this fresh, delicious spring salad.

Artichoke Salad Recipe Ingredients

Roasted with lemon, the artichokes make a delicious tangy star for this salad. I toss them together with these key ingredients to make it hearty & satisfying enough to be a meal on its own:

Spinach, pea & mint pesto, to act as the dressing, tying everything together and adding loads of bright flavor
Farro and chickpeas, for nutty flavor and a heartier meal
A sprinkle of feta, for tangy, salty pops of flavor
Greens & herbs, to make it extra fresh & spring-y!

To change up this artichoke salad, sub another grain for the farro – quinoa or wheat berries would both be delicious. Roast your chickpeas for extra crunch, or try another type of pesto. To make it vegan, use a tablespoon of capers in place of the feta.

If you find yourself with leftover pesto, slather it on toast with a poached egg, or on a stacked veggie sandwich the next day.

If you love this artichoke salad recipe…

Try some of our other spring favorites like this asparagus soup, this spring salad, or simple roasted or grilled asparagus.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Roasted Artichoke Salad

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

40 mins

This hearty artichoke salad is a must-try spring recipe! The lemony artichokes and a fresh mint pesto fill it with bright flavor, making it fun & satisfying to eat.

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: about 2

Ingredients

for the artichokes:

about 6 baby artichokes
2 small lemons
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper

Spinach pea & mint pesto:

⅓ cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove
⅓ cup peas, thawed
Juice of most of 1 small lemon
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1½ cups packed spinach
¼ cup mint
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper

for the salad:

1½ cups cooked farro (tip: cook farro in advance)
1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
A few handfuls of baby salad greens and/or sprouts
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
Roasted artichoke hearts
Generous dollops of pesto
Sea salt and fresh black pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Trim your artichokes. I love this little animated tutorial). Place artichoke hearts in a bowl of water with sliced lemons (so they don't brown), until you get them into the oven. Brush a small baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remove artichokes and lemons from the water, shaking off excess water. Toss artichokes with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange them, cut side down, along with the sliced lemons, in the baking dish. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
While your artichokes roast, make the pesto. Combine pine nuts and garlic in a small food processor. Pulse, then add peas, lemon juice and dijon mustard, spinach and mint. Blend until combined. Add olive oil and blend until smooth (or as smooth as you like).
Assemble the salad with cooked farro, chickpeas, salad greens, feta cheese, and sliced artichoke hearts. Toss with a big squeeze of juice from your roasted lemons and season well with salt and pepper. Add a few dollops of pesto and serve remaining pesto on the side

Notes

Cook farro in boiling salted water for about 35 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside until ready to use.

Vegan version: skip the cheese
Gluten-free version: use quinoa or another gluten free grain

Roasted artichoke preparation adapted from ATK’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.