Each month in Well Stocked, our staff shares unfussy recipe ideas that you can call upon any day of the week. Because yes, our editors love to cook, but sometimes we need to get dinner on the table 12 minutes ago. That’s when we look to pantry and fridge staples that can quickly morph into delicious meals. This month, it’s all about marinated artichokes.
Oh, the artichoke: an aloof green globe, made up of scale-like leaves and a fuzzy interior. But the flavor? So vegetal, so buttery. As a member of the thistle family, the raw vegetable takes a fair amount of trimming and coaxing (including removing the spiky part aptly known as the choke) before it’s good to go. And after you’ve wrestled it into submission, there’s not a ton to show for all that effort.
Which is part of the appeal of marinated artichokes—the kind you get in a jar. Tender, tangy, and genuinely ready to eat, they’re a shortcut worth taking, adding a bright hit of acidity and a satisfying meaty texture to all kinds of dishes. Toss them into a pantry-friendly pasta with speckles of salty pancetta. Mix them into a no-cook antipasto salad. Even nestle them into an unhinged sandwich. Read on for five smart ways our editors put them to work.
Halfway-homemade galette
A last-minute galette happens to be my specialty, and marinated artichokes are the perfect addition. You could make this full recipe, which involves a simple cream cheese filling, those ’chokes and asparagus, plus a vinaigrette-dressed arugula topping. But you could also just toss the artichokes with whatever other veg you have in the fridge and a couple spoonfuls of marinade, maybe some grated parm if you have it, into a rolled-out puff pastry crust. —Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor
A halfway-homemade pastry to wow anyone.
Briny potato salad
My team knows my love for a good potato salad, as I sing its virtues all the time. Marinated artichokes are a killer ingredient to add to a French- or German-style potato salad that’s heavy on the vinaigrette: Add chopped marinated artichokes and their brine to just-cooked potatoes, which will hungrily drink up the juice. Standard marinated artichokes are fine; grilled marinated artichokes (like the jarred ones at Trader Joe’s) are even better. —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor
Easy-does-it pasta
It’s saved my butt many times: antipasto pantry pasta. (Antipantry pasta? Hm. No.) I raid my cupboard for salty-savory-oily things like olives, capers, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and of course, marinated artichokes. Mix everything in a bowl while the pasta boils. Throw in some mozzarella if there’s any around. Takes 15 minutes tops and always hits the spot. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director
Choose your own adventure at the supermarket with marinated artichokes, beans, peppers, and of course, olives.
Sheet-pan salmon
My fanciest 20-minute dinner involves a couple of sheet-pan fish fillets surrounded by frilly burnished artichoke hearts. I’ll simply brush some of the marinating juices over salmon or whatever flaky white fish my seafood share provided that week, then save the rest for a finishing drizzle. The drained artichokes go right on the same pan. Then it goes into the oven for about 15 minutes and dinner’s ready. For what it’s worth, those crispy ’chokes are also great for a vegetarian Italian-style deli sandwich. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, SEO & cooking
Ricotta toast
My bakery days taught me many things, chief among them that ricotta deserves a little fluffing. I loosely follow this recipe and whip it until smooth, then pile it onto pan-fried toast with sizzled artichokes and capers (two dependable ingredients always stationed in my pantry). I like to top the toasts with an herb salad: usually basil and dill dressed in the brine from the artichoke jar. Let no drop go to waste. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Jarred artichokes are a versatile panty ingredient ideal for pastas, salads, and even toasts, as seen here piled high over a creamy ricotta spread.
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