Quick Italian Artichoke Salad
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This quick artichoke salad turns a jar of grilled artichokes into a fabulous starter or side dish perfect all year round. It’s full of flavor and so simple to throw together in 10 minutes.
This simple salad has been a must in my family for as long as I can remember.
Truth to be told, the artichokes used to be fresh and finely sliced, and they were absolutely the star of the show.
However, in reality, fresh delicious artichokes from Sardinia feel like a dream when you’re not in Italy, and it’s December. Plus, cleaning fresh artichokes feels like a chore for many (me, included!).
But my craving for this simple festive salad brought jarred grilled artichokes into my life! To my surprise, this little find makes a decent substitution for fresh artichokes any time of the year. They’re so convenient, full of flavor and they pair beautifully with the tangy lemon garlic dressing and the parmesan.
Yeah, I’m in love with this delicious and simple artichoke salad at the moment, and I hope you’ll give it a go soon. And double the recipe, you’ll come back for second 🙂
What ingredients you need
- Grilled artichokes (jarred)
- Cannellini beans or Great Northern beans
- Green salad leaves
- Parmesan cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Salt & pepper
How to make it
(Note: full recipe at the bottom of the page)
- Make the dressing
- Place artichoke wedges and beans in a bowl
- Stir in half of the dressing and toss to combine
- Arrange the salad leaves over a serving plate
- Top with artichokes and beans
- Trickle over the remaining dressing
- Finish with shaved Parmesan and black pepper
Recipe notes
Ingredients
- Artichokes: you can substitute grilled artichokes with marinated ones, but chose the best quality if you can. The best artichokes are simply placed in oil or olive oil, without any weird flavoring apart from herbs. And go ONLY for glass jars, you want to see them nice and firm, not mushy or soggy.
- Beans: they make the salad more satisfying and add protein and texture
- Cheese: shaved parmesan cheese, packed with umami flavor, works so well in this salad. Shave it with a peeler or a knife, you don’t want big bites, but just it’s savory flavor.
- Salad: go for mixed baby greens such as baby lettuce mix or herb salad mix.
Artichoke salad variations
Feel free to substitute a few ingredients, but keep it simple:
- Chickpeas and lentils instead of beans work fine
- Pecorino cheese or goat cheese are good substitutions (but Parmesan is my favorite!)
- You can swap beans for grilled chicken if you prefer
- Leave out the cheese and make it vegan, it will be equally good
- Sprinkle over a handfull of pomegranate seeds and make it more festive!
Looking for more holiday salads?
If you’re looking for more festive salad recipes, I’ve got you covered! Here I’ve listed a few brilliant ideas:
- 15 Easy Holiday salads
- Festive celery salad
- Cabbage salad with apples
- Beetroot salad with feta
- Spicy chickpea salad
If you make this quick artichoke salad or if you have any question, let me know!
Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you! x
Quick Italian artichoke salad
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon, juice
- 1 large garlic clove, pressed or grated
- ⅓ tsp fine salt, according to taste
- 6 oz (170 grams) jarred grilled artichokes in oil, cut into wedges
- 1 can (15oz/425 grams) cannellini beans or Great northern beans, drained
- 3oz (80-90 grams) salad leaves (baby lettuce mix or herb salad mix)
- 2 Tbsp shaved parmesan, to finish (optional)
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the lemon garlic dressing: place olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic and a pinch of pepper in a jar. Shake or whisk well to emulsify.
- Place artichoke wedges and beans into a bowl, add half of the lemon garlic dressing and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Arrange the salad leaves on a large serving plate and top with the artichokes and the beans.
- When it's time to serve it, trickle over with the remaining lemon garlic dressing and finish with shaved Parmesan (if you don't keep it vegan), and freshly ground black pepper. Serve at room temperature.
I’ve made this twice so far in less than two weeks; it is THAT delicious! whenever I initially try a new recipe, I have a hard fast rule to follow the recipe exactly, no exceptions ever. My reasoning is if you try a new recipe and change any one thing, if it turns out you don’t like it, how will you figure out ifnit was the changes you made that altered your opinion of it?
That said, the second time I made this I made one change which I personally think adds to it. To the bean/artichoke mixture I sprinkled some crushed red pepper flakes prior to serving. How much pepper flakes you add is truly subjective depending on how much of a ‘pop’ you want to add.
Thank you for this recipe; it is definitely a keeper.
You’re welcome, Rochelle!
I’m very pleased to hear your lovely feedback, thanks so much for sharing. x
Easy to make and very tasty! Thanks 😊
I’m very pleased to hear that, thanks for sharing, Kathy! x