Cold Artichoke Salad
This salad is bursting with all the best elements of a traditional Italian salad – marinated artichoke hearts, black olives, and cherry tomatoes join forces with delicious fusilli pasta and a tangy oregano vinaigrette.
This is an easy almost no-cook dinner for your family, especially if you want to try out something new.
Choosing The Artichokes
The artichokes are the star of this salad. Sometimes I use fresh ones, sometimes I use the marinated or canned artichokes, and they both work like a charm.
If you are in a rush, like I was while making this recipe, then I suggest you stick with the canned or marinated artichokes.
Still, on those days when I have time, I like to stick with the real deal.
Artichokes are one of those vegetables that, no matter how they appear on the plate, feel a little special. Here is a guide on how to choose the perfect ones and prepare them for your salad.
The best artichokes are at their peak season, and that is during spring and fall. You want to find artichokes that feel heavy for their size.
Also, look for those that have tightly closed leaves that are firm enough to still snap off at the base, as opposed to bending. But the real trick is to rub their leaves; if the leaf squeaks, it is an extra-fresh artichoke.
For this salad, you can either steam or boil them. The artichokes prepared like this are perfect for salad as they will really soak up the marinade, which is what you are looking for.
Cleaning Fresh Artichokes
Here are simple steps to follow on how to clean your artichokes:
- Rinse the artichoke under cold water. Pat the artichoke dry and remove any stray leaves from the stem.
- With a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, remove any thorny tips from the leaves.
- With a sharp knife, cut about an inch off of the top of the artichoke.
- Run the open parts with lemon to prevent browning. Remove the stem, leaving about an inch of it.
- Peel the outer skin from the remaining stem and rub exposed peeled stem with lemon. Run the artichokes under cold water to remove any impurities.
- Steam the artichokes in a steaming basket. They are done when you can easily insert the knife into the stem. This usually takes about an hour. Once they are done, you can separate them into the leaves, or cut into thin wedges.
Choosing The Right Pasta
The best pasta for salad is not elbow macaroni, if you were thinking about it. Please avoid this, as they are susceptible to sogginess, and keep them just for mac and cheese.
For the pasta salad, use small short types of pasta, like fusilli or penne. Always use dry pasta, not fresh or frozen, as the dry pasta will hold up much better to dressing and stirring.
When cooking pasta, always boil it to al dente, in a nicely salted water. Drain and rinse the pasta, but do not shock the pasta by running it under a cold water. This step will rinse away any flavor.
Although this is a cold pasta, you will toss the pasta while still warm with the dressing. This way, the pasta will absorb more flavor. Afterwards, you will chill the salad in a fridge before serving.
Of course, you can toss the cold pasta with the dressing, but it’s a bit better with the warm dressing.
Making The Dressing
My dressing here was pretty simple. I used the marinated artichokes that were infused with lemon-vinegar flavor.
If you have your own, steamed or just from the can and without any flavor, you can use apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar, or lemon juice to give some extra flavor.
The key ingredient of the dressing is the oil. Anytime you want more flavor, instead of adding more vinegar or herbs, add more oil. Fat is where the flavors are.
To make the vinaigrette, use 50/50 ratio of oil and vinegar or lemon juice. When coating pasta, use half of the prepared dressing and reserve the remaining portion for serving.
Other Ingredients
Instead of pasta you can make the salad with crispy lettuce and add in some mozzarella mini balls. This is a lighter version for your lunch or brunch.
Cold Artichoke Salad
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked pasta
- 1 cup can artichoke/marinated/or steamed artichoke hearts
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 10 black olives
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice, or vinegar (if you are using steamed artichokes)
Instructions
1. In a bowl, whisk together oil, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice if using.
2. Reserve 2 tbsp of the dressing for serving.
3. Add artichokes and pasta. Toss gently to combine.
4. Add cherry tomatoes and olives.
5. Serve pasta and drizzle with extra dressing before serving.
NOTE: Chill the salad for 15 minutes before serving, in a fridge. Also, you can store the salad in a fridge up to 3 days, just keep the dressing on the side.
Cold Artichoke Salad
This cold artichoke salad is a zesty and delicious dish that makes the perfect dinner or side!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked pasta
- 1 cup can artichoke/marinated/or steamed artichoke hearts
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 10 black olives10 minutes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice, or vinegar (if you are using steamed artichokes)
Instructions
In a bowl, whisk together oil, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice if using.
Reserve 2 tbsp of the dressing for serving.
Add artichokes and pasta. Toss gently to combine.
Add cherry tomatoes and olives.
Serve pasta and drizzle with extra dressing before serving.
Notes
Chill the salad for 15 minutes before serving, in a fridge. Also, you can store the salad in a fridge up to 3 days, just keep the dressing on the side.
