Move over eggplant parm, my Artichoke Parmesan may just be the best vegetarian parmesan out there! Artichoke hearts are battered and gently fried until golden then layered with a simple sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked until bubbly. This amazing dish can be served as a side, but is hearty enough to be a main course!
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An unexpected but incredible combo!
We’re all familiar with the usual suspects: chicken parm, eggplant parmigiana, and shrimp parm, and they’re all incredible! So when I decided to take artichoke hearts and turn them into artichoke parmesan (aka carciofi alla parmigiana), I knew they had some big shoes to fill. This dish did not disappoint!
On the contrary, artichoke parm has risen to the top of my favorite parmesans for its incredible flavor and texture. My family of taste testers could not stop eating this one!
Since this dish is pretty filling, I like to serve it as a main course with garlic sautéed broccoli rabe or a chopped Italian salad and a side of pasta
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Artichoke hearts. Canned artichoke hearts are my go-to for artichoke parmesan, as well as other artichoke recipes like baked artichoke hearts with breadcrumbs, but you can also use frozen hearts if that’s what you have on hand. Just be sure to thaw and dry them well.
- Batter. The artichoke hearts are dusted with flour, then battered with a combination of eggs, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, black pepper, and fresh parsley.
- Mozzarella. Block mozzarella cheese is best for artichoke parmesan, and any parmesan as it melts well. I don’t recommend using fresh mozzarella in this recipe.
- Tomatoes. I’m making a super-easy sauce with canned crushed plum tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make artichoke parmesan (parmigiana)
First, make the sauce
- Saute the garlic in a large saucepan with olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the tomatoes and simmer, then season with salt and pepper and finish with the fresh basil.
Next, fry the hearts and assemble
- Slice in whole hearts in half and pat very dry with a paper towel.
- Dredge the artichoke hearts in flour, then dip in the batter.
- Fry the battered hearts in the hot oil.
- Remove the hearts with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack or paper towels to drain, then blot and season with salt.
- Layer the sauce onto the bottom of 1 or more baking dishes, depending on the size of your pan.
- Place a layer of artichokes, then 3/4 of the shredded mozzarella, half the Parmigiano Reggiano, and a few basil leaves.
- Add a second layer of artichokes, followed by the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano and mozzarella.
- Add a layer of sauce and bake for 30 minutes in a 400°F oven. For a browner top, broil for the last 1-2 minutes but watch carefully to prevent burning. Allow the artichoke parmigiana to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving and enjoy!
Top tips
- Dry the artichoke hearts. Canned artichoke hearts are packed in water so they’ll need to be drained and patted very dry before dredging and battering for best results.
- The sauce. You’ll need roughly 4-5 cups of sauce for my artichoke parmigiana, so you’ll likely have some leftover. This is great to toss with some pasta to serve as a side, or you can save it and use for another purpose.
- Let it settle. While you may be tempted to dive right in, the artichoke parm will be so much better if you let it settle for a good 15-30 minutes before serving.
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Artichoke Parmesan
Ingredients
Base ingredients
- 1 pound shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 10 basil leaves
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 packed cup basil leaves chopped
For the artichokes
- olive oil enough to fill up pan at least 1/2-inch high
- 3 15-ounce cans large artichoke hearts sliced in half and patted dry
- 1 cup flour for dredging only
- 6 large eggs plus more if needed
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- salt to taste
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Instructions
For the sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan to medium and add the garlic.
- Once the garlic turns golden (about 2-3 minutes) add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the tomatoes and bring the sauce to a lively simmer, stirring occasionally. After the sauce starts to thicken (about 5 minutes), turn the heat to the lowest setting. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover the pan with a lid, leaving it partially cracked open.
Fry the artichoke hearts
- Pour olive oil about 1/2" high in a large heavy pan or pot. Heat the oil to 360°F.
- In a large bowl mix together the eggs, parmesan, black pepper, and parsley.
- Pat the artichoke hearts dry with paper towels then dredge in flour and shake off the excess. Place the artichoke heart into the egg mixture then let it drain for a few seconds on the side of the bowl before gently adding to the hot oil.
- Fry the artichoke hearts until golden (about 2-3 minutes per side) then place on a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet to drain. Blot the hearts with paper towels to remove excess oil and sprinkle with a touch of salt. Repeat until all of the artichoke hearts have been fried.
Assemble and bake
- Preheat oven to 400°F and set the rack to the middle level.
- Note: You will need roughly 4-5 cups of sauce. You might have a bit of extra sauce leftover. Place a thick layer of sauce into a 9×13" baking dish then add 1 layer of artichokes. Add 3/4 of the shredded mozzarella, half the grated parmesan, a few basil leaves, and another layer of sauce. Add a second layer of artichokes and top with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella and another layer of sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes. For a browner top, broil for the last 2 minutes, but watch carefully to prevent burning.
- Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Artichokes hearts. 15 ounce cans of water packed artichoke hearts contain about 3/4 pound of hearts after draining. Roughly 2 pounds of frozen or fresh artichoke hearts can be used as well.
- Frying. After frying be sure to let the artichoke hearts drain on a wire rack or paper towels. In addition, make sure to blot any excess oil from the hearts before assembling the parmigiana.
- Extra sauce. It’s great to serve on the side or with a bit of pasta. Leftover sauce can be saved for up to 5 days in the fridge or frozen for up to 6 months.
- Leftovers. Artichoke parmesan can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the oven at 350°F until warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Greetings! I have been following your recipes for years and everyone is a winner! I once saw that you guys live in Ridge, Long Island, we used to live in Manorville almost on the Ridge border. I makes it so much more appealing to me knowing that we were neighbors. Where you born in the city or Brooklyn? as the receipes reflect the authentic Italian touch. Best of luck to you and your family and keep sending those recipes.
Thanks for the comment, Michael! We’re so glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Our PO Box is in Ridge but we currently live in the Stony Brook area. Jim grew up in Hauppauge and I grew up in Farmingdale. Our parents are all from Queens, except Jim’s dad who is from Brooklyn.
Could I air fry the artichoke to lower the cholesterol level?
Sure.
This sounds so fantastic but before I make it I have a question. You state Artichoke hearts in the recipe but in the pictures you used 1/2 whole canned artichokes. Which is it. Thanks so much & can’t wait to make this
Hi there, Jim used canned artichoke hearts, not whole artichokes. He sliced the artichokes hearts in half.
I love artichokes! We moved from San Francisco to Charleston SC. We rarely see artichokes on menus here, so thank you for this recipe.
We’re so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
What is a good brand of canned or jarred artichoke hearts? The ones I have used are insipid!!
Hi Sherwin, Cento is a good canned brand.
This sounds amazing! Oh my gosh, where did you come up with this combo? I’ve used cauliflower like this and shrimp dredged and dipped in egg. I! Looking forward to trying. Grazie.
We hope you enjoy! Please let us know how it turns out when make it!