Eat Skinny Be Skinny Vegetarian: Greek Roasted Artichokes

Pin It PIN IT!

Oh, hey 2:45 pm. You got here QUICKLY. Wasn’t quite expecting that. Guys, this morning has been NUTS. I’ve been doing a work event since 8:30 am, as well as trying to get things all ready for our big event in 2 weeks. It’s been a whirlwind! But, before I get into the newest recipe I have to share, I want to thank y’all, again, for being awesome. My eggplant was featured on the Foodbuzz top 9 again and that just tickles me. I’m so thankful for EACH of you!

Now, let’s talk about one of the easiest things I’ve ever made; roasted artichokes.

When I say one of the easiest, I’m not kidding. All I did was preheat the oven, season the heck out of the artichoke, pour some olive oil in foil and wrap that baby up. Then, you bake it. Seriously, it’s easy. The only thing that takes time is the actual baking. But every second waiting, staring at the kitchen timer go down was worth it. The smokey, savory aroma that poured out of the foil as soon as this baby came out of the oven was incredible.

I immediately dug in. Which, of course, bit me in the ass. See, the thing is, when food has been baking for an hour and 15 minutes WRAPPED IN FOIL, it tends to get rather hot. And, rather hot things burn fingers. Just an fyi. Lesson learned, I immediately waited another few minutes until the smoke stopped pouring and it was safe to eat. Then, I delicately (yet still ravenously) peeled away each soft leaf, dipped it in the garlic, olive oil, lemon mixture I made and devoured it.

Most people dip these in mayo or butter, but the olive oil was perfect. Olive oil is a much healthier option than either two as well. Plus, this artichoke has such a delicious flavor on it’s own, it doesn’t need a heavy dipping sauce to muck it up. Or really a dipping sauce at all! As you can tell lately, I’m sort of really into Greek spice. It’s amazing.

BUT GUYS! I haven’t even mentioned the best part. As soon as you are done devouring every salty, flavorful and delicious leaf, you’ll find the tastiest part of it all…the heart! Now, don’t be nervous when you see that the outside of the heart is a little…furry looking. It’s not real fur. Just scrape it away and enjoy! The flavor is out of this world. You can either gobble up with your hands (like I did) or serve over pasta or a salad!

If you are looking for an easy, delicious and super healthy appetizer (or dinner, in my case) make this tonight. Plus, artichokes are super cheap too. So, you can buy the artichoke AND the $10 dollar bottle of wine instead of the $5 dollar bottle. A win win?

Greek Roasted Artichoke

Yields: 1 artichoke
Prep time: 5 – 7 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 whole artichoke
  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil [separated]
  • 1 tablespoon of Greek spice
  • Dashes of salt and pepper
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Aluminum foil

How to Make it:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Cut off the stem of the artichoke and about 1 inch of the top. Then carefully chop off  the sharp ends of each leaf.
  3. Liberally add salt, pepper and Greek spice to the artichoke. Be sure to rub it into the leaves.
  4. Place garlic clove into the center of the artichoke.
  5. Pour olive oil onto the inside of the aluminum foil. Carefully wrap up artichoke, sealing the top. Place in a jelly roll pan and bake for about one hour and 15 minutes.
  6. LET COOL and enjoy!


Just a warning, once you “pop” you won’t be able to stop. I mean, the whole thing was gone in less than 5 minutes here.

Nutritional information per artichoke: 130 calories, 4 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein and 10 grams of dietary fiber.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Posted by Kiri W. on
    Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
    Gorgeous! So simple and wholesome. :)
  2. Posted by kjpugs on
    Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
    Holy crap. I used to see my 'rents make stuffed artichokes (they'd put seasoned breadcrumbs in but do much the same as you did) and was always too scared to try. This looks SO easy and amazing! So did you just pour the oil into the foil? That seems risky. I get scared with risky things. Can you come to Indy and make them with me? K thanx.
    • Posted by claire on
      Friday, November 4th, 2011
      hahahaha You crack me up. Yes, the olive oil in the foil is weird, but it works!
  3. Posted by Jessica Trimble on
    Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
    I've never tried to make artichokes! I'll have to get brave and bakes some up, sounds so easy.
  4. Posted by Ann Mc on
    Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
    This is FANTASTIC!  I love artichokes, but because of the mayo and pain-in-the-patootie factor, I tend to stick with the hearts!  I am SO going to make this (and gobble it up!)
    • Posted by claire on
      Friday, November 4th, 2011
      Do it do it!! And share!
  5. Posted by Professor Vegetable on
    Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
    Artichokes aren't super cheap where I live but I would still make this. I love artichokes. This is perhaps one of the most straight forward ways I've seen to make them. Looks good! 
    • Posted by claire on
      Friday, November 4th, 2011
      Oh thanks! Yeah it's super easy.
  6. Posted by Jessica Lynn on
    Friday, November 4th, 2011
    awesome. my husband and i have been wanting to roast an artichoke for several weeks now, but keep forgetting to look up how to do it! This is perfect timing!
    • Posted by claire on
      Friday, November 4th, 2011
      Yay it is!
  7. Posted by Carolyn on
    Friday, November 4th, 2011
    Okay, I can hardly believe now that I've never made roasted artichokes.  I have to remedy that right away!
  8. Posted by Eliotseats on
    Friday, November 4th, 2011
    Congrats on the top 9!   Oh how I wish I lived where they grew artichokes!
    • Posted by claire on
      Friday, November 4th, 2011
      Thanks!
  9. Friday, November 4th, 2011
    Oh I love artichokes but I have never just roasted them before. 
    • Posted by claire on
      Friday, November 4th, 2011
      It was my first time doing it, and now I'm hooked!!
  10. Posted by Kara on
    Friday, November 4th, 2011
    I love roasted artichokes but haven't made them in forever.  Def need to try this!
    • Posted by claire on
      Friday, November 4th, 2011
      So easy. SO GOOD!
  11. Posted by Grubarazzi on
    Friday, November 4th, 2011
    Gorgeous! 
    • Posted by claire on
      Friday, November 4th, 2011
      thanks!
  12. Posted by Ana on
    Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
    Looks, sounds and probably tastes delicious!! I definitely need to try it!
  13. Posted by Dara on
    Thursday, November 10th, 2011
    Yum yum! I loooove artichokes. Great recipe.