the artichoke hearts

Artichoke hearts have become a pantry staple for me. And at Ocean State Job Lot, the 6 ounce jars cost $1! I typically use these babies as a topping on pizza or a mix-in for pasta.

Tonight’s dinner was a creamy red sauce with diced tomatoes and artichoke hearts. I would’ve preferred this on angel hair or thin spaghetti, but I was fresh out of long pastas. I am, however, in possession of exactly 24 boxes of other types of pasta — a few rotini, tons of penne, a couple chifferi, some farfalle, and a box each of shells and lasagna. So… if you’re ever in the mood for pasta, you know where to go. Anyway, I was craving a spicy tomato sauce, so I combined a few recipes and came up with this:

Spicy, Creamy, Artichokey Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper, to taste
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning, then heat for another few minutes. Now on low heat, stir in the cream, then the artichoke hearts. Add salt and pepper, to taste, then remove from heat. I tossed it with cooked pasta that I had topped with about a 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan. You can never have enough Parmesan.

Tagged: artichoke hearts, Ocean State Job Lot, pasta, tomato sauce