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Make your valentine swoon with artichoke pesto pasta and fried chickpeas… It’s an eye-catching main course that is weeknight-friendly, but dinner party-worthy as well.
It’s interesting how much more important something seems when you feel like you’re missing out on it. For example, Valentine’s Day.
When I was a kid and into my teens, I imagined that everyone else was having a super romantic day – flowers, candies, kisses, cards…
Couples were meeting at the top of skyscrapers, and impromptu violins were playing.
But now that I’ve been married for a decade, February 14th is a bit more perfunctory.
That isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy romance. I do. But romance finds itself in other ways…
It’s when David sees that I’ve left my slippers in a corner and puts them in front of the heater instead, so that they’ll be warm when I go to slip them on. Romance is when he knows that I need a blanket for some evening TV-viewing without saying a word.
It’s when he laughs at my corny jokes, or surprises me with a record that I’d mentioned in passing.
When I hear him grinding coffee beans in the kitchen, that’s romance. Or when he brings me a glass of cucumber water as I’m writing this post.
They may sound like little things. But they matter, because they show that he cares and he’s thinking of me.
In our house, oversized boxes of chocolates and roses wrapped in plastic don’t make a Valentine’s Day appearance.
(Also, Avon would eat the flowers. So that would be a lose all around.)
One exception, there’s always a card. I love stationery, and a mushy note never went amiss.
And even though David and I both adore a fine vegan meal, when it comes to fancy Valentine’s Day dinners, we usually skip those too. Restaurants are crowded on the 14th, and multi-course dinners are overpriced.
Usually we make a meal at home instead – often something as simple as a nibbly night. Fried artichoke hearts, cashew cheese, crackers, dolmas, and wine do just fine.
Artichoke Pesto Pasta
Today I’m offering another choice for your Valentine’s Day dinner – artichoke pesto pasta with fried chickpeas.
Artichoke hearts have the word “heart” built right into the name. And some claim that it’s an aphrodisiac. (Doesn’t hurt to test that theory, right?)
The artichoke hearts are whirled into a pesto with fresh basil and pumpkin seeds. It’s then tossed with pasta.
For this recipe I used handmade rustic pappardelle from my favorite Iowa pasta maker. But use any vegan pasta that you prefer.
To amp up the romantic tension, you could even slurp the noodles Lady and the Tramp-style. 😉
Even though this dish is holiday-worthy, it’s also great for an easy lunch or dinner. It reheats well for leftovers, and I packed some for David’s lunch this week.
(He assured me it was very romantic as he ate lunch at his desk.)
This time of year when it’s day after day of gray outside, the brightness of the basil and freshness of the lemon shines.
The artichoke pesto pasta is topped with chickpeas for added protein and texture. They can either be roasted in the oven or fried in the air fryer, as I shared earlier this week.
For garnish, I added some fresh basil leaves and the remaining artichoke hearts from the jar that I browned in a skillet. That part is optional, but it does add to the eye appeal.
Make this artichoke pesto pasta for your sweetie. And forget about hiring string instruments.
Peace-loving vegans are against violins anyway. Oh, wait. I think that’s violence… 😉
(See? I warned you they were corny.)
Artichoke pesto pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces vegan pappardelle or other pasta
- 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves 1 ounce
- 6 jarred or canned artichoke hearts drained and squeezed slightly to remove excess liquid
- 2 Tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds pepitas
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice About half a lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil optional
- 1 batch air-fried or roasted chickpeas
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, combine basil leaves, artichoke hearts, shelled pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, garlic, and white miso paste in a food processor until it is fully combined. Scrape down the sides, as needed, and continue processing until the pesto is mostly smooth.
- After the pasta is finished cooking, drain in a colander.
- Move the noodles to a large mixing bowl, and toss with extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking (optional). Spoon the artichoke pesto over the pasta, and toss until evenly combined.
- Serve pasta topped with air fried or roasted chickpeas.
Allana says
looks divine! Curious….why you used pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts? I realize pine nuts tend to be pricey, and other nuts are usually used in lieu of them. I imagine walnuts or almonds would be quite good in this recipe; unless nut allergies are a concern.
Cadry says
Thanks, Allana! That’s a great question. Yes, I rarely use pine nuts for pesto, because they are so expensive these days. I save pine nuts to use as a garnish instead, where you can really taste them. I like to vary the nuts and seeds that I use in pesto. So I have other pesto recipes on my blog that use almonds and pistachios. And sometimes in life I use walnuts too (although, I don’t have a recipe with them on the blog.) Lately, though, I’ve been into pumpkin seeds, and so that’s what I used here. The only reason is that I think they’re tasty. You could definitely swap them out, though, for whatever tickles your fancy. 😀
Jenn says
I always use pumpkin seeds in my pestos. They do double duty for me: I think they lend a “cheesy” flavor which replaces the parmesan cheese that traditional pestos have and they also replace the pine nuts which I happen to be allergic to. 🙂
Cadry says
Both excellent reasons! 😀
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition says
Love allthe little things that your husband does for you. It reminds me of me and my hubs too. We’ve been married 8 years and flowers and candy have nothing to do with us either.
Being nice and thoughtful is romantic. 🙂
I love the look of this pasta. So cozy and delicious looking! I’ve never fried chickpeas before but totally going to try it!
Cadry says
Thanks! That’s wonderful that you and your husband have a relationship like that too! Thoughtfulness in action is always appreciated, especially because it’s so specific to the recipient’s wants and needs. Flower and chocolates are nice, but they’re more general.
Jenn says
Awww, David sounds like a keeper for sure! I would love some warm toasty slippers to slip into! 🙂 Before kids, we used to go out for pizza for Valentine’s Day. Pizza parlors are definitely less crowded than fancy restaurants and fancy isn’t really our thing. This pasta dish looks so good! Perfect for a holiday or just any old day!
Cadry says
Pizza is a great choice for Valentine’s Day! And yes, while a person could certainly serve this pasta for a holiday, most of the time I make it in under 20 minutes at lunch. Got to love that! 😀
Bianca Phillips says
Oooh delicious. Also, David is the best! I need to get Paul to take some notes from him. He has never once brought me cucumber water! 🙂
This pasta looks fantastic. I’d imagine we’ll be dining in on V-Day too. We usually do that or go somewhere super-casual and totally unromantic because we know it won’t be overpriced/crowded.
Cadry says
Haha! I’ll have David send Paul his Cliff’s notes. (Do those even exist anymore?)
That’s a good idea to avoid fancy places altogether on Valentine’s Day and go somewhere more low key with fewer crowds. It’s hard to justify paying a surcharge for a fancy restaurant meal on the 14th when you know how much further your money could go the very next day.
Shell says
Yay for pumpkin seeds! I think this meal looks completely delicious and it is a great idea for Valentine’s Day.
Yay for David, too. 🙂
Cadry says
I couldn’t agree more! 😀
Shell says
Cad, I have a few questions for you:
1. I shy away from pesto because I assume it has pine nuts in it. I love this pumpkin seed idea! Can you find shelled pumpkin seeds in the store? How are they packaged?
2. Where would I find miso paste? And what is it?
3. It looks like you have whole artichoke hearts in the bowl, so I was surprised to find you blend them. Did you include whole artichokes in the dish, too?
Cadry says
Great questions, Shell!
1. You should be able to find shelled pumpkin seeds in most stores. They are sometimes called pepitas. (Pumpkin seeds are the seeds with the shell, and without the shell, they’re pepitas.) They come in plastic bags, like nuts and trail mix. And you’ll usually find them with the other salty snacks in the store. Just look for the other nuts, and the pumpkin seeds should be there too. I looked around Hy-Vee tonight, and the only pepitas they had were in the bulk bins. That could be good if you just want a small amount. But I’ve definitely seen them in bags at other Hy-Vee locations. I think they sell them at Trader Joe’s too.
Lately I’ve been into slightly spicy pumpkin seeds from a company called SuperSeedz. They have a variety of flavors including plain, and the slightly spicy ones have just a little kick of heat. I used them in this pesto, and it added a fun something extra since I like a bit of heat. I’ve seen them at some locations of Hy-Vee in the health market.
2. Miso paste is fermented soybean paste. It comes in a tub, and you’ll find it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. In Hy-Vee it’s in the health market by the tofu. It’s usually by the vegetarian stuff in any store or with refrigerated Asian ingredients. This is the kind I use. (Obviously, don’t buy this 6 pack. I’m just linking to it, so that you can see what the package looks like.) It’s usually around $9/tub. It lasts forever in the refrigerator. It’s great for making an impromptu miso soup, if you like that.
I add miso paste to the pesto to give umami. Umami is the 5th taste sense along with salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. It’s a savory richness that you’ll find in mushrooms, wine, or cheese. Usually pesto has parmesan in it, and I don’t use that. So the miso rounds out the flavor. That said, there’s only 1/2 teaspoon in this recipe. So it’s far from essential. You can definitely leave it out, and the dish will still be tasty. Since I doubt you’ll be using miso paste very often, I’d recommend skipping it in your case.
3. This is an artichoke pesto, and so I used half the amount of basil I usually do and replaced it with artichokes instead. Then the remaining artichokes in the jar are browned and used as garnish. (That’s optional. You could have the pesto without the artichokes on top.)
If you’d rather have a basil-centric pesto, I have a couple of other pesto recipes on my blog. Just use the search bar, and then you can replace the nuts with pumpkin seeds instead. Pesto is pretty forgiving. It’s hard to mess it up. You can tweak it to fit your preferences.
Shell says
This is very helpful! Thank you!
Cadry says
Oh, good! I’m glad! I had to laugh after I was done, because I basically wrote a second blog post. 😀
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen says
We usually skip restaurants, too. I can’t deal with those crowds! Although, I have found that no one eats out for lunch of Valentine’s Day, so if it falls on a weekend, we might go for a nice meal at lunchtime. This meal looks amazing!
Cadry says
You’re so right about the crowds. When a place is packed and loud, it’s a lot less fun and certainly not romantic. That’s a great idea about going for lunch instead! Good thinking!
Mel | avirtualvegan.com says
What a lovely pesto. I would never have thought of using artichoke hearts in a pesto. Such a great idea.
We never go out on Valentine’s Day either and don’t do flowers or cards. I think it’s all got far too commercialized. Mind you, my husband isn’t really the romantic type either. I’ll never catch him warming my slippers!
Cadry says
Thanks, Mel! I love artichokes so much. They’re one of my standard pasta toppings in a variety of forms. I always have a jar on hand.
I hear you on the commercialization of Valentine’s Day. Sorry to hear about the slippers! 🙂 I’m sure your husband finds lots of other ways to show that he loves you.
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
You included all my favorite ingredients, Cadry! I’ll be making this recipe very soon.
Cadry says
I’m glad to hear that, Amy! Let me know how it goes. 😀
annie says
Little acts of romance are the best, even when they seem anything but romantic. Like hearing your SO call to you from upstairs, and you know just from the tone of their voice that they’re out of toilet paper. Or having little key words that sound like nonsense to everyone else, but make you double over with laughter. I totally get all that.
I love artichokes, and I love the chickpeas in this pasta. Extra hearty and protein-y.
Cadry says
You’re so right that within a relationship, you develop your own language and short-hand. Thanks for stopping by, Annie! 😀
Stephanie Dreyer says
I am super excited to try this – so many of my favorite things in one dish!
Cadry says
I’m glad to hear it! I hope you love it, Stephanie!