Simple Sundays | Toasted Quinoa Stuffed Artichokes
Stuffed with quinoa, feta and parmesan cheese, these Toasted Quinoa Stuffed Artichokes make an excellent side dish or main course.
A recipe for Toasted Quinoa Stuffed Artichokes. Stuffed with good-for-you quinoa, feta and parmesan cheese, this is a fantastic side dish, or wholesome enough to be a meal on its own.
Raise your hand if you’re intimidated by artichokes…or remember a time when you stayed away from them at the market because you weren’t sure how to handle them.
You too?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. For years I shied away from artichokes, despite how much I loved to eat them. I admit it. After all, it’s not as intuitive as, let’s say, asparagus.
I’ll never forget the first time I had the courage to buy these beauties. I was living in Santa Monica at the time, and was roaming the weekly farmer’s market. I was drawn to the stand piled high with enormous, globe artichokes, the most beautiful specimens I had ever seen. I just had to have them, even if I hadn’t a clue how to break one down.
It took some reading and some patience. Half my kitchen equipment was in various stages of unpacking, but several hours later, I was victorious. Artichokes were no longer a mystery. I had trimmed them, battled the chokes, and had stuffed them fairly successfully. I conquered the artichoke.
But between you and me, I still have a special place in my heart for canned artichoke hearts.
Now that artichokes are popping up in the markets, I’m like a moth to a flame, and I can’t resist. Each time it gets easier and easier, and I can almost laugh at the me in the old Santa Monica apartment, fussing over artichoke leaves. Almost.
Toasted Quinoa Stuffed Artichokes Recipe
These Toasted Quinoa Stuffed Artichokes are stuffed with a filling so good, I daresay I’ll be using it to stuff all kinds of other vegetables. Quinoa, toasted to let its nutty qualities shine through, is cooked and tossed with briny feta and parmesan cheese, along with vibrant parsley, cilantro, garlic and shallot. A dollop or two of olive oil to bind it, and into the oven it goes, topped with a little extra crunchy toasted quinoa. As the artichokes bake, the hearts become tender, and the filling within begins to ooze with cheesy goodness.
It’s worth the little bit of effort. It’s worth conquering.
More Artichoke Recipes
Tomato and Mozzarella Ravioli with Tomatoes, Baby Kale and Artichokes
Skillet Pesto Flatbread with Goat Cheese, Artichokes and Roasted Butternut Squash
Homemade Spinach Fettucine with Creamy Artichokes and Chicken Sausage Sauce
Barley Risotto with Artichokes and Asparagus
Toasted Quinoa Stuffed Artichokes
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 lemons
- 6 artichokes
- 1 cup diced feta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve, then drain excess water. Place the drained quinoa in a frying pan over medium heat. It will take the water a few minute to evaporate, then as the quinoa dries, it will begin to toast. Stir periodically until the quinoa is evenly browned and gives off a lovely nutty aroma. Set aside 1/4 cup of the toasted quinoa.
- Place the remaining 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes. Cover and let the quinoa sit for 5 minutes more. The water should be fully absorbed. Drain any excess water if necessary.
- While the quinoa cooks and cools, prepare the artichokes. Fill a large bowl with cool water, then squeeze the juice of two lemons into the water, and drop the lemons into water, as well. Remove the outer leaves of the artichoke by snapping them off, until you are left with the tender leaves within. Cut about 1 1/2 inches off the tops of the artichoke, then remove the purple choke inside by scooping it out with a spoon. Trim the stems of the artichoke, then peel the tough outer layer of the stem. Place the artichokes in the lemon water bath. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, feta, parmesan, garlic, shallot, cilantro and parsley. Stir in the olive oil and toss to evenly coat the stuffing. Stuff the artichokes well with the stuffing, topping it with some of the reserved toasted quinoa, and place in a baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add a little water to the baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake the artichoke for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the artichoke heart shows that it is tender and fully cooked. Remove the foil and continue baking for 5 minutes more.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
Oh Liren, you know it was love at first site when I saw these on instagram. The filling sounds fabulous and contains some of my favorite ingredients to cook with – and eat! And artichokes…. mmmmm. It has really been a while since I worked with artichokes even if we used to make them often, though never stuffed! This I want to try!
These are so inviting and I love your artichoke conquering story. Isn’t it the truth with so many things in the kitchen?
These are gorgeous. Just gorgeous. I don’t know if I could eat them. I love artichokes so much…these would be perfect for our Mother’s Day brunch. Thank you for sharing, my friend!
Afraid of them? Nope. Stayed away from them? Never. But I know people who do because they have no idea how to prepare them. Love everything about this recipe!
I adore artichokes and have been intimidated by them. But need to get over it. Love your post and this recipe! Love that WS sent you some goodies – they always have the BEST products!
Absolutely lovely!
Raising my hand here… I don’t know what it is with artichokes… I think they are fantastic in terms of looks but so far my skills in preparing them have been zero… I love this recipe though and maybe just maybe, I’ll give it another go!
Artichoke hearts are the only part of the whole vegetable that Lenny likes. He grumbles when I make the whole thing – which I love. I am sure this recipe will be a hit with him, and I cannot wait to try it out. What great crunch the quinoa must add!
Why has it never occurred to me to toast up quinoa before cooking it?! Brilliant! I actually have the opposite problem with artichokes… i’m always hauling them home because they’re so beautiful, then letting them languish in the fridge because they’re not the first thing I reach for when I’m making dinner. These are definitely going on my “to make” list, though!
Come to Mamma! Adding this to our Easter menu!
Seriously Liren, this is so stunning! I love everything about this recipe!
Just fabulous! We had artichokes last night and I wish I had this recipe! delish!
My whole house is obsessed with them. I have five in the fridge right now. Pinning!
I love stuffed artichokes, your quinoa filling sounds wonderful!
Artichokes do require some work, but they’re so worth it. I love what you’ve done with them here — all of these flavors sound fantastic, and that quinoa sounds like such a delicious stuffing! :)
So true, they are definitely a lot of work! It took a while to get the hang of it – I remember thinking fresh artichokes were a once-a-year sort of thing (kinda like sugar cookies, ha ha). But I really need to cook with them more often :)
*hand raised* Man, I just saw some artichokes on sale at the market yesterday and passed them up for fear that they’d sit in my fridge until rotten…now I am really regretting my decision after seeing this recipe! ugh!
It’s not too late, Shelly! Hope you get to try it the next time you see artichokes at the market :)