The Bright, Lemony 4-Ingredient Pasta I’ve Been Making Forever

Growing up in suburbia, being invited to dinner at a friend’s house was like finding Wonka’s golden ticket. We were feral ‘80s kids, and the entire neighborhood was our playground, so long as we were home by dark.

Scoring a dinner invite extended your curfew (you’d call for permission from a phone mounted on the kitchen wall with an impossibly long, twisted cord that could stretch to Europe, if needed). Since my mother was all about routines and repetition, dinners elsewhere meant something different, something new.

I’d often end up at my friend Jenny’s house, whose mom was one of my Girl Scout troop leaders. Though my mom was a better cook than she thought, and a master of the basics, our food lacked spice. Jenny’s mom used acid and heat. When I’d ask about dinner, she’d offer to show me how she made it, a consummate Scout leader. I already loved cooking, but she is the reason I learned how to reach for new ingredients and flavors.

Jenny’s Mom’s Artichoke Pasta

Her kids’ favorites made it into the dinner rotation, and by the time I left the Scouts, my favorite had earned a spot as well. This lemon artichoke pasta has just enough zip to wake up your senses. The quartered artichokes give the dish a bit of savoriness from their brine, breaking up the monotony of plain ol’ pasta.

But the dish’s brightness comes from lemon juice, with just a pinch of red pepper flakes for spice. When this dish came to the table, I’d smile because it wasn’t another tomato sauce. It was bright and sweet and made me feel included and important.

Choosing the Right Pasta and Artichokes

There is no such thing as the “wrong” pasta for this dish, but I always think about how the shape of the pasta interacts with the ingredients. Campanelle looks like a flower, with frilly edges and a shell shape. Every part of the pasta is a nook or cranny for sauce to hold onto, and the shape is a fantastic contrast to the flat artichoke leaves. If you can’t find campanelle, choose a rotini or shell-shaped pasta, but even spaghetti will be a delight with this sauce.

This dish benefits from marinated artichokes, which are always canned or jarred. I personally enjoy the jarred Napoleon marinated artichoke quarters, which have a very seasoned brine. If you choose a can or jar with 15 to 16 ounces, don’t fret over using more artichokes—the recipe can only benefit from more. If you can’t find marinated artichokes, the recipe will still work. Just add some Italian seasoning to compensate for the lack of spice in the marinade.