It will take you about 15 minutes to make this colorful salad, and it is perfect for meal prep, potlucks, and as a lunchbox idea. Psst; you can add beans or pasta to turn this into a fulfilling meal! Check out our Best Salad Recipes
Ingredients
Instructions
Variations
Serving Suggestions
Tip
Make Ahead & Storage
More artichoke recipes
You can expect a perfect balance of sweet (tomatoes), bitter (arugula), tangy (onion), acidic (artichokes), salty/umami (olives), and herby (dressing). Of course, you should take our recipe as a guideline and customize it with seasonal local vegetables. And to turn this artichoke salad into a complete and fulfilling meal, you can add white beans, chickpeas, shaved parmesan, or your favorite short pasta. Let’s see how to do it. TIP: Are you curious about artichokes? Here’s our ultimate guide on how to cook with artichokes with 10+ easy artichoke recipes. You can substitute spinach, watercress, radicchio, or mixed salad leaves for the arugula.
Artichoke
We use marinated quartered jarred artichoke hearts to keep this dish quick and simple. They are tender and tasty as they sit in the marinate. If you want to use fresh artichokes, you can certainly do so. However, we recommend following our guide on cleaning and cooking artichokes and pan-frying them or boiling them before adding them to the salad. You can also use fresh roasted artichokes cooked on a sheet pan in the oven with olive oil and salt. Frozen artichokes also work well; you would need to boil them as instructed on the package before making artichoke salad.
Cherry tomatoes
We recommend small sweet tomatoes, like cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or date tomatoes. You can substitute vine tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or Roma tomatoes for cherry tomatoes, but in this case, we recommend cutting them in half, then in wedges.
Red onion
Red onion adds a pleasant tang to this dish. Substitute shallot or scallions for the red onion.
Olives
We use pitted black olives if we are on a budget, or Gaeta olives or Kalamata olives when we feel splurging. You can add them whole or cut them in half. Substitute chopped sun-dried tomatoes or capers for olives.
Italian dressing
Our Italian dressing is herby, tangy, and a little sweet. We think it’s perfect with this artichoke salad. To make it, you’ll need the following:
Extra virgin olive oil: try not to substitute; the next best is regular olive oil; Vinegar: white wine, red wine, or apple cider vinegar. Sub with 1 tbsp dijon mustard; Lemon juice: best if freshly squeezed; Maple syrup: sub honey or agave syrup; Dried oregano: sub Italian seasoning or chopped fresh parsley; Dried basil: sub Italian seasoning or chopped fresh basil; Garlic powder: sub grated or finely minced garlic; Salt: we use sea salt; Black pepper.
You can substitute our honey mustard dressing for Italian dressing.
Add-ins
You can add white beans, chickpeas, pasta, shaved parmesan cheese, crumbled feta cheese or dairy-free feta cheese, diced red pepper, asparagus, capers, fresh herbs like mint or dill, Drain the quartered artichoke hearts and scatter them on top of the arugula. Note: if your artichokes aren’t quartered, you can cut them with a small paring knife. Top with halved cherry tomatoes, pitted olives, and thinly sliced red onion. In a small jar, add the ingredients for the Italian dressing: extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Close the jar and shake well. Alternatively, mix the ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Drizzle half of the dressing onto the salad and serve the other half in a bowl next to it for people to help themselves. We like to serve the salad without tossing it because it looks beautiful. However, if you want, you can give it a quick toss. Dietary note: Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano is not suitable for vegan or vegetarian diets, but it is suitable for gluten-free and most lactose-intolerant people.
Artichoke salad with white beans
White beans are phenomenal in salads because they have a mild flavor that adapts well with fresh veggies, adds plenty of nutrition, and has a delightfully creamy texture. So add a small can of cannellini beans, well-drained and rinsed under running water, if you want to turn this salad into a quick and healthy lunch.
Artichoke pasta salad
Excellent for potlucks, packed lunches, and no-fuss dinners. Artichoke pasta salad is simply delicious, and it’s a total crowd-pleaser. To make it extra nutritious, we recommend adding white beans too. Add 8 to 12 ounces of short pasta (we love farfalle, rotini, or fusilli here) cooked al dente in plenty of salted boiling water.
Toasted garlic bruschetta (fett’unta as they call it in Tuscany). No knead focaccia: a straightforward recipe; you can totally make it! Italian crostini bread: crunchy and delicious, best if topped with olive tapenade. Homemade croutons: great for soups and salads like this one.
Serve it as a main meal next to soup:
Zucchini soup: a light, summery soup perfect when zucchini are in season. Eggplant soup: creamy, light, and original, with roasted eggplant and tomato. Potato and leek soup: creamy, cozy, and perfect for winter. No butter and no cream, but loads of flavor! Carrot soup: sweet, tangy, and zesty, thanks to the roasted carrots and fresh ginger. Broccoli soup is incredibly delicious, fulfilling, and easy to make at home. Cauliflower soup: velvety smooth, and bright – one of the best soups you’ll ever make.
Potato Leek Soup
Carrot Ginger Soup
Broccoli Soup
Cauliflower Soup
Questions
Refrigerator: artichoke salad leftovers keep well for about 24 hours, in the fridge, in an airtight container. Take the salad out of the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before eating it, as it tastes better at room temperature. Freezing: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
More Salad Recipes
If you love seasonal and easy salads, take your pick from these vibrant and quick salad recipes:
Chickpea salad: a reader’s favorite because it’s tasty, easy, and nutritious. Kale salad: a colorful mix of superfoods; this salad is your winter ally. Sweet potato salad: creamy, tasty, and fulfilling; everyone loves sweet potato salad. Black bean salad: one of our favorite ways of using black beans with a tangy cumin dressing. Avocado salad: with tomatoes and cucumber, this one’s a spring and summer favorite. Pear salad: a balanced and fruity pear salad with fresh greens, ricotta, and orange wedges.
Kale Salad
Pear Salad
Chickpea Salad
Black Bean Salad
Braised artichokes: Italian-style artichokes; braised and flavored the Roman way. Easy artichoke pesto: easy, creamy, and slightly tangy. Perfect with pasta and in sandwiches. Artichoke pasta: get ready for your next Sunday dinner with this 20-minute pasta dish! Steamed artichokes: one of the easiest ways to cook fresh artichokes on a stovetop. How to cook artichokes with tips and tricks to clean and eat this delicious veggie!
For many more salad ideas, check out our salads category page.
Artichoke Pasta
Artichoke Pesto
How to Cook Artichokes + Easy Recipes
Steamed Artichokes
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”BMHX0MbD” upload-date=”2023-01-19T07:00:07.000Z” name=”Artichoke Salad.mov” description=”This bright, fresh, Italian-inspired artichoke salad is a gorgeous side dish or healthy meal where green leaves, tomatoes, artichokes, and olives marry a tasty Italian dressing.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
35 Best Vegetarian Lunch Ideas
40 Best Vegetable Sides
35 easy dinners
45 Easy Pasta Recipes
Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients. Easy right? Comment * Name Email Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me when Louise or Nico reply to my comment.
Δ Thanks for your message. Apologies, you should be able to see the sodium amount now. Thanks for letting us know. All the best, Nico Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.
30 High Protein Vegetarian Meals
45 Easy Vegetarian Dinner Recipes
Vegan Apple Cake
Lentil Curry
Focaccia
25+ Lentil Recipes (easy meals)
40 Best Vegetable Sides
35 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
Mushroom Wellington
Lentil Loaf
Mushroom Gravy
Stuffed Butternut Squash
