Light Artichoke Tomato Sauce

Light Artichoke Tomato Sauce is baby artichokes simmered in petite diced tomatoes and white wine. Perfect pasta dish for summertime!

Jump to Recipe

My family loves pasta. All of it! Our go to is spicy marinara but it’s always nice to switch it up a bit. My mom came up with this recipe a long time ago and I just took to it. In all honesty, I did change one thing…shhhh! Her original recipe called for marinated artichokes.

Although they are quite tasty I found those little buggers a bit too seasoned for what I was looking for. So, with that being said, try it!

Ingredients for Light Artichoke Tomato Sauce

• 1/2 cup of good extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp chili flake (optional)
• 1 28oz can of petite, diced tomatoes (Not Drained)
• 2/3 cup of white wine (Sauvignon Blanc) or chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped and halved
• 1 can baby artichokes whole or halved (Not Marinated)
• 1 pound linguini, cooked according to directions
• Freshly grated cheese (I prefer Locatelli)

How to make Light Artichoke Tomato Sauce

Start by heating up the extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add in the diced onion and sauté until soft and translucent taking about 10 minutes or so. If needed, turn down the heat so the onions don’t burn.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook pasta according to directions. While the onions are still simmering, mince the garlic and grab the chili flakes if using. Once the onions are soft go ahead and add in the garlic and chili flakes, stir and cook for only a minute.

Continue by slowly adding in the whole can of petite diced tomatoes, wine and salt and pepper, to taste. Toss in half of the roughly chopped basil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

While the tomatoes are getting soft and the wine is intertwining with them, get your artichokes and drain. If using whole, I recommend cutting them in half, even into quarters. Once the artichokes are ready, remove the lid, place the artichokes in the sauce and combine everything. Keeping the lid off, reduce to a simmer and let the sauce reduce by a third.

Petite Diced or Diced Tomatoes..Is there a difference?

Petite diced tomatoes are pretty much the same as diced tomatoes, however the petite diced tomatoes will cook down more quickly yielding a not so chunky sauce.

Marinated vs. Un-Marinated Artichokes

Marinated artichokes are packed in olive oil, vinegar and a handful of spices unlike un-marinated which are packed in water.

Truth be told that the original recipe called for Marinated Artichokes but after a handful of times making it, I started using un-marinated artichokes. I found that less is more with this one but please try both and let me know your thoughts.

Light Artichoke Tomato Sauce Not Just For Pasta

Try spooning over grilled meats, fish and even vegetables!
Instead of putting on top of pasta, try spooning over ZUCHINNI NOODLES or spaghetti squash!
Use any leftover sauce and add it to a soup!

More Light Pasta Dishes To Try

Linguini and Clams with Spicy Marinara Sauce