Artichoke Meatballs in Garlic Sauce
These Artichoke Meatballs in Garlic Sauce are a delicious meatless meal that everyone will love. Seasoned diced artichoke balls are pan-fried until golden, then bathed in a rich garlic cream sauce to create a dish that will make you forget all about traditional meatballs!
We love cooking with artichokes. Their mild, slightly nutty flavor is similar to that of asparagus, with a hint of lemon. That mild but not weak flavor makes it perfect for all kinds of dishes. We often make recipes like spinach artichoke pizza for a meatless dinner or cheesy artichoke spinach dip for parties.
Our newest recipe, these artichoke meatballs in garlic sauce, combines the delicious flavor of artichokes with aromatic herbs and spices to create vegetarian meatballs with a rich, earthy flavor. Then, we top them with a garlic thyme cream sauce for a meal that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Like most of our main meals, this recipe uses basic ingredients found in your kitchen or at your local grocery store.
- Easy Process: This recipe has a few steps, but they’re all very easy. Even beginners can easily make it.
- Complex Flavor: The ingredients may be simple, but they combine to create a dish full of rich, complex flavor.
- Versatile: This is a great meatless main course or a delicious appetizer dish at potlucks and parties.
Ingredients
We’ve made this list to help you save time on your next trip to the grocery store. You can find the full amounts needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Be sure to buy artichoke hearts packed in water, not pickled artichokes. The flavors are very different.
Variations
- Bread Crumbs: Both panko and traditional breadcrumbs work in this recipe. You can also use Italian breadcrumbs for an even more flavorful meatball.
- Spicy: Add a little heat with a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes.
- Extra Creamy: For a creamier sauce, use half-and-half or heavy cream in place of the milk.
Instructions
This is a brief overview of the steps required to prepare this recipe. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dice the artichokes and mix them with the other meatball ingredients until combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out individual portions and form them into balls with your hands.
- Pan-fry the meatballs in oil on medium heat until golden on all sides, transferring them to a plate lined with paper towels as you go.
- Brown the garlic in the same pan. Then, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for a few seconds.
- Add the broth and thyme and cook until it begins to thicken.
- Add the lemon and milk, and cook until the sauce begins to bubble.
- Add the artichoke meatballs to the sauce and cook until everything is hot.
- Top with grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- The garlic will brown in about 20 seconds. Be careful not to burn it.
- It’s essential to thoroughly drain the artichokes and pat them dry to prevent a watery dish.
- Stir your sauce constantly while cooking it to prevent burning and ensure full thickening.
- To ensure your meatballs maintain their shape while you cook them, use tongs and just enough pressure to pick them up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
The center “choke” of an artichoke is inedible. The fuzzy, edible center of the artichoke is located above the heart and below the inner bracts, or leaves.
You can’t eat the fuzzy middle of an artichoke because it can literally choke you. That’s okay because even if you could eat it, the texture wouldn’t be very appetizing.
You can use fresh artichokes, but it creates a lot of extra work and really doesn’t change the flavor of the dish. Although fresh is usually best, when used in the context of this dish—diced and mixed with a variety of other ingredients—using fresh artichokes just isn’t worth the effort.
Looking for more delicious recipes? Check out this Bang Bang Chicken, Parmesan Cookies, Almond Cream Cheese Cookies, or these BLT Roll-Ups.
📖Recipe
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Artichoke Meatballs in Garlic Sauce
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- Cookie scoop
- large skillet
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 12 ounces artichoke hearts in water
- 1 shallot
- 1 Tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme–divided
- 1 teaspoon salt–divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 6 garlic cloves–divided
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup milk
- Parmesan cheese to garnish
Instructions
- Drain the jar of artichokes and pat them dry with a paper towel (or clean kitchen towel).
- Chop the artichokes into small pieces and place them in a large bowl.
- Finely chop the shallot and add it into the bowl.
- Chop the parsley and thyme and add it.
- Add in the salt/pepper, egg, bread crumbs, and grate 2 cloves of garlic into the bowl.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over low/medium heat. Scoop the mixture with a cookie scoop and gently press them into balls and add them to the hot oil.
- Using tongs, gently turn them so they cook evenly on all sides.
- Once they are lightly browned, place them on a paper towel lined plate to drain while making the sauce.
- Using the remaining oil in the pan, grate the remaining 4 cloves of garlic into the oil.
- Let it brown, which will happen very quickly–about 20 seconds. Add the flour and stir to combine with the garlic and let cook for another 10-15 seconds.
- Whisk in the vegetable broth until the flour has been blended.
- Add in a few sprigs of thyme to cook with the sauce. Once the sauce starts to thicken, squeeze half a lemon into the broth and add in the milk and whisk.
- Let the sauce heat up and start to bubble.
- Add the artichoke meatballs back into the sauce to bring back to temperature.
- Serve warm with favorite sides, rice/pasta, etc and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese!
Notes
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
