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Alcachofas al Ajillo is a delicious artichoke tapas recipe with just a few simple ingredients and easy prep! This easy Spanish recipe is ready to serve in no time, and makes a tasty appetizer or full meal for lunch or even a light dinner.
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What is alcachofas al ajillo?
Alcachofas al Ajillo translates to “artichokes with garlic”. It’s a Spanish tapas recipe with tons of flavor, perfect for serving with crusty bread or even by itself!
Pan-roasted artichoke hearts cook with grape tomatoes, minced garlic, and red chili pepper, all tossed in olive oil and butter, for an intensely flavorful dish. You’ll crave more and more after just one bite!
🌿 Ingredients
Alcachofas al Ajillo is the perfect canned artichoke hearts recipe. Using canned artichoke is part of what makes it such an easy dish to make!
However, you can also use fresh, frozen, or jarred artichoke hearts to make this dish. Whatever is the most readily available to you will work out perfectly.
Aside from the artichoke hearts themselves, you’ll only need grape tomatoes, garlic, a red chili pepper, and basic seasonings.
TIP—If you like less spice, remove the seeds from the chili pepper when you split it open. We like to leave them in for a kick of heat!
🔪 Instructions
This pan-roasted artichoke hearts recipe couldn’t get any easier! With just a bit of prep work and a quick cooking time, it’s simple and so delicious.
Follow these steps to make alcachofas al ajillo. For full ingredient measurements, check the recipe card below!
- Drain artichoke hearts by placing them bud-side down in a strainer or on paper towels.
- Finely chop garlic and halve grape tomatoes.
- Split red chili pepper down the middle, but leave in one piece. Roughly chop parsley, and set aside.
- Heat butter and half of your olive oil in a small non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add drained artichoke hearts.
- Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the artichoke begins to brown. Stir gently to brown all sides, then add in garlic, tomato, red chili pepper, and the remaining olive oil. Lower the flame to medium and cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
- When the tomatoes have softened and the garlic changes color, turn off the heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then top with chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy!
👪 Serving Size
This pan-roasted artichoke hearts recipe is perfect for tapas! Alcachofas al Ajillo serves about 4 people for larger servings, and 6 for smaller servings.
🥗 What to Serve with Alcachofas al Ajillo
Alcachofas al Ajillo pairs so well with other Spanish tapas recipes and Portuguese tapas (petiscos)! Serve it spread onto fresh, sliced and toasted French bread, or as is.
- Portuguese Potatoes and Chorizo
- Chorizo Cheese Dip with Spinach
- Portuguese Beef Skewers (Espetada Madeira)
- Portuguese Shrimp Empanadas (Rissóis de Camarão)
This dish also pairs especially well with sangria recipes. Here are a few of our favorites to serve it with:
- Moscato Sangria Recipe 🍹
- Rose Sangria with Summer Berries
- Blueberry Fruity Sangria Recipe
- Caramel Apple Sangria (Apple Pie Sangria)
Is this a gluten-free recipe?
Yes! Alcachofas al ajillo is 100% gluten-free.
However, you should check the label of any canned or jarred artichokes to make sure there aren’t any traces of gluten-containing products in the ingredients.
Is this recipe keto-friendly?
One serving of this recipe has just 10 carbs, making it a great choice for a light keto-friendly lunch.
Is this a vegetarian recipe?
Yes! Alcachofas al Ajillo is a great choice for a vegetarian diet. In fact, it’s vegan-friendly, too! For another great vegetarian option, try our Stuffed Roasted Eggplant Recipe.
📖 Easy Appetizer Recipes
Did you enjoy this recipe for roasted artichoke hearts with garlic? It makes a perfect appetizer! For more easy appetizer recipes, try:
- Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions
- Chicken Empanada Recipe (Empanadas de Pollo)
- Puerto Rican Empanadas (Pastelillos de Carne)
- Shrimp Shumai Recipe (Shrimp Dumplings)
- Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
Alcachofas al Ajillo
🍳 Equipment
🥘 Ingredients
- 1 can artichoke hearts or jar, 5.8 oz.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 large garlic cloves
- 10 grape tomatoes
- 1 small red chili pepper
- Fine sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Few sprigs fresh parsley to taste
🔪 Instructions
- Drain 1 can or jar of small artichoke hearts by placing them bud-side down in a strainer or on paper towels.
- Finely chop 8 large garlic cloves and halve 10 grape tomatoes.
- Split 1 small red chili pepper down the middle, but leave it in one piece. For less spice, remove the seeds.Roughly chop a few sprigs of fresh parsley and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter along with half of the olive oil in a small non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot and the butter melts, add your drained artichoke hearts.
- Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the artichoke hearts begin to brown. Stir gently to brown all sides. Then, add in your garlic, tomato halves, red chili pepper, and the remaining half of olive oil. Lower the flame to medium and cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
- When the tomatoes have softened and the garlic changes color, turn off the heat. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and stir.
- Top with chopped parsley, serve, and enjoy!
TaraMCTable says
This dish looks amazing! I love the colors and perfect for spring.