5 Surprisingly Delicious Ways to Add in Artichoke

Artichokes are fantastic for your health. They're packed with antioxidants and good fiber, and replete with potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamins C and K. But at first encounter, they can seem like an intimidating vegetable—not just green, but spiny, thorny, and vaguely reminiscent of Brussels sprouts. Fortunately, there are ways to add the health benefits of artichokes to your plate without sacrificing great taste.

1. Warm Chickpea-and-Artichoke Pate: It takes just 20 minutes to prepare this fragrant, flavorful, and ultra-healthy spread. Serve it on toasted French bread or your choice of grains for a scrumptious appetizer. (via HuffPost Taste) (photo credit)

2. Artichoke Feta Garlic Bread: A healthy and delicious twist on a classic side dish, this flavor-packed stuffed bread recipe is ridiculously easy to prepare. It's also hearty enough to serve as a main entrée. (via Tasty Kitchen)

3. Light Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna: Cheesy lasagna is the ideal comfort food. Warm and bubbly Parmesan mixes perfectly with the mushrooms and artichokes. The best part is this dish is suitable for Meatless Mondays and is totally good for you and your family! (via Martha Stewart)

4. Lemon Chicken with Artichokes: Don't let the gorgeous presentation of this dish fool you. It's a simple-to-make, one dish meal that will save you loads of time in the kitchen from prep and clean up and is sure to be your new favorite crowd pleaser. (via Yummly)

5. Spinach Artichoke Chicken Pizza: This pizza is a match made in heaven. It's your favorite spinach artichoke dip slimmed down and atop a pizza crust. What a nom-worthy dish perfect for lunch and dinner! (via Gimme Some Oven)

For more slimmed down versions of your favorites, browse our original Recipe Index!

About Author, Melissa Rudy: Melissa runs a freelance writing business, Words by Melissa, from her home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. Although her specialty is web content and blog posts, she's also comfortable tackling press releases, emails, social media posts, and other marketing text. Before starting her freelance business in '07, Melissa worked in e-commerce and technical writing for several years. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor's in English Literature & Journalism.