Baked Artichoke Casserole

My mom adapted this from her Italian mother-in-law’s whole steamed artichoke recipe (see page 232) to make a dish that easily feeds a crowd. It uses the same flavors but eliminates the prep work required for whole artichokes and capitalizes on that mid-twentieth-century game-changer—frozen food—in the form of a package of frozen artichoke hearts. As in many ethnic families who have added their personal flavor to the standard Thanksgiving meal fare, this is my family’s “Italian” staple side dish and the first leftover scavenged the next day.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups (160 g) fresh breadcrumbs

• ¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh flat- leaf parsley

• ¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese

  Mother Sauce: Italian American Family Recipes and the Story of the Women Who Created Them Lucinda Scala Quinn

• ¼ cup (25 g) grated Romano cheese

• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (or some combination of dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, and basil)

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 2/3 cup (160 ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking dish

• ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• Three 9-ounce (255 g) packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
  

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).

Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, cheeses, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl.

Rub the inside of a 13-by-9-inch (33 by 23 cm) baking dish with olive oil. Lay the artichoke hearts side by side in the dish. Distribute the crumb topping evenly over the artichokes, pushing it down in between them. Tap the dish on the counter to allow the crumbs to sink down into the cracks. Drizzle the olive oil dressing all over the crumb topping.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Increase the temperature to 375°F (190°C), remove the foil, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

“Excerpted from Mother Sauce by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2025. Photographs by Mikkel Vang.” 

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!