Creamy Artichoke Alfredo Sauce

I made this pasta dish for my own birthday dinner on Saturday evening. And wow, was it good! This has a lot of the same flavors as hot artichoke dip, and it was completely satisfying, creamy and delicious. It's certainly not the kind of thing you'd want to eat every day, what with all the sour cream and heavy cream and all, but it's nice to splurge every once in a while. And what better time than my birthday to do so?

I was initially worried that the lemon flavor would be too strong in this -- Joe's not a big fan of lemon -- but it was actually really subtle. Joe and I both really liked this, and so did our little Andrew...

...even though some of it didn't make it all the way to his mouth!

Creamy Artichoke Alfredo Sauce
Source: seen on A Taste of Home Cooking; adapted recipe from GroupRecipes

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1 13.75-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Pasta of your choice (I used fettucine)

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Increase heat to medium-high, add artichokes, and cook until slightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, 1 cup heavy cream, parmesan, and lemon zest and juice.

6. Cook over low heat, do not boil, until ingredients are heated through, about 2 minutes.

7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Toss cooked pasta with sauce and the remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream. Sprinkle with extra parmesan if desired.