Lemon Caper Pasta

Author: Katie

This pasta with lemons and capers is light, fresh, and full of bright lemon flavors. Made with just a handful of ingredients and ready in 20 minutes, it’s the perfect busy weeknight dinner when you’re short on time.

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 2 people as a main

Equipment

1 lemon zester + lemon squeezer

Ingredients

10 oz (280 g) pasta of choice *see notes
5 garlic cloves *thinly sliced
¼ cup (50 g) olive oil
large handful of fresh parsley *chopped
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
⅓ cup (60 g) capers *drained & rinsed
1 cup pasta water

You can find detailed step-by step-photos above the recipe card.

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water, but drain it 3 minutes before it’s al dente- it will finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water.
10 oz pasta of choice
While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, parsley, and salt. Let them sizzle gently until the garlic smells fragrant but hasn’t started browning.
5 garlic cloves, ¼ cup olive oil , large handful of fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon salt
Drain the cooked pasta. Then add it straight into the pan with the garlicky oil. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and capers.
juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, ⅓ cup capers
Add the pasta water a little at a time- about ¼ cup to start- while stirring the pasta constantly over low heat. Keep adding ¼ cups of water (I usually add between ¾ and 1 cup in total) as needed until the sauce looks glossy and lightly thickened.
Give it a taste- add more salt, lemon, or even parsley. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Serving size: Hard to say exactly- we eat a lot of pasta in this house. We usually cook about 10 oz (about 280 g) for the two of us. If you’re serving it as a lighter starter, it could stretch to 3-4 portions.
Type of pasta: Spaghetti, linguine, or tagliatelle work beautifully, but feel free to use your favorite type of pasta.
Avoid the white pith when grating lemons- it can become bitter when mixed with the zest and will overpower the sauce.
Sliced instead of minced garlic- it cooks more gently, plus, keep it pale golden and don't let it brown!

Nutrition

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates.

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