It’s Lemon Caper Pasta time! Hi, my name is Kelly, and I am a rule-abider. It is March, 2020 and I am self-isolating. I am aggressively washing my hands. I’m FaceTiming my friends. I am using what’s in my pantry for meals, instead of venturing out to the grocery store. I may still have fresh and frozen vegetables in my fridge, but shhh, that’s our little secret. I’m going to stick with pasta. What’s the problem?! We’re all in this together and I’m pretty sure there is an unspoken understanding right now that no one will have a summer bod in 2020. Here’s to 2021!
They say you should wake up everyday and still make your bed and get dressed while in self-isolation. They say it helps individuals feel more accomplished and more productive. So I’ve been rising and shining. I get up, straighten out my duvet, pick up all of my little decorative pillows and arrange them at the head of my bed. I put on my yoga pants (better than pajamas?!), slip on a cozy sweater and wash my face. Later, I praise my ambition and appreciate my yoga pant choice because, pasta. THIS pasta. Lemon Caper Pasta. The best pasta in all the lands. And it pairs perfectly with my stretchy pants.
REASONS TO MAKE LEMON CAPER PASTA
This is a perfect dish to make if:
- you want a date night idea
- you need a quick meal
- you like flavour
- you like food
- you are quarantined
- you are a human
A luscious pasta coated in a white wine-butter sauce with melty parm, briney capers and fresh citrus.
The Pasta
For the pasta, you can really use whatever you have. Here, I’ve used a whole wheat semolina pasta. It’s a bit heartier and nuttier than white pasta. It’s also healthier and is usually my go-to, as well as any spelt pastas.
The capers give this recipe a delicious salty, briney punch. If you don’t want to venture off to the grocery store, you can buy capers here. You can also substitute them for green olives.
It has BOLD flavours. DELICIOUS flavours. CRAVE-WORTHY flavours.
Do you ever meet someone who is really attractive, smart AND kind? Yup. That is this recipe in pasta-form. It’s not impastable. It exists, right here.
Come and spaghet it.
OTHER IDEAS SIMILAR TO LEMON CAPER PASTA:
Simple Beetroot Pasta (for a fun, colourful meal)
Creamy Vegan Mushroom Rigatoni (a wholesome meal)
Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagna Roll-Ups (a great way to hide vegetables for the kids)
Tortiglioni in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (Nonna will be proud)
Lemon Caper Pasta
Serving size: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 servings of choice pasta (approx. 180 g)
- salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup fresh, grated parmesan, plus more for topping
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 1/2 tbsp caper brine (optional)
- 2 tbsp capers
- zest of one lemon
- juice of half a lemon (approx. 2 tbsp)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions:
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Salt the water generously and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions, until ‘al dente.’ Reserve about 1/3 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large skillet over low heat. When pan is warm, add the shallot and stir for a few minutes until tender. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour the white wine into the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Let the wine reduce for about 5 minutes, or until you can no longer smell the alcohol. When reduced by about half, add the butter and stir to incorporate. Reduce the heat again to medium-low.
- When the pasta is done, add it right to the pan along with the reserved pasta water. Add the parmesan and chili flakes to the pan and toss everything together.
- Turn the heat off and add the caper brine, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Toss to combine, dish onto two plates and top with more parmesan, if you would like.