Description
Lemon Caper Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce comes together in just 15 minutes and packs a TON of amazing flavor.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 16 ounces Pasta of Choice (use gluten-free if needed)
- 3 Tablespoons (Heaping) Vegan Butter (see Note 2)
- 2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 12 ounce Jar (340 grams) Quartered Artichoke Hearts (in Brine) (see Note 3)
- 3 Tablespoons (Heaping) Capers
- Zest of 1 Small Lemon (Around 2 Teaspoons Zest), Optional: Fresh lemon zest adds a good boost of flavor!
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice, To Taste
- Fresh cracked sea salt, to taste
- 3-4 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Parsley (or herbs of choice), Optional
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Cook your pasta in a large pot of water according to package directions, until al dente or just past. While the pasta water boils, you can prep the other ingredients. If you like to salt your pasta water, go ahead, but keep in mind you may then need less salt in the final part of the recipe since the salted water will flavor the pasta.
- Save Pasta Water: This is not a required step because we often don't need this water, but if you want your pasta to be on the saucy side, you can reserve about a 1/2 cup or so of the starchy pasta water (carefully dunk a glass measuring cup into the water once the pasta has cooked in it for a bit and set it aside (or position a measuring cup below the strainer in the sink).
- Drain Cooked Pasta: Drain the water out of the pasta and quickly return the hot pan to the stove over medium heat.
- Cook the Garlic: Melt the vegan butter and add the minced garlic. Stir frequently and cook for about 30 seconds. The garlic will start to turn lightly golden brown and become very fragrant. Reduce the burner to medium-low heat.
- Add Other Elements: Add the artichoke hearts (if using), lemon zest, and capers. Give it a good stir and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the lemon juice and salt, then add back the cooked pasta. Stir well. Taste and adjust as needed, adding an extra tablespoon butter, extra salt or lemon as needed.
- Serve: Serve your pasta immediately and garnish with chopped parsley or other herbs, chilli flakes, or whatever else you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- Note 1: Seriously, use whatever pasta you like! If you like long pasta, try some angel hair pasta. We prefer short pasta that grabs onto the capers so it's easier to eat, such as medium shell pasta or penne rigate. Go ahead and use what you like. Use gluten-free pasta if needed, or try legume pasta for added protein.]
- Note 2: Extra virgin olive oil should work just as well, but we love the flavor of vegan butter in the lemon caper sauce.
- Note 3: We suppose artichoke hearts are an optional ingredient in a Caper Lemon Pasta Recipe, but they're SO good, we urge you not to leave them out. You can use the ones packed in oil if you'd prefer. Leave these out if you wish or swap for baby spinach (or do both!). Sun dried tomatoes are also a nice option.
- Note 4: Add more as needed for a bright lemon flavor. If you don't have fresh lemon juice, the only kind of bottle lemon juice we'll buy is Italian Volcano Lemon Juice, which we buy in a 2-pack from Costco. It's very good and the next best thing to fresh lemons.
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Pasta
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean