Pasta is my go-to lunch, dinner, or any meal literally. I am always searching for an easy pasta recipe with minimal fuss and ingredients. This creamy lemon caper pasta takes only 5 ingredients to make the sauce, and is full of flavour. Packed with tangy, crispy capers, zesty garlic, and the heat of red pepper flakes, you'd be surprised that the sauce has such few ingredients.
If you love quick, easy and minimal ingredient pastas, you'll love our lemon garlic bucatini, or spicy chilli garlic noodles!
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Ingredients
- Parmesan cheese
- Capers
- Fresh lemon
- Heavy cream
- Fresh garlic
- Spaghetti
- Red chilli flakes [optional; not pictured]
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Instructions
START WITH...
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Boiling a pot of water - Have your pasta water boiling and ready to go, so everything is ready at around the same time.
- Boil the pasta: In a pot of salted water, boil the pasta until al dente [it should still have some bite to it]. Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Crisp the capers: Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Crisp the capers in olive oil. Remove once crisped.
- Sauté garlic and chilli flakes: To the sam skillet, add the minced garlic and chilli flakes. Sauté until fragrant, but the garlic is not too brown or crispy.
- Make the sauce: Add the heavy cream and lemon juice to the skillet. Top with the pasta, pasta water and parmesan, and toss.
- Finish: Top the pasta with crispy capers, and enjoy!
Expert Tip
Be mindful of extra salt! You will likely not need to add any extra salt to this pasta. Capers and parmesan are inherently salty!
Substitutions
- Spaghetti - Feel free to use any kind of long pasta, such as bucatini or capellini instead.
- Capers - You can leave the capers out if you are not a huge fan of them.
- Red chilli flakes - Substitute cracked black pepper in place of red chilli flakes.
Variations
- Wine - Add some white wine to the sauce for a fancy twist - make sure it's a wine you like to drink!
- Seafood - Top with pan seared scallops or salmon to make add some protein to this pasta!
Equipment
This is what I used to make this recipe - Please be mindful that different equipment and cooking utensils may yield varying results. Most of my favourite equipment can be found on my storefront.
Storage
This pasta is eaten best when made fresh. Cream sauces, just like this one, do not heat up as well as tomato-based sauces. For that reason, and because this pasta is so quick to make, I recommend making it fresh!
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Easy Creamy Lemon Caper Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 oz Spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon Capers
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup Heavy cream
- ½ Lemon juiced
- ¼ teaspoon Red chilli flakes
- 3 cloves Garlic finely minced
Instructions
- Boil the pasta: In a pot of salted water, boil the pasta until al dente [it should still have some bite to it]. Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water before draining.2 oz Spaghetti
- Crisp the capers: Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Crisp the capers in olive oil. Remove once crisped.1 tablespoon Capers
- Sauté garlic and chilli flakes: To the same skillet, add the minced garlic and chilli flakes. Sauté until fragrant, but the garlic is not too brown or crispy.3 cloves Garlic, ¼ teaspoon Red chilli flakes
- Make the sauce: Add the heavy cream and lemon juice to the skillet. Top with the pasta, pasta water and parmesan, and toss.¼ cup Heavy cream, ½ Lemon, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Finish: Top the pasta with crispy capers, and enjoy!
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