• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Sassy Foodie
  • Holidays
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Holidays
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Holidays
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
×

The Sassy Foodie » Recipes » Meals for One

Easy Creamy Lemon Caper Pasta

Published: Oct 13, 2021 by Sunena Anand · This post contains affiliate links. I make a commission from sales. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. · Leave a Comment

  • Share
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This creamy lemon caper pasta takes only 5 ingredients to make the sauce, 15 minutes to make, 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 my lemon garlic bucatini, or spicy chilli garlic noodles! If you love the citrus notes in this recipe, my creamy chicken al limone is a must try!

Lemon caper pasta with a fork, in a bowl
Jump to:
  • 🥘Ingredients
  • 📖Substitutions
  •  🔪Variations
  • ⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
  • 💭 Expert Tip
  • 🍽 Make Ahead & Storage
  • ⭐ Recipe FAQs
  • Easy Creamy Lemon Caper Pasta

🥘Ingredients

Ingredients for lemon caper pasta labelled
  • Parmesan cheese: I always recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese for the best flavor in the sauce. Because there are so few ingredients in this pasta dish, quality ingredients matter.
  • Capers: Capers have a briny, salty flavor to them, which give this pasta dish its distinct savory flavor. I recommend draining your capers from the briny solution they are packed in, to get rid of the extra salt. The capers on their own are salty enough, and do not need the added brine.
  • Fresh lemon: Fresh lemon is always the best choice when you are making a sauce, as it will always have a brighter, zestier flavor. Bottled lemon juice tends to be more muted, and sometimes have a metallic taste that is not ideal for a fresh, bright sauce like this one.
  • Heavy cream: It is important to use heavy cream for this sauce, as the fat content will thicken up into a sauce better than a lower-fat cream or milk. Heavy cream is sometimes referred to as heavy whipping cream, or 35% cream.

A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.

📖Substitutions

  • Spaghetti: Feel free to use any kind of long pasta, such as bucatini or capellini instead. If you prefer shorter pastas like penne, fusilli or even stuffed pasta like cheese ravioli, those will all work well with this sauce.
  • Capers: You can leave the capers out if you are not a huge fan of them. You will have a delicious, zesty lemon cream sauce instead.
  • 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 - I recommend using a dry white wine, and always 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.
  • Butter: If you don't want a cream-based sauce, you can make this recipe with butter, capers and lemon for a lighter version.

⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep Work Before Cooking

Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.

Boil water - Bring a pot of large water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, salt liberally.  

Instructions to prepare creamy lemon pasta

Boil the pasta until al dente, or until it is cooked through with a slight bite to it. Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water before draining the pasta, and set aside.

Heat up a skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Crisp the capers in the heated skillet. Remove the capers once they are crispy, and drain on a paper towel. [photo 1]

To the same skillet, add the minced garlic and chilli flakes. Sauté until fragrant, but the garlic is not browned. [photo 2]

Add the heavy cream and lemon juice to the skillet. Let the heavy cream cook down for 1-2 minutes. Top with the pasta, pasta water and parmesan, and toss. Let the mixture cook together for another 2 minutes, to allow the sauce to thicken and cling to the pasta. [photo 3]

Top the pasta with crispy capers, and serve. [photo 4]

💭 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!

Do not burn the garlic: When garlic gets too brown, it becomes bitter and slightly inedible. Because of this, I recommend either lowering the heat when cooking the garlic, or keeping a close eye on it.

Give the pasta time to thicken: You may find that that the sauce looks like it is on the thinner side. As the sauce cooks with the pasta and parmesan, it will thicken up with the starch and fat from both.

🍽 Make Ahead & Storage

  • This pasta is eaten best when made fresh.
  • Cream sauces do not heat up as well as tomato-based sauces.
  • If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • Reheat leftover pasta on the stove and add a touch of heavy cream to loosen the sauce if needed.
Closeup shot of pasta twirled in a fork, served in a large bowl.

⭐ Recipe FAQs

What are capers?

Capers are actually a bud from a plant. They do not have the same vibrant taste when they are fresh, but when they are pickled they have a bright, salty and briny flavor.

Can I use jarred sauce for lemon caper pasta?

Yes - jarred sauce will work in a pinch. You can crisp the capers, and jazz up the store-bought sauce with garlic, lemon and the capers.

Why is my lemon sauce runny?

Your sauce is likely runny because you did not give the cream time to thicken with the pasta and cheese. Be sure to allow the cream to cook down, and allow the pasta to cook with the cream sauce too.

Looking for more meal inspiration? Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly recipe roundups, straight to your inbox! Follow us on our socials, on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook! If you try one of our recipes, let us know how it was by rating and commenting!

Easy Creamy Lemon Caper Pasta

This creamy lemon caper pasta takes only 5 ingredients to make the sauce, 15 minutes to make, 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.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 Serving
Estimated Calories: 546kcal
Author: Sunena Anand

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

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Large pot

Instructions

  • Boil the pasta until al dente, or until it is cooked through with a slight bite to it. Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water before draining the pasta, and set aside.
    2 oz Spaghetti
  • Heat up a skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Crisp the capers in the heated skillet. Remove the capers once they are crispy, and drain on a paper towel.
    1 tablespoon Capers
  • To the same skillet, add the minced garlic and chilli flakes. Sauté until fragrant, but the garlic is not browned.
    3 cloves Garlic, ¼ teaspoon Red chilli flakes
  • Add the heavy cream and lemon juice to the skillet. Let the heavy cream cook down for 1-2 minutes. Top with the pasta, pasta water and parmesan, and toss. Let the mixture cook together for another 2 minutes, to allow the sauce to thicken and cling to the pasta.
    ¼ cup Heavy cream, ½ Lemon, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • Top the pasta with crispy capers, and serve.

Notes

  • Be mindful of extra salt: You will likely not need to add any extra salt to this pasta. Capers and parmesan are inherently salty!
  • Do not burn the garlic: When garlic gets too brown, it becomes bitter and slightly inedible. Because of this, I recommend either lowering the heat when cooking the garlic, or keeping a close eye on it.
  • Give the pasta time to thicken: You may find that that the sauce looks like it is on the thinner side. As the sauce cooks with the pasta and parmesan, it will thicken up with the starch and fat from both.

Estimated Nutrition

Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 659mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1242IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 382mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Have You Tried This Recipe?Don’t forget to leave a comment and rate the recipe! Take a picture and tag @the.sassy.foodie on Instagram for a chance to be featured on our socials!
« Creamy Boursin Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Bisque {Jarred Peppers}
California Chicken Salad Sandwiches »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Sunena! I am a law student by day, and a homecook with a passion for food, by night! Welcome to my online kitchen, where I make easy, quick recipes that are tried and true family favourites!

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

More about me →

Holiday Recipes

  • Skillet Green Bean Casserole {No Soup!}
  • Air Fryer Salsa Verde Spatchcock Chicken
  • Roasted Hot Honey Glazed Carrots
  • Garlic Parmesan Skillet Rolls {Yeast Dough!}
  • Sourdough Bacon & Pecan Stuffing
  • Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes {Lemon Tahini Sauce}

Popular Recipes

  • Greek Style Potatoes [Spicy Tomato Sauce!]
  • Easy Creamy Lemon Caper Pasta
  • Yellow Shawarma Rice {Halal Cart Copycat}
  • La Scala Copycat Salami Chopped Salad
  • Red Lobster Copycat Brussel Sprouts {Air Fryer}
  • Roasted Eggplant Dip (No Tahini!)

Footer

↑ back to top

Resources

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Policy

Connect

  • Subscribe
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Contact

  • Contact
  • Collaborate

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 The Sassy Foodie