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Pasta with Lemon

lemoncapelliniinagartenYou only need 15 minutes and three ingredients to make this delicious lemon capellini. The result is a bright, fresh and flavourful pasta dish. This dish comes together with ultra-thin pasta, butter and the zest and juice from a couple of lemons. Capellini, also known as angel hair, pairs best with a light sauce, making it perfect for this 3-ingredient dish. This light pasta recipe cooks quickly, so pull everything out beforehand. This is called mise en place, or "everything in its place".

1 lb dried capellini
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 large lemons, freshly zested
2 large lemons, freshly squeezed
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly crcked

Zest and Juice the Lemons:
Start by zesting then juicing the lemons and setting each aside. I used a Microplane, but there's more than one way to zest a lemon.

Cook the Pasta:
Cook the capellini or angel hair pasta for about 3-4 minutes, until just al dente. This pasta is super delicate and will fall apart or mush together if it gets overcooked. You’ll also be tossing it with the sauce, so it will continue to cook.

Make the Lemon Sauce:
To make the butter lemon sauce, start by heating a saute pan over medium heat. Add sticks of butter and let melt. Once melted, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then turn heat to low.

Assemble:
As soon as the pasta is done, lift out of the water with a pasta spoon and transfer to the skillet with the sauce. Toss together, adding reserved pasta water to keep the pasta moist.

Portion the lemon capellini into six servings and garnish with additional lemon zest, salt, pepper or fresh herbs. I like garnishing with fresh parsley but basil would be delicious too. Serve warm.

Makes 6 servings.

Variations:

  • Serve with a portion of grilled chicken to make it a hearty meal.
  • Top with pan-fried chicken breast, pan-fried scallops, roasted salmon or sautéed shrimp.
  • Sauté garlic or shallots with the melted butter and lemon to add extra flavour.
  • Toss in roasted vegetables or turn it into a seasonal angel hair primavera.