Lemon Butter Pasta with Artichokes & Capers

By Birba25

Ingredients

• 8 oz angel hair (capellini) or spaghetti pasta
• 8 oz (about 2 cups) quartered artichoke hearts, frozen, canned or steamed till tender
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup shallots, minced
• 3 tbsp capers, rinsed
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, optional (adds spice)
• Heaping 1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
• 5 tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley, divided

Preparation

Step 1

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cool water for a moment or two to keep the noodles loose. Reserve. In a large sauteuse, saute or sauce pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add artichokes and cover. Cook until thawed (if frozen) and slightly browned. Once browned, remove the artichokes from the pan and reserve.

Using the same pan, heat 6 tbsp of butter over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots, capers, lemon zest, optional crushed red pepper and salt. Cook until the shallots are translucent. Carefully add the lemon juice and cook until a sauce develops. This will happen quickly.

Add the cooked pasta, 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley and the artichokes to the pan. Toss to evenly coat. If the pasta seems too dry, add water, 1 tbsp at a time, to loosen it a bit. It should not be thick or heavy, the noodles should be lightly coated with lemon butter. Add additional butter, salt and lemon to taste, if desired.

Serve hot and garnish with remaining fresh chopped parsley.