Lemon Capellini Fresh Herbs (Printable)

Silky capellini coated in lemon butter sauce with fresh herbs for a quick, bright meal.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz capellini (angel hair pasta)
02 - Salt, to season pasta water

→ Sauce

03 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - Zest of 2 lemons
05 - Juice of 2 lemons (approximately 4 tbsp)
06 - 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
07 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
08 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Herbs and Garnish

09 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
10 - 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
11 - 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
12 - Extra lemon zest, for garnish (optional)
13 - Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add capellini and cook until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add lemon zest and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
03 - Add lemon juice and reserved pasta water to the skillet. Stir gently and allow the mixture to simmer for one minute.
04 - Add the drained capellini to the skillet and toss gently to coat evenly with the lemon butter sauce.
05 - Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the pasta and season with freshly ground black pepper. Toss until the cheese melts and the sauce achieves a silky texture. Add additional reserved pasta water if necessary to adjust consistency.
06 - Remove the skillet from heat and fold in chopped parsley, basil, and chives, tossing lightly to combine flavors.
07 - Plate immediately and garnish with extra lemon zest, herbs, and Parmesan cheese as desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in twenty minutes flat, making weeknight dinner feel less like a chore and more like a small victory.
  • The bright lemon and tender herbs taste sophisticated without requiring any fancy techniques or hard-to-find ingredients.
  • It proves that the best meals often come from restraint, not complexity.
02 -
  • Pasta water is your best friend here—it's what transforms butter and lemon juice from a dressing into a proper sauce that clings to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the plate.
  • The moment you add fresh herbs is crucial; if they spend more than a minute or two on the heat, their flavor flattens and they turn dark and tired-looking.
  • Don't oversalt the pasta water out of habit, and taste the finished dish before adding more salt because the Parmesan brings a lot of it.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before you do anything else; there's no graceful way to fish starch out of a drained colander.
  • Keep the heat at medium so the butter doesn't brown and the sauce stays pale and silky rather than nutty and dark.
  • Serve this in a wide, shallow bowl so the pasta isn't piled too high and the sauce settles around it instead of underneath it.
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