Pasta with Garlic Butter Caper Sauce is a light and flavorful, 20 minute pasta recipe. Pair with a protein, or enjoy on its own for dinner.
You know when you walk by the Italian restaurant in the mall food court – Sbarro, Fazolis, whatever the knock off one that replaced Sbarro in our mall is called – and you’re assaulted by the scent of garlic butter? Your mouth starts watering and it takes every ounce of willpower within your soul to not go over and order something terrible? This is my house right now, and I gotta say, I don’t hate it.
That is to say, I’ve made four versions of 20 minute Pasta with Garlic Butter Caper Sauce this week and the scent of garlic butter is in the walls. Again, I don’t hate it!
First I created it as a pan sauce for sauted salmon. Then I mixed it with the rice pilaf I made to go with it. Next, I drizzled it over roasted spaghetti squash then declared it the best side dish ever before finally tossing the sauce with cooked gluten free spaghetti and, ding, ding, ding – we had a winner!
My Mom made my brothers and me egg noodles with butter and parmesan a lot when we were growing up and this dish reminds me of that because of it’s delicious simplicity.
The capers take each forkful from ordinary to craveable though. They add little pops of salt and tang to each bite and I promise you’ll be fighting your dining companion for every last one!
Watch How to Make It
How to Make This Recipe
Start by cooking 6oz gluten-free spaghetti noodles in a big pot of salted boiling water until just under al dente. The spaghetti will continue to cook a bit in the sauce, so make sure it’s just shy of al dente.
Meanwhile, melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add 4 cloves minced garlic and saute until golden brown, about 1 minute.
Next add 1/4 cup white wine then simmer until reduced by half (if you don’t want to use wine, just leave it out and increase the chicken broth amount by 1/4 cup.)
Use whatever white wine you like to drink but make sure it’s not a sweet reisling or moscato. I usually use Sauvignon Blanc!
Next pour in 1 cup chicken broth, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and 2 Tablespoons capers. Turn the heat to high then boil the sauce until it’s reduced by half.
Add another 1 Tablespoon butter then let it melt to finish the sauce. Taste then add a sprinkling of salt, if you please.
The pasta should be ready when the sauce is, so drain then add to the skillet and toss to coat. Top with fresh herbs and a crack of black pepper, and dinner is served! Enjoy this delightfully light recipe!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 oz gluten free spaghetti
- 2 Tablespoons butter, divided
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1/4 cup white wine, Sauvingnon Blanc recommended
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons capers
- 1/2 lemon
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add spaghetti and cook until al dente - do not overcook as it will continue cooking a bit in the garlic butter caper sauce. Drain then set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add garlic and saute until golden brown. Add wine then simmer until reduced by half. Add chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers then turn heat up to high and simmer until sauce is reduced by half. Add remaining Tablespoon butter then taste and add salt if necessary.
- Remove skillet from heat then add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Let sit for 3-4 minutes to let sauce adhere to pasta - it will thicken up as the pasta cools. Serve with fresh chopped herbs and a crack of black pepper for garnish, if desired.
Notes
- This sauce is also great with roasted spaghetti squash!
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
You have this marked vegetarian but then proceed to use chicken stock…
I added maybe 1/4 cup of heavy cream instead of the wine and added mushrooms, was delicious.
I love cooking and eating my meals with white wine.
This recipe is great! Easy to make and very tasty. The whole family enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing it.
quick & delicious! Thank you
Holy garlic this was tasty! I tossed lobster ravioli from Trader Joe’s in the sauce, plated over sauteed spinach, and sprinkled with fresh parsley. I accidentally threw the capers in with the garlic while browning, but I think it was a delicious mistake – it really released the delicious, brine-y essence. Thanks for a great recipe! This tasted like a fancy, night-out dinner for less than $10!
I tried the recipe tonight with some vaiation. Turned out very tasty!!!! Made some adjustments as I’m vegan. In stead of butter I used earth balance; and, I replaced the chicken broth with low sodium vegetable broth. Since I wanted extra sauce to use tomorrow, I increased the “butter” (in my case using the earth balance sticks) to 5 table spoons; additionally I used about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to saute the garlic and the addition of 1/4 cup mix of diced vidalia and shallots, as that’s what I had available and thought, “why not?”. Other increases/ trade outs/ additions I made: I increased the amount of lemon juice to 5 table spoons and added 2 teaspoons lemon zest; 3 tablespoons of capers (my boyfriend and I love their vinegary, tart, salty flavor); 2 table spoons of dried parsley (love parsley! didn’t have any fresh available), some black pepper, a pinch of pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, and eventually added some garlic and onion powder along with some more broth and white wine to balance out the flavors – I went a little over the top with the lemon. Those adjustments worked out well to counter balance the lemon overload. For the white wine I use a dry, crisp Italian one called Ribolla Giala. With the adjustments I made it took longer to reduce the liquid.
While I really enjoyed how the dish turned out – it was a weee bit rich for a hot summer night. Next time I’ll stick to your recipe so I can better appreciate the over all flavor and lightness of the dish without cluttering the sauce with a bunch of additions. Thanks so much for the inspiration and a good meal!
I made this recipe tonight. It smells delicious! I tweaked it by adding mushrooms and sauteed scallops! Yum@
I added grated Parmesan! So good! Great recipe, so easy my 6 and 7 year old made this!
Love this recipe, I added grilled shrimp and it was delicious..!,
I never comment on blog posts but I made
This tonight and I just had to say thankyou! It is so delicious! I added basil and parsley as well as some pickled octopus as I had it in the fridge and it was so yummy – will be making again
I made this recipe with chicken and bowtie pasta. OMG!! It is great! First time I’ve ate capers, and won’t be the last. Thank you for sharing.
Yay!! I know – they are so addicting!
Just made your recipe with chicken mixed in the pasta! Omg this is delicious! I’m saving it to make it for a family get together. Thank you for sharing it!