I love creating recipes, restaurant reviews and travel guides, but to keep this site going I sometimes feature sponsored posts (which are all clearly marked) and I also use cookies and affiliate links (so if I link to a product I love, and you click my link and buy it, I make a bit of money!) In recent posts these are all clearly marked with *. Please note archive posts are still being updated. Additionally, I use Google Analytics to collect some (anonymised!) data about your visit. You can find out more by reading my Privacy Policy.
By hitting okay and proceeding to my site, you are agreeing to your data being used in this way.
I think I’ve found your new favourite weeknight store-cupboard pasta recipe in this recipe for Caper Spaghetti with Lemon, Chilli & Garlic. It’s quick (just 20 minutes start to finish!), punchy, pleasantly salty and very satisfying, and if you may well already have everything you need to make dinner on hand.
My favourite recipe I’ve made so far from the Padella cookbookad has been not the two-day veal lasagna I made on New Year’s Eve or the slow cooked duck, cinnamon and orange ragu with homemade pici I tackled as a winter weekend project. It was the very first one in the book: a speedy weeknight caper spaghetti recipe tossed with garlic, parsley, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. It was quick, easy, thrifty and delicious, but I went rogue twice whilst making it: I added a pinch of chilli flakes with the garlic and capers for a bit of warmth (well, okay the recipe headnote said I could) and when I took my first bite I ended up squeezing some fresh lemon juice over the top to brighten things up.
So here is my version of this gloriously cheap and super speedy spaghetti.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different sort of pasta if I don’t have spaghetti?
What makes this speedy pasta so satisfying is the way the olive oil-based sauce coats the thin strands, but linguine would be an acceptable substitute if you can’t find any spaghetti. However, whichever you use choose one of decent quality where the pasta is not totally smooth like supermarket brands; you want some texture for the sauce to cling to. Rummo is my chosen brand for this.
What is the best type of olive oil to use?
As the sauce is the garlic-infused olive oil emulsified with some of the pasta cooking water don’t be shy about using your nicest extra virgin for this, but not something too grassy. I tested this with two lovely olive oils I’ve been gifted: Pomora’s Italian Olio Nuovo (which you need a subscription for – which I would absolutely recommend) and Terra Delyssa’s Tunisian Extra Virgin Olive Oil.ad
This recipe just serves one – is it easy to scale up?
Yes! I’ve kept this as a serves one as I think it is just the thing for a solo pantry-raid dinner, but it scales really easily up to a serves 4, which is the most you’ll be able to finish properly in the pan.
A cheap, speedy pantry pasta this Caper Spaghetti with Lemon, Chilli and Garlic is just the thing if you’re stuck for dinner ideas feeding one (or more!) of you. Punchy, silky, pleasantly salty with just a little warmth this is about to become your new favourite weeknight pasta recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
100g spaghetti
sea salt
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
30g nonpareil (baby) capers
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
juice 1/4 large lemon
small handful chopped flat leaf parsley
Instructions
Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling, well-salted water as per the packet instructions. You want it only just al-dente; start checking for doneness around the 12 minute mark.
Meanwhile, roughly chop half the capers, finely chop the garlic cloves, and chop the parsley.
Once the pasta is almost cooked, place the olive oil, both chopped and whole capers, and the chilli flakes in a large pan and set over a medium heat; the garlic will infuse the oil as it warms. Once everything in the pan is gently sizzling, and the garlic is starting to colour use a pasta server or some tongs to transfer the now cooked spaghetti, coated with cooking water, straight to the pan without draining. Add a good splash of cooking water and stir well. Keep stirring and gradually adding the water; the olive oil will emulsify and form a luscious sauce.
Stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley, and serve.
Notes
I prefer nonpareil capers for most things, but if you’re using regular capers, chop them all. You won’t get that lovely balance of textures, but you also won’t have a too-big caper ruining a bite by throwing it off kilter!
I'm a food writer, professional recipe developer and cookbook author living in the English Countryside. I love creating easy, accessable recipes filled with vibrant world flavours that are manageable on busy weeknights. Simple and delicious dinners, from my kitchen to yours!
One Pan Pescatarian: 100 Delicious Dinners – Veggie, Vegan, Fish
My second cookbook contains 100 delicious dinner recipes, all of which are either vegetarian, vegan or which celebrate fish and seafood - all cooked in either one pot or one pan.*
Discussion