1 pound dried capellini
2 sticks unsalted butter
Zest and juice from 2 large lemons
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Step 1: Zest and juice 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.
Step 2: Cook pasta
Cook the capellini or angel hair pasta for about 3 to 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.
Step 3: Make 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.
Step 4: Transfer pasta to sauce
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.
Tip: Don’t be afraid of adding too much pasta water! It’s a secret ingredient that adds a rich silkiness to the sauce and acts as a thickening agent.
Step 5: Serve