Pasta with Lemon, Chickpeas & Crispy Capers

This pasta dish is similar to that of Chicken Piccata over pasta, but instead of chicken… chickpeas! The pasta is coated in a lemon and caper sauce and topped with crispy capers… a perfect salty crunch.

Pasta with Lemon, Chickpeas & Crispy Capers

Ingredients

• 1 box pasta (Spaghetti used here)

• 1 shallot, sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2/3 cup capers

• 1 large lemon (¼ cup lemon juice reserved)

• 1 15oz can chickpeas

• Salt and pepper

• 1 ½ cup vegetable broth using Better Than Bouillon

• 1 ½ tsp cornstarch

Directions

1. For the pasta, fill a large pot with water, season with salt, and place over high heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add half of the capers (1/3 cup) and fry for about five minutes, until crispy. Remove capers from the pan using a slotted spoon, keeping the oil in the pan, and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. 

3. Starting at one end of the lemon, cut four thin slices. Juice the rest of the lemon (should yield about 1/4 cup) and set the lemon juice aside.

4. To the same pan the capers were in, add the four lemon slices, sliced shallots, minced garlic and the rest of the capers (the remaining 1/3 cup), and sauté for a couple minutes until slightly browned.

5. Add the chickpeas, season with salt and pepper and sauté for another couple of minutes.

6. In a medium bowl, add vegetable broth, the lemon juice from earlier and cornstarch. Mix until the cornstarch dissolves. Add to the pan.

7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook until sauce has thickened.

8. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and add pasta to the pan with the sauce. Toss until the pasta is completely coated in sauce.

9. Garnish each plate with the crispy capers.