When you are craving pasta and need and want to eat healthy, this is the dish to go for! Packed with fresh herbs, capers, tomatoes, garlic and lemon, this dish has a serious flavor punch. I love shrimp (in case you haven’t noticed) so this dish is in regular rotation at my house. It is light and delicious and gets a nice bright flavor from the lemon. I add the pine nuts to finish the dish. It isn’t weighed down with a heavy sauce or cheese. Tagliatelle with shrimp, capers, lemon and heirloom cherry tomatoes may become one of your favorite meals.
Feel free to substitute fettuccini or linguini for the pasta and regular cherry tomatoes for the heirloom. You won’t sacrifice any flavor. But Tagliatelli is a favorite pasta of mine and I use it often. Try my Lemon Tagliatelle with Spinach & Pine Nuts and Three-Meat Meatballs and Tagliatelle recipes too.
You can whip this up for a special meal like I am doing for Valentine’s Day, or mid-week for a fast and delicious dinner with family or friends. It is easy to make and just delicious.
To get started, put the capers, chopped basil and oregano, lemon juice of whole lemon and one tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously season water with salt. Add pasta and stir immediately to prevent it from sticking together. Cook per the packages instructions until al dente. (Usually 8-11 minutes) Drain the pasta in a colander but save one cup of the pasta water for the sauce.
While the pasta is cooking, Add one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat until the oil is hot. Add tomatoes to pan and sauté tomatoes until they begin to burst, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté about 1 minute. Don’t let the garlic brown or burn.
Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper and cook for about three – five minutes tossing once or twice until almost cooked through.
Add pasta to pan with shrimp, tomatoes and garlic and toss to combine. Add the reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until the sauce reaches the consistency you desire. Fold in lemon zest. Taste again and add salt and pepper if needed.
Top with the caper and herb mix and stir into the pasta bowl. Plate the pasta and top with some fresh basil. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and enjoy. Note that the pine nuts are totally optional but I think they add a nice creamy crunch to the dish.
Did you like this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below.
If you love pasta and seafood, be sure to try some of my other favorite recipes.
Shrimp, Scallops & Asparagus Linguine
Homemade Wonton Crab Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce
Shrimp, Linguine & Fresh Tomato Sauce
Greek Style Shrimp, Feta & Orzo
Tagliatelle With Shrimp, Capers, Lemon and Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. Capers
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh basil, chopped plus fresh leaves for serving
- 1 Tbsp. Fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 Lemon, zested and juice, divided
- 3 Tbsp. Olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 Cup Heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 1 Large Garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 Lb. Tagliatelle pasta
- 1 Lb. Large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Put the capers, chopped basil and oregano, lemon juice of whole lemon and one tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed and set aside.
- Bring a large pan with water set over high heat to a boil. Generously season water with salt. Add pasta and stir immediately to prevent it from sticking together. Cook per the packages instructions until al dente. (Usually 8-11 minutes) Drain the pasta in a colander but save one cup of the pasta water for the sauce.
- While the pasta is cooking, Add one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat until the oil is hot. Add tomatoes to pan and sauté tomatoes until they begin to burst, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté about 1 minute. Don’t let the garlic brown or burn.
- Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper and cook for about three – five minutes tossing once or twice until almost cooked through. Add pasta to pan with shrimp, tomatoes and garlic and toss to combine. Add the reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until the sauce reaches the consistency you desire. Fold in lemon zest. Taste again and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Top with the caper and herb mix and stir into the pasta dish. Plate the pasta and top with some fresh basil. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and enjoy,
