Lemony pasta salad with crisped capers

Delight your taste buds with tangy lemon-infused pasta salad garnished with crispy capers for an irresistible burst of flavor.

Ingredients:

• oz. medium pasta (such as gemelli or fusilli)
• tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
• cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Tbsp. pine nuts
• Tbsp. drained capers, divided
• large onion, thinly sliced
• garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste
• tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
• bunch parsley, leaves and tender stems coarsely chopped
• cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted, smashed, halved
• cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• Tbsp. (or more) fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Prepare 12 oz. of medium pasta (such as gemelli or fusilli) in a large pot filled with boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until it is firm to the bite. Remove the water and rinse the pasta under cold running water to get rid of excess starch.
2. In the meantime, warm up ½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 3 Tbsp. of pine nuts and 2 Tbsp. of drained capers; cook while stirring frequently until the nuts turn golden brown and the capers become crispy, which should take about 3 minutes. Utilize a slotted spoon to move the fried nuts and capers onto paper towels and allow them to drain.
3. Introduce 1 large thinly sliced onion and 4 finely chopped garlic cloves to the same pan and season with 1 tsp. of Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. of Morton kosher salt. Combine the ingredients well, then cook while stirring often until the onion begins to soften and the garlic releases its fragrance, which should take around 3 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. of double-concentrated tomato paste and ½ tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste darkens slightly in color, about 4 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and allow it to cool for 5–10 minutes.
4. Mix in the pasta, 1 bunch of coarsely chopped parsley, including the leaves and tender stems, ½ cup Castelvetrano olives (pitted, smashed, halved), ½ cup of chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, 2–3 tsp. of finely grated lemon zest, 3 Tbsp. of fresh lemon juice, and the remaining 2 Tbsp. of drained capers to the onion mixture and toss to combine. Check the taste and include more lemon juice and salt if necessary.
5. When serving, garnish the pasta salad with the fried pine nuts and capers on top. Sprinkle with additional red pepper flakes and drizzle some oil on it.
6. Preparation tip: You can cook the pasta up to 3 days in advance; store it in an airtight container and refrigerate. The fried pine nuts and capers can be prepared 1 day beforehand; keep them in an airtight container at room temperature separately. The salad (without the toppings) can be put together 8 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.

Summary:

• Calories: 2730 kcal
• Fat: 147 g
• Protein: 58 g
• Carbs: 308 g
• Potassium: 2782 mg
• Magnesium: 368 mg