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Pasta with Light Lemon & Wine Sauce

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Submitted by yetty333

Pasta in a light lemon wine sauce with thyme, dill, and Dijon mustard. A roux-based sauce using chicken broth and dry white wine instead of cream.

YIELD

4 servings

PREP

20 min

COOK

20 min

READY

40 min

This pasta sauce gets its body from a flour roux thinned with dry white wine and chicken broth instead of heavy cream. The result is velvety and rich-tasting but genuinely light, with bright lemon zest and a hit of Dijon mustard cutting through the warmth.

Building the roux properly is the key move. Sauté the onion until very soft and lightly browned first, then stir in the flour on low heat until it’s completely smooth with no dry spots. Whisk in the wine and broth very gradually. Dumping liquid into a roux all at once creates lumps that won’t smooth out no matter how long you stir.

Thyme, dill, and Dijon mustard all go in after the sauce has simmered for 10 minutes. Adding herbs at the end preserves their freshness. The mustard emulsifies into the sauce and adds a subtle peppery sharpness that keeps the lemon from tasting too one-note.

Kitchen Tips

  • Use a dry white wine you’d actually drink. Cooking concentrates the flavor, so cheap, harsh wine makes a harsh sauce.
  • Grate the lemon zest on a microplane for the finest shreds. Coarse zest doesn’t melt into the sauce and you’ll get chewy bits.
  • Fresh herbs make a noticeable difference here, but dried work in a pinch. Use 1 teaspoon dried for each tablespoon fresh.
  • This sauce works with any shaped pasta. Shells and rotini catch the sauce in their curves better than long noodles.

Variations

  • Add sautéed chicken breast slices to turn this into a complete meal.
  • Stir in a handful of capers and fresh parsley at the end for a piccata-inspired version.
  • Replace dill with tarragon for a more French-leaning herb profile.

Ingredients

1 ½ 680.4
POUNDS G PASTA
your favorite shaped
3 45
TABLESPOONS ML MARGARINE
½ 0.5
SMALL SMALL ONIONS
chopped
4 60
TABLESPOONS ML ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
2 473
CUPS ML WHITE WINE
dry *
2 473
CUPS ML CHICKEN BROTH
unsalted
½ 2.5
TEASPOON ML LEMON ZEST
grated
1 15
TABLESPOON ML THYME
freshly chopped, or 1 ts dried *
1 15
TABLESPOON ML DILL WEED
freshly chopped or 1 ts dried
3 45
TABLESPOONS ML DIJON MUSTARD
1
X SALT
to taste *

Directions

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain.

Warm the margarine in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.

Add the onion and sauté until lightly brown and very soft.

Add the flour and reduce heat to low.

Stir until completely blended.

Very gradually whisk in the white wine and chicken broth.

Bring the sauce to a boil and then let simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the lemon zest, thyme, dill and mustard and season to taste with salt.

Serve sauce over the warm pasta.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 330g (11.6 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 790 15% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 4mg 1%
Sodium 430mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 46%
Dietary Fiber 6g 25%
Sugars g
Protein 54g
Vitamin A 9% Vitamin C 3%
Calcium 7% Iron 38%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Cholesterol, Trans-fat Free, High Fiber
 

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