Pasta with Light Lemon & Wine Sauce

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.