The Easy 3-Ingredient Sauce That Will Brighten Up Boring Dinners

The solutions to our problems in the kitchen should be easy and accessible for almost any home cook, and that is definitely the case for this three-ingredient sauce that can elevate your meals. Whether it's an underwhelming roasted pork loin or a fish filet you don't know what to do with, a lemon caper sauce is a tried-and-true classic that pairs well with a myriad of main courses and brings a brightness that will liven up even the most bland food.

Lemon caper sauce is made from the two ingredients in its name with a few tablespoons of butter. It's rich from the butter, a little tart and acidic from the lemon, and briny and salty from the capers, so it will fill in the blanks when it comes to anything your dish is missing. You probably recognize the combination from the sauce made for chicken piccata, sans the white wine. If you realize what those three ingredients can do for a simple chicken breast — you understand their power.

Apart from its refreshing flavor, it takes mere minutes to cook. Just melt 3 or 4 tablespoons of butter in a pan, then add lemon juice and a few teaspoons of capers and simmer it until it emulsifies after a minute or two. Once this is done, use a pinch of salt to finish it off. If you want a more tart sauce you can use equal parts lemon and butter, or use half as much lemon juice for a more rich, buttery version. You can also cook down the sauce for a few more minutes if you want a thicker, glossier finish.

Lemon caper sauce isn't limited to upgrading the traditional choices like chicken or shrimp, either. Its bright flavor will do wonders to roasted vegetables like broccoli or asparagus and liven up hearty sides like rice. Lean cuts of beef or pork will benefit just as much from the fatty and acidic elements from the sauce in the same way as your favorite white fish.