This Linguine with Clam Sauce recipe is a classic Italian dinner. Delicious clams in a savory tomato sauce, this easy, 30 minute meal will have everyone coming back for seconds!
Why You’ll Love Linguine and Clams:
I’ve always been a lover of seafood. Ever since I was a little kid, if there was an opportunity to eat seafood, I was all over it! And being an Italian-American gal, clam sauce over pasta was an absolute favorite.
Now at most Italian restaurants, you'll often see two types of clam sauce, white clam sauce and red clam sauce. Both are seriously delicious. But today I'll be focusing on a red clam sauce recipe. Here’s why you’ll love it as much as I do:
- Flavor: you’ll love the rich, savory taste of red clam sauce mixed with tender linguine noodles
- Versatility: serve this dish as a main course or as a side dish to round out a delicious Italian meal.
- Easy: it's perfect for a busy weeknight
- Quick: Ready in under 30 minutes
- Feels Fancy: so it’s a great option to wow your guests at a dinner party.
Ingredient information and substitutions
- Clams- I typically use a mix of chopped and minced canned clams. Now look, you can totally use fresh baby clams as well, and it’ll totally be delicious. But I prefer the ease of the canned clams and the mix of minced and chopped adds excellent texture. Drain the clams well before adding.
- Tomatoes- This recipe was developed with my favorite brand, Tuttorosso, using their Crushed Tomatoes Chunky Style in Puree with Sweet Basil.
- Wine- Make sure you use a good, dry white wine for this. As a general rule, if you wouldn’t drink it, you shouldn’t cook with it.If wine isn’t your thing you can substitute with broth or even the clam juice from the clams if you want an extra clammy flavor.
- Flavor- This recipe starts with good olive oil and plenty of minced garlic. Kosher salt, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes (for a little kick!) and parsley round out the flavors and you’ll finish with a little grated Romano cheese.
- Pasta- This dish is traditionally served with linguine, but if you have a preferred pasta shape, do you! I personally think this works best with noodles.
How To Make This Linguine and Clams Recipe
Step 1- Sauté garlic in olive oil
Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the garlic for a couple minutes- stir often so it doesn’t burn!
Step 2- Add clams and seasonings.
Add the clams, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and parsley. Sauté for a few minutes stirring often.
Step 3- Deglaze the pan with wine.
Add your wine to the pan and use a wooden spoon to gently scrape up all the brown bits from the pan. Cook for a couple minutes, the wine will reduce slightly.
Step 4- Add tomatoes and cook.
Pour in tomatoes and swirl a little water in the can to get all the goodness out of there. Bring to a nice simmer and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring periodically.
Step 5- Cook linguine and mix with sauce.
Cook your linguine to al dente per the package directions. Mix with the clam sauce and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! All the canned clams I’ve come across are fully cooked.
I don’t find it necessary but if you’d prefer to rinse them, you can.
Sure! If you don’t want to use wine, you can always substitute the clam juice from the canned clams for a punch of clam flavor. You can also use the clam juice in place of the ¼ cup of water that gets added with the tomatoes.
Although I’ve only tested this recipe using the canned variety, you can substitute fresh clams. You’ll want about 2 cups of chopped/minced clams, which is around 1 quart shucked, 8 quarts unshucked which adds up to around 6 dozen fresh little neck clams in shells or even more baby clams.
Clean the clams well by soaking in salted cold water for 20 minutes to 1 hour and then scrubbing each clam well. Dispose of any broken clams at this time. Steam the cleaned clams until they open, indicating that they’re fully cooked (dispose of any clams that don’t open when steaming- this indicates they’ve gone bad). Then chop/mince the clams and add to the sauce.
I prefer a dry white wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc- as a general rule, while you don’t have to use the most expensive bottle for cooking- cook with a wine that you’d also be happy to drink.
Helpful Cooking Tips:
- Don't skimp on the garlic, it adds amazing flavor to the sauce. Measure with your heart.
- Use your judgment about deciding between minced clams and chopped clams. I personally like a mix of minced and chopped canned clams because I like both textures. If you're a person that doesn't love the texture of clams then use cans of minced clams only.
- Don’t fear the wine. I think this tastes best with the wine, and the alcohol cooks off, so I’m never concerned about serving this pasta dish to kids. That said if you still prefer not to use wine you can use water or broth (the the canned clam juice).
- Prep ahead! You can peel garlic and parboil the pasta in advance.
- Leftovers and storage: This will last up to 3 days covered in the fridge and reheats well in a pan over medium het or in the microwave.
Other delicious seafood recipes to try:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Linguine with Clam Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- chefs knife
- cutting board
- Skillet
- Dutch oven
- wooden spoon
- Can opener
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans minced clams, drained
- 2 cans chopped clams, drained
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 28 ounce can Crushed Tomatoes
- ¼ cup water
- 1 pound linguine, cooked
- Romano cheese, garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high.
- Add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add clams, crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and dried parsley and stir to combine.
- Saute for 3-4 minutes stirring often until heated through.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine and simmer for 2 minutes stirring often to reduce slightly.
- Add crushed tomatoes and swirl water in empty can to get any tomatoes that may have been left behind and then stir the water into the pan.
- Bring to a simmer and then reduce to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes stirring periodically.
- Serve immediately over hot linguine with a sprinkle of Romano cheese.
Video
Notes
- Don't skimp on the garlic, it adds amazing flavor to the sauce. Measure with your heart.
- Use your judgment about deciding between minced clams and chopped clams. I personally like a mix of minced and chopped canned clams because I like both textures. If you're a person that doesn't love the texture of clams then use cans of minced clams only.
- Don’t fear the wine. I think this tastes best with the wine, and the alcohol cooks off, so I’m never concerned about serving this pasta dish to kids. That said if you still prefer not to use wine you can use water or broth (the the canned clam juice).
- Prep ahead! You can peel garlic and parboil the pasta in advance.
- Leftovers and storage: This will last up to 3 days covered in the fridge and reheats well in a pan over medium het or in the microwave.
Nutrition
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Other delicious pasta recipes include:
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