Easy Linguine with Clams
by Chungah
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This linguine with clams pasta dish is a quick 30-minute dinner with a very short ingredient list. Quick, easy, restaurant-quality at home!
why you’ll love easy linguine with clams (linguine alle vongole)
- Perfect for a fancy night in. Linguine with clams is known to be a fancy, elegant pasta dish, yet it comes together in less than 30 minutes with quick-cooking clams. It’s perfect for quick weeknight dinners or a romantic night in at home in PJs.
- Budget-friendly. Making this dish at home costs a fraction of the price than ordering at a restaurant. Clams are about $4.99-$6.99 per pound, and you can easily feed a family of four with 2 pounds of fresh clams (or even opt for canned clams). And once you have your clams, all you need is a few inexpensive pantry staples.
- One pot dinner. Not only does this come together lightning fast, but everything gets cooked in a single pot, the boiled pasta, the clams, and the light briny sauce, which can only mean one thing: less dishes for easy clean up!
What is linguine with clams?
Also known as linguine alle vongole, this is an Italian pasta dish traditionally made with long, flat strands of pasta (for example, linguine), fresh or canned clams, and a light, briny garlic sauce.
How to clean clams
You’ll want to rinse and scrub the clams from debris under cold running water. This will also give you a chance to check (and discard) clams that are cracked, feel hollow, or gaping open. All clams should be tightly closed.
Soak the clams in a bowl of salt water – about 4 quarts cold water and 1/3 cup salt – for about 20 minutes to 1 hour. This will help filter out the sand and grit. Using a slotted spoon, drain the clams from the water and into a colander (pouring the water and clams together into a colander will add all that sand right back!), rinsing them thoroughly.
How to make linguine with clams
- Clean the clams. Soak the clams in salt water to remove debris and sand, scrubbing the shells clean.
- Cook the pasta. Boil the linguine pasta in a large stockpot or Dutch oven in boiling salted water until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water for later.
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes in melted butter until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Simmer. Stir in the vegetable broth, salt and pepper, letting it simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Steam the clams. Add the cleaned clams, cover, and let steam until the shells begin to open, about 5-8 minutes. Remove any clams that did not open.
- Combine. Toss the al dente linguine until evenly coated, adding the reserved pasta water, as needed, until the desired consistency is reached (and to help the sauce cling to the noodles).
- Serve. Serve in shallow bowls, generously garnished with parsley, with crusty bread and a glass of white wine.
Pro tip
Substitute canned clams to make it more economical.
Canned baby clams or chopped clams are convenient (skipping the cleaning and de-gritting), highly affordable and shelf stable, ideal for a fast, cheap weeknight dinner.
Tools For This Recipe
Easy Linguine with Clams: Frequently Asked Questions
Linguine is generally the classic, traditional choice but spaghetti or bucatini are both great alternatives.
Yes! Swap out the vegetable broth for a dry, white wine (for example, pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc), cooking it down for a few minutes to burn off the sharp alcohol taste.
Littleneck clams are best as they are small and tender. Estimate about 1/2 lb of clams per person for serving.
Discard any clams that remain shut.
A simple side salad and crusty bread (or skillet dinner rolls) are both excellent accompaniments.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, gently reheating on the stovetop with a splash of water, white wine or clam juice (if needed) until warmed through.
Easy Linguine with Clams
Video
Ingredients
- 12 ounces linguine
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds littleneck clams, cleaned
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1/2 cup water and drain well.
- Melt butter in the Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in vegetable broth; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in clams. Cover, with a tight-fitting lid, and cook until the clams have opened, about 5-8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
- Stir in pasta and reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Clean the clams first. This is key to remove sand and grit as well as exterior debris.
- Cook the pasta until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce, soaking up the briny clam juice, without overcooking and getting soggy.
- Reserve the pasta water. Thanks to the starch in the pasta water, this will help the briny sauce stick to the pasta for a smooth coating.
- Finish with butter. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter just before serving for a rich, shiny gloss to the pasta.
- Loosen the sauce when reheating. Since the pasta will continue absorbing the sauce as it sits, add in a splash of water, white wine or clam juice to loosen the sauce.
Did you make this recipe?
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Hi!! Can I make this recipe in advance? If I can, how long in advance before serving? And how do I re heat? Can I put in big aluminum pan and re heat with the sternil underneath? I would like to make one day in advance and then repeat. Would love to make this for upcoming party. Thank you so much for sharing! Please send response to my email.
Thank you!
Joann
Hi Joann! While there are a handful of our recipes that lend themselves to be prepared ahead of time, this isn’t really one of them. Pasta and seafood, especially clams, are best served and consumed right away. You could, of course, prep ahead of time and clean the clams beforehand. As always, please use your best judgment when making modifications. Happy cooking!
Easy and delicious. I stir fried a red pepper with garlic and used clam juice instead of broth
I’ve been making clam sauce and clam chowder and clams casino for 60 years I also was able to go and get my own clams cuz I lived in Montauk New York and in lake Montauk we had some of the sweetest best clams the only thing I do differently I need a recipe for clams and pasta. I use cherrystone clams and also little necks but I open the Cherry Stone clams by hand and I save all that wonderful clam juice and another bowl and I chop the cherrystone clams up and it’s almost the last step I had them cuz they only take a few minutes to cook and then I cook those and another pot with garlic and white wine and parsley but I really think opening clams by hand gives you the most tender and flavorful clams and pasta and also putting some chopped Cherry Stone clam makes it delicious
How do you get the sand out of the clams before cooking?
I make this but I use clam broth or white wine..we like Chardonnay
Wonderful recipe! I’m so glad I found this simple & delicious recipe. Before I had clams this way, I thought I did not like clams! But the butter (I may have added a little extra!), garlic, and parsley really made it yummy.
Just got this in my mail box today so I haven’t tried it yet. I am allergic to clams so I was wondering if I can sub shrimp or something else to this dish? I gave it a 5 star just for the pictures!
Well done. I always use white wine for my liquid with clams. I will try half broth.
I always soak my clams in water for at least an hour, changing the water a few times. Thanks for another hit.
Just made this! Yum! Wish we could post pics on here! I used all the original ingredients except added more of each since I was cooking a pound of spaghetti and had 24 Middleneck clams which looked bigger to me than Littlenecks. They all opened up and were fairly clean when soaked in cold water for 45 minutes.
Very tasty but it took a while to clean all the clams. I’ll definitely remember to start that much sooner. I also think it needed more sauce…which is definitely my fault. Overall a pretty tasty dish!
Cleaning them can be made simpler by soaking your clams in fresh water for 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours. They will filter the water and clean themselves. Hope this helps for next time!!
I’ve never cleaned clams before. Do you have to scrub them?
Very quick and simple to make.
My family loved it! The flavors are complex but light.
Thank you Thank you!
I will definitely be keeping this recipe!
Tried this recipe with small deviations but it’s the best linguine and clams I’ve made thus far!
We love that! Thanks for sharing, Domenic!
Can I substitute clam juice for the vegetable broth? Seems like it would have more flavo.r
Absolutely!
This is a great recipe. I used chicken stock because I did not have veggie or seafood stock. I put a Parmesan rind in the broth before I added the clams.
I made a fatal mistake in using a bit of vegetable bouillon in hot water. The dish was waaayyy to salty.
never use bouillon.
This quickly became my husband and I’s favorite dish. We just added a lot more garlic because we love garlic and some lemon juice. It was so easy to make and was ready in about 25 min. The pasta cooking is what took the longest. Definitely a recipe I’ll be sharing and repeating with friends and family!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe with your husband!
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe but have always been weary, especially with my family since they’re such picky eaters! But I made this today for them and my parents and it was a hit!! Absolutely no complaints!! Of course everyone has their recipe tweak, and this was mine… I added more clams lol! Delicious!!! Thank you! We now have a new recipe to add in our dinner rotation!
Why do people feel that they have to alter another’s recipe, if they know so much keep it to yourself. The chef or the cook that took the time to post the recipe should be respected. If you know so much don’t bother to copy part of someone else’s effort.
:))
so true!!!
We all are here to appreciate and respect each other. Recipe Sharing is a big part of life. It has been going on since man began cooking his food. It is no sin to mention changes you make to someone’s recipe. New ideas are a big part of cooking. Always the same old thing gets boring! Sometimes another’s idea just stirs your creativity. If you don’t want to share your personal recipes, no one will force you too. But is it right for you to take someone else’s recipe, and make it your own, without reciprocating? Many people have constraints to work with. Restricted diets for health or religious, or
Financial reason. Seasonings might need modifications for young or unwell persons. Work arounds for allergies, or finding new recipes to relieve meal boredom, or getting children to eat vegetables and love them for what they are. Unlike big baby food companies who appear to feel children will never eat vegetables unless heavily laced with fruit and high fructose corn syrup. Recipe sharing and the exchange of Ideas is enjoyable and done respectfully. I am always looking for new healthier or more flavorful ways to prepare the foods we can afford. I have been preparing meals in homes, restaurants and hospitals for over 50 years. I am happy to share things I have learned, and find new ideas to use. If that isn’t your reason for being here , why are you here? Think about it? Would these folks be blogging if sharing were not their intent.
I agree- playing with recipes is one of the great creative joys in life. Playing with this one now! : )
Thank you Maryann. You said this perfectly. It’s no disrespect to the author of the original recipe when someone writes a review about what they did. Well I hope not…Reviews help me a lot when you have to use what’s in the pantry instead of running to the grocery store. I’ll be making this soon, first recipe I found without using white wine.
I agree and I have changed recipes also
I totally agree with you. Why bother with the author’s recipe then? Right?
There are two facets to your argument – people are simply adding their findings and experiences.
I so agree Barbara, and I think that all the time. I couldn’t help myself – at least I didn’t make 12 substitutions and changes. 🙂
I was just looking for a clam recipe for tonight’s dinner and stumbled upon this! definitively cooking it 🙂
I use clam juice instead of veg broth in mine and add some of the grindable Italian seasoning and a little white wine. Delicious. I also add some canned clams because we love a lot of clams. And a little white pepper.