Easy Linguine with Clams
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The easiest, budget-friendly pasta you will ever make, and it’ll be on your dinner table in just 30 min. It’s just THAT easy!
I feel like there’s a lot of mystery surrounding clams. They add such sophistication and elegance to a meal, you can’t help but wonder if they’re super expensive and difficult to cook with. But believe me when I tell you that this is the quickest, most budget-friendly dinner you will ever make, especially for those fancy nights in.
Clams are about $4.99-$6.99 per pound, and you can easily feed a family of four with 2 pounds. And once you have your clams, all you need is a few pantry ingredients.
From there, you’ll make an amazing fresh clam stock as these babies steam and open up in just 5 minutes. All that’s left is to add in your linguine. See, I told you – this really is a 30-min meal start to finish!
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Easy Linguine with Clams: Frequently Asked Questions
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 + 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.
A salad and crusty bread or skillet dinner rolls would be great accompaniments.
Easy Linguine with Clams
Ingredients
- 12 ounces linguine
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- ½ cup vegetable broth, or more, as needed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds littleneck clams, cleaned
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or 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 additional vegetable broth, as needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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