Pasta alle Vongole is “Pasta with Clams” in Italian. Traditionally made with either spaghetti or linguine, this recipe is also in bianco or, as they say on the East Coast “white clam sauce” as opposed to in rosso, which adds tomatoes to the dish. With a simple list of ingredients and easy to prepare, Pasta alle Vongole is a summertime classic. Start off with a Wilted Arugula Salad, then prepare Pasta alle Vongole while enjoying a glass or two of very dry white wine; dinner has never been easier.
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time 30 minutes. Serves 2.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Pasta alle Vongole recipe for $1.00
Ingredients:
- 3 oz per person Spaghetti or Linguine Pasta
- 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pinch of coarse Sea Salt
- 1 ½ Tbs minced Garlic
- ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
- 1 lb small, fresh Clams*
- 1/3 cup Dry White Wine
- 2 Tbs minced Flat Leaf/Italian Parsley leaves
Preparation:
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- Mince the garlic and parsley, reserve in separate bowls.
- Rinse the clams of any sand and debris, drain in a colander, place in a bowl.
- Pour the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sea salt, garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil.
- Place your pasta in the boiling water, stir and cook until al dente.
- When the garlic is just turning golden brown, carefully add the clams to the pan in a single layer.
- Pour the white wine into the pan and raise the heat to high; cook uncovered until the clams open. Discard any unopened clams.
- Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta to the pan with the clams and sauce, nestling the pasta into the sauce and clams.
- Sprinkle the minced parsley over the clams and pasta, remove from the heat. Serve Pasta alle Vongole immediately accompanied by a very dry white wine.
*Note:
- Small, fresh clams work best in Pasta alle Vongole, particularly Manila clams.