Clam Pasta (Spaghetti alle Vongole)

Bowl of clam pasta on a white napkin, surrounded by bunches of parsley

Clam Pasta (Spaghetti alle Vongole)

These spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) use clams, tomatoes, garlic, and parsley to create a fresh and delicate pasta dish. It's a staple dish in coastal Italian towns, since fresh clams have tons of flavour and are readily available.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 736kcal

Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh clams
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
3 tablespoon olive oil
15 cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoon parsley
250 grams spaghetti
salt to taste

Instructions

In a pot, with about ½ cup of water at the bottom, add clams. Place the lid on the pot and let the clams cook on medium heat and open, about 6-10 minutes.
In the mean time, cut the tomatoes into quarters and roughly chop the parsley.
Once the clams are all open, reserve 1 cup of the water from the pot, and remove about half the clams from their shells. Leave the rest in their shells.
In a large pan, heat up the olive oil and garlic. Let them cook until garlic is fragrant.
In the mean time, boil pasta water, and cook spaghetti until al dente. The pasta should be done cooking by the time that the clam sauce is ready.
To the garlic, add tomatoes, half of the parsley and salt to the pan.
Add clams (with shells and without) to the pan, as well as the reserved clam water. Let the sauce simmer so the flavours combine, about 10 minutes.
Add the rest of the parsley to the sauce, and then add the spaghetti.
Toss the spaghetti in the tomato/clam sauce until most of the sauce is absorbed, about 2-4 minutes.
Plate, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Use the highest quality ingredients you can find, especially the tomatoes and clams. Since this recipe has so few ingredients, high quality ingredients are key.
Don't forget the clam water (the water that is at the bottom of the pot once the clams have opened). This is what gives the dish a lot of its flavour.
No need to season this dish with cheese - in fact, in Italy, parmesan is never an option with spaghetti alle vongole.
Since the pasta will cook a bit more with the sauce for a few minutes, make sure you remove the the pasta when it's extra al dente.

Nutrition