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This white clam sauce is heavenly: lots of garlic, olive oil, white wine, and clams tossed with al dente linguine for a delicious Italian dinner! Made with mostly pantry ingredients, this easy recipe is addictive, quick enough for a weeknight dinner, but elegant enough for company.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
My love affair with shellfish began in Italy many years ago, and to this day, I always order linguine alle vongole when I’m there. I’ve been making linguine alle vongole (“linguine with clams”) for years, and this recipe keeps all the delicious, rich flavor of the original, but makes it so much easier by using canned clams. What’s great is that this recipe uses mostly pantry staples, making it inexpensive, too!
Ingredients
- Linguine – A simple ribbon pasta that is wider than spaghetti and rounder than fettuccine, linguine is perfect for soaking up the sauce and allowing the other flavors to shine.
- Clams – Canned clams make this pasta super easy and inexpensive, yet still have a rich, salty, slightly fishy flavor.
- Olive oil – A light, fresh olive oil is perfect for making a sauce that is savory but doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
- White wine – A little white wine enhances the olive oil and the saltiness of the clams.
Chef’s Tips
- In Southern Italy, tomatoes and fresh basil are often added to this dish. I’ve made mine without, but you can add those if you’d like!
- To get your linguine perfectly al dente, make sure to heavily salt your water. Make sure to use plenty of water in the pot, too, so that the pasta has plenty of room to move around and expand.
More Delicious Italian Recipes
- Caprese Sandwich (Melted or Cold)
- Chicken Carbonara
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Chicken Piccata (Paleo, Gluten Free)
- Cottage Cheese Alfredo
White Clam Sauce with Linguine
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce package linguine
- ¼ cup olive oil good quality
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 8-ounce cans minced clams 24 ounces, juice drained and reserved
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped parsley plus more for garnish
- crushed red pepper flakes for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Fill large pot with salted water. Add linguine and cook until pasta is al dente. Drain pasta water and set noodles aside.
- In large skillet over medium-high heat, warm olive oil until oil is hot and shimmering. Add garlic and sauté until just fragrant.
- Add reserved liquid from cans of clams, white wine, and salt. Stir well and bring liquid to boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes or until liquid has reduced approximately 50%.
- Add minced clams and chopped parsley to skillet. Stir until clams are heated through, then reduce heat to low.
- Add cooked linguine to skillet. Toss pasta in sauce over low heat until noodles have absorbed some (not all) sauce. Plate pasta and clam sauce, garnish with additional parsley and crushed red pepper flakes if desired, and serve immediately.
- Optional Variation: In Southern Italy, tomatoes and fresh basil are often added to this dish.
- Tips for cooking pasta al dente: Make sure to heavily salt your water. Use plenty of water in the pot, so that the pasta has plenty of room to move around and expand.
- Make it Keto/Low Carb: Use a pasta alternative, like palmini noodles.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Made this using Jovial brand gluten free tagliatelle. I used 2 cans of class and topped the dish with butter seared scallops and scallop juice added to the dish. Roasted butternut squash and asparagus for sides. My picky husband went bonkers over it!
So glad you and your husband loved the dish! Your sides sound like a lovely addition to the meal. Thanks for sharing! 😊
How to make a little thicker sauce
Hi, Willie! A tablespoon of flour or cornstarch helps to thicken sauces. Hope this helps! 😊
Added chopped clams and used Italian parsley. Didn’t have any dry white wine so used sherry. Used six cloves of garlic. Added a good sprinkle of red pepper and just a shake of Parmesan. Delicious dish.
Your additions sound delicious! So glad you enjoyed the meal. Thanks for sharing, Lisa! 😊
try chopped clams instead, they are meatier
Chopped clams are a great idea. Thanks for sharing, Brian! 😊
I agree, this was such a great and easy recipe. I’ve made this dish numerous times over the years using other recipes. This one was the best by far. The perfect combination of ingredients.
Yay, so happy to hear it! Thanks for the great review, Cindy!
Very good
Yay! Thanks so much for the review, Camille!
Excellent. Simple and delicious.
Great! Thanks SO much for the review, Harold!
Simple and delicious!
So glad! Thanks so much for the review, Donna!
So good and easy to put together. Better then my local resturants!
So glad you enjoyed, Vickie! Thanks so much for the great review!
The sauce was somewhat tasteless. I hoped for a creamier sauce.
So sorry the consistency wasn’t what you were looking for, J! We try to include photos that help to set expectations for the end result. You could probably make it creamier by adding some sort of creamy component, but the recipe as-written doesn’t use anything that would make the sauce creamy. I hope you’re able to find a recipe that works for your needs!
Thanks for the tip. I still love your site. Just wanted to give heads up to anyone who may have expected a different sauce.