Pasta alle vongole, or spaghetti with clams, is a classic Italian dish that is both simple to make and bursting with flavor. Originating from Naples, Italy, this seafood pasta dish has become a beloved dish all over the world, and for good reason. The combination of tender clams, briny white wine, aromatic garlic, and fresh parsley creates a light and flavorful sauce that perfectly coats the al dente pasta. In this article, we will explore two variations of this timeless dish: the classic Pasta alle Vongole and a spicy version with a kick of red pepper flakes. Both recipes are easy to follow and guarantee a delicious and satisfying meal that will transport you to the sun-drenched shores of Italy.
Let's cook with our recipes!
LINGUINE PASTA ALLE VONGOLE (LINGUINE WITH CLAMS)
This classic seafood pasta recipe from Campania is simple to make and bursting with flavour.
Provided by Jacqueline De Bono
Categories Main Course
Time 40m
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Chop the peeled garlic and parsley finely. If using a whole fresh or dried red chili chop finely too. Remove the seeds to make it milder. Be careful not to touch your eyes or mouth after doing this and wash your hands well before continuing to cook.
- Wash the clams in cold water and remove any with broken shells. Some kinds of clams need a lot of rinsing if they have sand in them. But you can also filter the liquid after you have precooked them, so don't worry so much about the sand.
- Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. When it starts to boil add the pasta. You probably don't need salt as the clams will already be a little salty.
- While the water is boiling for the pasta, put the clams in a deep frying pan and cook covered over a medium to high heat until they have opened. (about 5 minutes)
- Allow the clams to cool a little and then remove the meat from most of the clam shells keeping some intact. Discard the empty shells and, if necessary, filter the liquid that the clams have produced. Don't discard it.
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
- Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add the garlic and peperoncino. Cook until the garlic starts to soften. Add the clams (with shells and without) with their liquid to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Then, add the white wine and cook further until the alcohol evaporates. Finally, add the parsley and the rest of the olive oil. Continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes and then turn off the heat.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the pan with the cooked clams. Mix everything together well and serve immediately with another sprinkling of chopped parsley, if required.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 599 kcal, ServingSize 1 serving
SPAGHETTI RISOTTATI ALLE VONGOLE
Spaghetti is cooked like a risotto in fresh clam sauce for a flavor-packed dish. A few simple ingredients can create this delicious pasta dish that will wow you. The spaghetti take in the juices of the clams using minimal water. This is one of my family's favorite pasta dishes.
Provided by Buckwheat Queen
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 45m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Bring water to a boil in a stockpot; add salt. Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, followed by chile pepper and garlic. Cook and stir gently until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove garlic and chile pepper; discard. Add clams to the fragrant oil.
- Pour wine over the clams and cover immediately. Let simmer until clams have opened, about 7 minutes. Remove clams using a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Cover to avoid losing their steam. Discard any unopened clams.
- Pour four ladles of salted water into the skillet with the juice of the clams. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add spaghetti; move around with a pasta fork to keep from sticking together. Cook, adding a ladle or two of salted water as needed to keep spaghetti barely covered, until pasta is tender yet firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Add clams and sprinkle in lemon zest. Give the skillet a hefty toss to gently mix the clams in the thickened sauce.
- Divide into four pasta bowls. Cover with parsley and serve immediately with empty plates on the side for the shells while eating.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 422.3 calories, Carbohydrate 65.4 g, Cholesterol 2.5 mg, Fat 8.2 g, Fiber 3.2 g, Protein 12.3 g, SaturatedFat 1.2 g, Sodium 1774.6 mg, Sugar 2.9 g
SPAGHETTI VONGOLE
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt (at least 2 tablespoons) and the pasta and stir to separate. Cook until 3 minutes short of al dente (according to package directions), then drain.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and sizzling, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pepper flakes and crushed tomatoes, season with salt and cook until the tomatoes are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Add the clams and cover for 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring, until the clams open. Discard unopened clams.
- Add the pasta to the skillet along with the parsley, cheese and butter. Cook, tossing and stirring and drizzling with olive oil, until the pasta is cooked through and the sauce is silky and thickened. Serve drizzled with oil and sprinkled with cheese and parsley.
SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE
Provided by Food Network
Time 30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the clams to a large skillet. Cover with a lid and heat over medium-high heat. Steam for 3 minutes, and then remove the lid and transfer all opened clams to a bowl to cool. Cover the skillet and cook again for 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove the lid and again transfer all opened clams to the bowl. Repeat another time, if necessary, until most clams have opened. Discard any clams that do not open.
- Pour the broth from the skillet into another bowl and set aside. Once cool enough to handle, remove the meat from three-quarters of the opened clams and chop the meat finely. Discard their shells. Try to capture any of the juice and combine with the reserved broth.
- Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 1 minute less than the package instructions call for.
- In the same large skillet the clams were cooked in, add the olive oil and heat until hot. Saute the chili flakes and garlic. As soon as the garlic is fragrant, add the white wine and cook until reduced, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped clams along with the clams still in their shells to the skillet with some of the reserved juices (about 1/2 cup). Cook until reduced slightly, and then season with salt and pepper. Toss together thoroughly.
- Drain the spaghetti and add to the sauce. Toss over high heat for a few moments until the pasta is well coated.
- Serve the dressed pasta with the chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and an extra touch of crushed chili flakes.
SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE
Steps:
- Add 1/4 cup olive oil to a high-sided pan with a lid. Add the minced garlic, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and thyme bundle. Heat pan over medium heat and cook, being careful not to burn the garlic, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the clams and wine and turn the heat to high. Cover and steam until the clams have fully opened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the clams to a glass bowl and return the liquid, thyme bundle and bay leaves back to the pan. Remove most of the clams from their shells and set aside. Reserve the remaining clams in their shells for garnish.
- Drop the pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to make sure pasta does not stick to the pot, until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Increase the heat to medium under the sauce and add the lemon zest and juice and clam juice. Taste for seasoning and simmer. Add the drained pasta, shelled clams and 2 pats of butter. Toss to combine. Remove the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Sprinkle with the herbs, a handful of grated Parmesan and a drizzle of oil. Toss to fully coat the pasta.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Melt the remaining 4 pats butter in a saucepan together with the garlic. Brush the bread with the garlic butter and toast in the broiler for about 2 minutes.
- Divide the pasta into 2 bowls and drizzle with the remaining pan sauce. Garnish with the reserved clams, a sprinkle of Parmesan and a slice of garlic bread.
SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE
Steps:
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the garlic and chile pepper in the olive oil until the garlic is golden brown, about 1 minute.
- Add the clams, clam juice and wine. Cover and simmer over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally until all the clams open.
- While the clams are simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Add the clam sauce and parsley and toss well. Serve immediately.
SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE
This light dish makes a perfect midweek supper treat
Provided by Mary Cadogan
Categories Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Pasta, Supper
Time 27m
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Put the water for the spaghetti on to boil. Rinse the clams in several changes of cold water. Discard any that are open or damaged. Cover the tomatoes with boiling water, leave for 1 min, then drain and slip off the skins, Remove the seeds and chop the flesh.
- Cook spaghetti according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan, add the garlic and chilli, then fry gently for a few seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, then add the clams and a splash of wine, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and cook for 3-4 mins, until the clams are open. Drain the pasta, then tip into the pan with the parsley and toss together. Serve in bowls with bread for mopping up the juices.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 409 calories, Fat 13 grams fat, SaturatedFat 2 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 56 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 5 grams sugar, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 16 grams protein, Sodium 0.1 milligram of sodium
SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE
Provided by Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
Categories Pasta Valentine's Day Father's Day New Year's Eve Lunch Seafood Clam Mussel Summer Anniversary Christmas Eve Potluck Bon Appétit Sugar Conscious Kidney Friendly Pescatarian Dairy Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free
Yield serves 2
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5 quart pot. Season lightly with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
- Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, swirling pan often, until just golden. Add red pepper flakes and continue cooking 15 more seconds. Add wine, then clams; increase heat to high. Cover skillet and cook until clams open and release their juices, 3-6 minutes, depending on size of clams. As clams open, use tongs to transfer them to a bowl.
- Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to skillet; bring to a boil. Add pasta to pan. Cook over high heat, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and has soaked up some of the sauce from the pan. Add clams and any juices from bowl to pan, along with parsley, and toss to combine. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls and drizzle with remaining oil.
Tips:
- Use fresh clams: Fresh clams are essential for this dish. Look for clams that are tightly closed and have a briny smell.
- Purge the clams: Before cooking, purge the clams to remove any sand or grit. Place the clams in a bowl of cold water and let them soak for 30 minutes. Then, drain the clams and rinse them well.
- Use a good quality olive oil: A good quality olive oil will add flavor and richness to the dish. Look for an extra virgin olive oil that is made from olives that have been grown in Italy.
- Don't overcook the clams: Clams only take a few minutes to cook. Overcooking them will make them tough and chewy.
- Add the parsley and lemon juice at the end: Parsley and lemon juice add a fresh, bright flavor to the dish. Stir them in just before serving.
Conclusion:
Pasta alle vongole is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal. With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a flavorful and satisfying dish that is sure to please everyone at the table.
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