This one is a family favorite and another one that is a frequent choice when I would be short on time. I would always keep canned clams on hand and usually had cream in the refrigerator. It looks impressive, so if we had unexpected guests, it’s something that I could just whip up.
It makes a great first course for a formal dinner, but could also be a dinner itself when combined with a green salad and bread.
Looking for a pasta recipe, but not this one? How about one of these?
- Brown Butter Fettucine with Sage – Vegetarian
- Farfalle with Beets and Pine Nuts – Vegetarian
- Fettuccine with Peas and Asparagus – Vegetarian
- Pasta Carbonara
- Pasta alla Puttanesca – Dairy-free, Vegan
- Penne with Olives, Feta, and Greens – Vegetarian
- Rigatoni with Shrimp, Peas, and Basil
- Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage Red Sauce
- Spaghetti al Aglio, Olio, and Pepperoncini – Dairy-free, Vegan
Pasta in White Clam Sauce
This is such a quick and easy recipe, but the flavors are pretty complex. It can also be changed to lactose free (and lower calorie) pretty easily by substituting marinara sauce for the cream sauce. The recipe is exactly the same otherwise.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 t crushed red pepper
- 12 oz baby clams, undrained
- 1 lb pasta, penne, rigatoni, spaghetti, or linguine
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Put salted water on to boil.
- Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add garlic and pepperoncini, cook for a minute or so, be careful that the garlic does not burn. Pour can of clams, with liquid, into the pan and let it simmer so that the liquid starts to cook off.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta until it is almost ready. Drain it and add it to the pan with clams. Toss to mix well, then pour over cream. Toss well and cook until it is creamy. If it's too dry, add more cream. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and toss again to mix well. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can easily convert this recipe to one that is lactose free. Instead of using cream, just use marinara sauce. The recipe is the exact same, except substitute about 8 oz of marinara sauce for the cream. This will reduce the calories, significantly, as well as make it lactose free.Â
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 379kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 12gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 19mgPotassium: 223mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 763IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!