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The best homemade Spaghetti alle Vongole or spaghetti with clams. This authentic easy pasta recipe tastes much better than Italian restaurants and cheaper!
Spaghetti Alle Vongole Recipe
What is spaghetti alle vongole?
If you have been to Italy or dine out at authentic Italian restaurants, it’s very likely that you have tried or seen this iconic Italian pasta dish.
Vongole means clams in Italian, so it literally means spaghetti with clams.
The pasta of choice is spaghetti and the fresh clams are cooked with olive oil, butter, garlic, white wine and Italian parsley.
This Italian clam pasta is one of my favorite pasta recipes.
It’s absolutely delicious, bursting with the natural briny sweetness of fresh clams, with the garlic, butter, wine and herb sauce.
For more seafood pasta recipes, check out my Shrimp and Spinach Pasta!
Recipe Ingredients
I love clams and this recipe calls for all my favorite ingredients below:
- Extra-virgin olive oil.
- Unsalted butter.
- Garlic.
- Clams. You can use fresh Manila clams or little neck clams.
- White wine.
- Italian parsley.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Spaghetti Alle Vongole
Eating out at Italian restaurants, this clam spaghetti could be $20 and above per serving.
However, this pasta dish is actually very easy to make at home and homemade spaghetti with clams cost you less than $5 per serving.
To make the pasta, first, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Save some pasta water for cooking.
Next, heat up a skillet with olive oil and butter, saute the clams and add white wine and pasta water.
Add the spaghetti into the clam sauce, stir to combine well and serve immediately.
Cooking Tips On The Best Spaghetti With Clams
To make the best and authentic spaghetti alle vongole just like how it’s served in Italy, here are my cooking tips:
- Do not overcook the spaghetti pasta. Each strand of the pasta noodle should have a firm bite in the center. The pasta will be added to the sauce so they will be cooked twice. The texture should be al dente when it’s served.
- Do not overcook the clams. As soon as the clam shells are open, they are cooked. If the clam shells don’t open at the same time, pick them out as soon as they are open. When they are all cooked, return them back into the skillet before adding the pasta.
- Discard any clams that are not open as they are probably stale or dead, and might have a foul smell.
- Use a fruity white wine to make the clam sauce. If you can’t take alcohol, you may skip it and use water or chicken broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
I personally love Manila clams as they are meaty and briny.
If you can’t find Manila clams, you can use fresh little neck clams or cherry stone clams. Both of them deliver equally amazing results.
Yes, you can. If you can’t find fresh and live clams such as Manila clams or little neck clams, canned clams will be a great substitute.
Just make sure you discard the clam juice from the can before making this pasta.
Yes, you can. Just replace white wine with water or chicken broth if you don’t want to use white wine as your ingredient.
For the best results, please use spaghetti, thick spaghetti, spaghetti rigati or linguine.
This recipe is 668 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Spaghetti Alle Vongole
Serve this clam pasta with your favorite glass of white wine. For a restaurant-style Italian meal at home, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Italian Recipes You Might Like
Spaghetti alle Vongole
Ingredients
- 12 oz (350g) thick spaghetti, or linguine
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced horizontally
- 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. (750g-900g) Manila clams, scrubbed, cleaned, and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1/2 cup white wine , or Japanese cooking sake
- 1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves
- salt , to taste
- lemon wedges, for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat a pot of water and cook the thick spaghetti or linguine until al dente, following the package instructions. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- Heat a deep skillet and add olive oil and butter. Lightly sauté the garlic until fragrant, but not browned.
- Add the clams, pasta water, and white wine to the skillet. (If you prefer not to use alcohol, substitute with water or chicken broth.) Lightly stir the clams, then cover the skillet with a lid until they open. Add chicken bouillon powder, ground black pepper, and Italian parsley.
- Add the pasta to the skillet and quickly stir to combine well with the clams and sauce. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is absolute heaven and healthy, Italian cooking, by you, at its finest. Thank you Bee x
Thanks Jeremy, thanks for your comment.
Hello, as I don’t have white wine at home, can I replace it with shiao Xing wine instead?
Not Shaoxing wine, but rice wine is OK.
I also like to add clam juice when making clam sauce.
Yes you can.
Hi,
This looks very good and simple. Living in Arizona I do not trust “fresh” clams and I generally do not like canned goods because of ingredients. We can get frozen little neck clams. Should I defrost them before placing them in the skillet after I saute the garlic or place them in thawed? Should I place any liquid in the package in the skillet?
Thank you.
george
Hi George, you should thaw frozen little necks to room temperature before cooking. Just rinse and pat dry with paper towels before cooking. Don’t buy any liquids in there. If you want more flavors, use chicken stock instead of pasta water.
Hi Rasa, Thank you. We will be trying this recipe within a week. We enjoy your recipes and your perspective. Stay safe and healthy because many of us rely on you.
Hi George, awww, you’re so kind. I am so happy that you will be trying this clam pasta. It’s so good. Please enjoy and be safe and healthy! Thanks for your support and please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Omg your spaghetti with clams look so good!
This is the best looking spaghetti alle vongole I have seen!