Linguine with White Clam Sauce
on Jan 21, 2024, Updated May 07, 2025
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This easy 30-minute pasta recipe made with an ample amount of canned clams is a satisfying, quick, and easy weeknight dinner.
Linguine with white clam sauce is the kind of thing I cannot resist on an Italian restaurant’s menu. I can almost smell the garlic just reading the words and imagine the chewy, briny nuggets of clams tangled up in strands of linguine with that savory broth puddling on the bottom of the bowl. And the good news is that if you stock up on canned clams in your pantry, this pasta recipe can come together in literally 20 minutes. Only 20 minutes to pasta with white clam sauce?!? It feels almost too easy, but it’s true.
The result is the kind of thing you might find in an Italian joint in Little Italy in NYC or in the North End in Boston. Serve it up with a salad, like Escarole Salad, a mixed green salad, or Endive, Arugula, and Orange Salad. If you want a green vegetable with your pasta, consider Sautéed Broccoli Rabe or Sautéed Broccoli. And think about making some Cheesy Garlic Bread to go with it!
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Linguine with White Clam Sauce Recipe: This 30-minute pasta recipe made with an ample amount of canned clams is a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
Linguine and White Clam Sauce with Canned Clams
I am a fan of Snow’s chopped clams, which fully deliver on taste and texture. Keeping a little stack of their cans in stock, plus a couple of bottles of Snow’s clam juice, means that this can be on the table for dinner with a handful of other pantry staples any night of the week. And if you are a little tired of holding a box of pasta in one hand and a jar of tomato sauce in the other, this is the perfect way to shake up the dinner routine.
I went for chopped canned clams in this pasta and white clam sauce recipe because I love the big chunks. I like to go a little overboard with the clams. No disappointment hunting around for clams in this pasta; every bite has chunks of seafood twirled up in the noodles.
I also mixed the Snow’s Clam Juice with chicken broth and white wine for the sauce. The result is a sauce that pulls the linguine and clams together perfectly. Plus, yes, olive oil and garlic. Also, a splash of lemon juice for brightness and a bit of acidity. This balances out the rich savoriness of the clams.
Ingredients
This dish made me want to buy a red and white checked tablecloth so that I could feel like the whole trattoria experience was mine. My kids absolutely love this dish, and it’s an easy weeknight dinner. A sprinkle of bacon on top would not be unwelcome, either.
- Linguine (or linguini) – You can use another long skinny pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine in place of the linguine, but linguine is the classic pasta pairing with clam sauce.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – A generous amount to sauté the garlic in and form the base of the sauce.
- Minced garlic – Again, a generous amount. Clam sauce must be garlicky! Use fresh garlic if at all possible.
- Red pepper flakes – Add a kick to the sauce. Pass additional red pepper flakes for sprinkling on top.
- White wine – I prefer a dry white wine, which adds depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Chicken broth or stock – The richer, the better. This becomes part of the sauce.
- Clam juice – This adds a wonderful brininess to the pasta sauce.
- Canned chopped clams – Making clam sauce with canned clams means that it comes together very quickly. If you have cans of clams in the pantry, you can make this whole meal in less than 30 minutes. You can use chopped or minced canned clams; I like chopped best. Drain them before adding.
- Juice and zest of 1 large lemon – Citrus adds a jolt of acidity, which really plays well with the salty richness of the seafood and the heat from the garlic and red pepper flakes. The juice goes into the sauce; the zest gets sprinkled on top.
- Chopped parsley – Finish the fish with an herbal note that also provides freshness and color.
How to Make Linguine with White Clam Sauce
- Cook the pasta: You’ll want to cook it until just al dente, so plan to take it out a couple of minutes before it is done to your liking.
Kitchen Smarts
Cook the pasta just short of tender, as it will finish cooking in the white clam sauce and absorb more of its flavor.
- Make the white clam sauce base: Sauté the garlic in the oil in a large deep skillet over low heat for 8 minutes, until the garlic is soft and a very light golden color. Stir in the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Add the white wine and simmer for 3 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the broth and clam juice, bring to a simmer, and reduce a bit; about 5 minutes.
- Finish the sauce: Return the drained pasta to the pot. Pour in the broth-clam juice mixture, add the chopped clams and lemon juice, and toss until the pasta becomes tender and absorbs a bit of the liquid, the clams are heated through, and everything is well combined; about 2 minutes.
- Serve: Turn the linguine with clam sauce into a serving bowl and top with additional red pepper flakes, chopped parsley, and lemon zest. Serve hot.
FAQs
Nope! For the most part, you should not rinse your clams because you will wash off some of the flavorful juices. However, if you are looking to reduce sodium in your diet, giving the canned clams a quick rinse is fine.
Yes, they are. The clams are already cooked before they’re chopped and canned, so they are safe to eat right out of the can. In fact, you don’t want to heat them too much, or they might start to turn from tender to rubbery. Just warm them through in the sauce.
Yes, canned clams are actual clams that have been shucked, cooked, and either chopped or minced.
Leftovers and Storage
Leftover pasta may be stored for 2 to 3 days in a tightly covered container in the fridge. Reheat over low heat, stirring often, until just warmed through. You may need to add a little bit more white wine or water to loosen up the pasta if it is a bit dry.
What to Serve With Linguine and White Clam Sauce
More Seafood Pasta Recipes
- Fresh Linguine with Shrimp and Peas in a Pink Cream Sauce
- 30-Minute Shrimp Scampi
- Shrimp Alfredo
- Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Linguine
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Pin ItThis post is in partnership with Snow’s®. All opinions are my own.
Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried fettuccine or linguine
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (plus more for serving)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth or stock (the richer, the better)
- ½ cup clam juice
- 6 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams (drained)
- Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
- chopped parsley (to serve)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, and cook the pasta according to package dictions. You’ll want to cook it until just al dente, and then it will finish cooking in the sauce, so plan to take it out a couple of minutes before it is done to your liking.
- Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 8 minutes, until the garlic is soft and a very light golden color; do not allow the garlic to brown. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper.
- Raise the heat under the garlic oil to medium-high. Add the white wine and simmer for 3 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the chicken broth or stock and the clam juice to the pan and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer and reduce a bit, about 5 minutes.
- When the pasta is just al dente, drain it and return it to the pot. Pour in the broth-clam juice mixture, add the chopped clams and lemon juice, and toss until the pasta is tender and absorbs a bit of the liquid, the clams are heated through, and everything is well combined, about 2 minutes; tongs are great for this. Turn into a serving bowl, and top with additional red pepper flakes, the chopped parsley, and the lemon zest. Serve hot.
Notes
- Cook the pasta just short of tender, as it will finish cooking in the sauce, and absorb more of its flavor.
- Pass additional red pepper flakes on the side for people to add as they wish.
- Leftover pasta may be stored for 2 to 3 days in a tightly covered container in the fridge.
- Reheat over low heat, stirring often, until just warmed through. You may need to add a little bit more white wine or water to loosen up the pasta if it is a bit dry.
Instead of buying a bottle of clam juice to add, why can’t I use the clam juice from the can of minced clams (label states “in clam juice”) when I drain them?
You can use that juice, but you will need to supplement with more juice or broth. The clam juice that the clams are packed in may also be higher in salt that bottle clam juice.
Nice bite to it.
I really enjoyed this! A few modifications; only had 3 cans of 10oz clams, for the liquid I used 1.5 cups of clam juice and 1/2 cup of broth to make it a bit more clammy. Also added a little butter at the end to thicken it up a bit. Overall I would definitely make this again!