[UPDATED June 2023] This is so easy and so amazingly delicious. It takes 20 minutes. Twenty minutes!!!
Make spaghetti according to package directions. In a large stock pot or Dutch Oven set over medium heat, saute 1 chopped shallot, 1 minced garlic clove, a few shakes of red pepper flakes and some freshly ground pepper in olive oil. (Not necessary to salt — the clams are naturally briny.) Add about a dozen and a half fresh clams, a 1/2 cup white wine, and a small bunch of whatever fresh herbs (chopped) you have lying around. (Andy used parsley and basil.) When the clams steam open, add a handful of chopped tomatoes (any shape or color, we didn’t use any in the one pictured above, which is fine, too), and cook another two or three minutes. Discard any clams that haven’t opened, then toss the whole thing with pasta, making sure to scoop lots of the broth into the bowl. Serve with crusty bread for sopping.
great idea! and much better than cooking two separate meals or giving the kids frozen chicken nuggets or the like : )
Love this idea. This is exactly how I cook every night — always trying to find at least a few ingredients in common!
My family loves clams so I’ll definitely be trying this. But I’m wondering if there is any substitution for the wine that I can use? And just in general – what can I do in other recipes to substitute the alcohol? I’ve used juice and/or vinegar before (with varying results), but is there anything that I can more consistently rely on?
yum! this looks amazing!
I find myself doing this now and then too. There’s something about everything being mixed together that just doesn’t always appeal to my kids, but if I separate their plates, and mix ours all up, we’re all happy. I love that it’s so easy to add a more grown-up ingredient with no hassle.
Bethany maybe you could try clam juice or just vegetable broth as a replacement for wine.
as a kid, my mom used to cook spaghetti like this – first with no clams, but would use the clam juices… then she would sneak in a few clams, chopped up… then a few, shell-less and whole… until I could finally admit (around 7 years old) that I liked sea food!
I love your adult/kid adaptation, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Amanda!
This looks delicious, and the color coded type is handy for those of us with one brain cell left by dinner time. 🙂
this was the PERFECT way to end the week!
I tried this recipe last night and it was AMAZING. It was delicious, easy, and fun. The only thing I did a little different was mix parmesan cheese with the noodles before mixing in the clams. Incredible.