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Fish, Italy

Spaghetti alle vongole

Spaghetti alle vongole is an Italian pasta dish with clams, garlic, parsley and white wine, serving 4, ready in 30 minutes, easy difficulty, for €4.20 per serving. The key to success is purging the clams of sand and cooking the shellfish briefly so they stay tender.

Vacation is on the plate tonight, spaghetti with clams, garlic, parsley and white wine, nothing more.

Spaghetti alle vongole
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.20
Calories per person
480 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Summer, Spring

Spaghetti alle vongole tastes like the sea without a drop of cream, just clam juice meeting pasta starch to form a glossy, light sauce. Raw garlic and fresh parsley wake everything up, while the chili adds just enough warmth at the back of the palate.

This is a spring and summer dish, perfect for a weeknight when you want dinner to feel different without extra effort, or for a slightly more special dinner for two. All you need is fresh clams, since the rest is garlic, parsley and white wine you probably already have on hand.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Spaghettioften in the pantry 360 g
  • Dry white wineoften in the pantry 10 cl
  • Dried chilioften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fish counter

  • Clams 1.2 kg

Fruits and vegetables

  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Flat leaf parsley 8 sprigs

Allergens Gluten, Mollusks

The step by step recipe

  1. Rinse the clams under cold water and let them soak in salted water. 30 min

    Discard any that stay open or have a cracked shell.

  2. Heat the oil with the crushed garlic and chili, then add the clams and white wine, cover. 5 min

    Cover right away, the steam opens all the shells at the same time.

  3. Remove the clams as they open and keep the strained cooking liquid.

    Don't cook the clams too long, they toughen up very quickly.

  4. Cook the spaghetti in salted water for 2 minutes less than the package instructions. 8 min

    Keep them a bit firm, they'll finish cooking in the pan.

  5. Finish the spaghetti in the clam juice, add back the shellfish and chopped parsley, and serve right away. 2 min

    Toss briskly, the juice and starch form a glossy sauce without any cream.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick clams that are tightly closed or that close when you tap them, that's the sign they're alive.
  • Keep some pasta cooking water on hand, it can loosen the sauce if it gets too dry while finishing in the pan.
  • Chop the parsley at the last minute so it stays bright and doesn't turn dark on the plate.

The variations

  • Swap the clams for cockles, they cook exactly the same way and are often easier to find.
  • Add halved cherry tomatoes for a vongole in rosso version, milder and more colorful.
  • For an alcohol free version, replace the white wine with water and a splash of lemon juice, the result stays flavorful.

What to serve it with

  • A chilled glass of dry white wine
  • A simple green salad with olive oil
  • Crusty bread for the sauce

Storage

This dish is best eaten right away, since both the pasta and the clams lose their texture as they cool. If needed, keep leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 1 day and reheat gently in a pan with a little water. Freezing isn't recommended, the clams turn rubbery.

Questions about this dish

Can you use frozen clams?

Yes, thaw them slowly in the fridge before cooking. They'll taste slightly less briny than fresh clams, but the recipe still works well.

How do you know if a clam is good before cooking?

A fresh clam is closed, or closes when you tap it. Discard any that stay open or have a cracked shell, they're no longer safe to eat.

Can you make this dish ahead of time?

You can purge the clams a few hours in advance. However, the pasta and clams need to be cooked at the last minute, so this dish isn't really make ahead.

What if you don't have white wine?

Replace the white wine with water and a bit of lemon juice, the acidity plays a similar role. The flavor will be slightly simpler but the dish still works.

How long does it take to make a spaghetti alle vongole?

Count 30 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a spaghetti alle vongole?

About 480 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a spaghetti alle vongole cost?

About €4.20 per serving, or €16.80 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, mollusks. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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