Spaghetti alle vongole is my favorite Italian pasta recipe. It’s always the first thing I eat when I arrive in Tuscany to visit my family. Imagine gorgeous clams, olive oil, garlic, parsley, chili peppers and white wine tossed in freshly cooked spaghetti. It is divine! If you love easy pasta dishes, try this Roman bucatini cacio e pepe next!
What is Spaghetti alle vongole?
Spaghetti alle vongole is an Italian pasta dish made with spaghetti, clams, olive oil, garlic, parsley, chili peppers and white wine. In Italy, you will find whole clams in the pasta and you can just scoop them out from their shells.
Spaghetti alle vongole ingredients
- Fresh clams
- Spaghetti
- Olive oil
- Garlic (cut into 8 parts)
- Fresh parsley
- Dried chili peppers
- White wine
- Salt and pepper
How to make spaghetti alle vongole step by step
- Step 1 – Clean the clams by soaking the clams in a large bowl of cold water with a tbsp of salt for 30 minutes.
- Step 2 – Repeat 3 times to make sure the clams are cleaned thoroughly.
- Step 3 – Ladle out one portion of water (without the sand). You will use this to add flavor to the spaghetti later.
- Step 4 – Rinse thoroughly. Prepare the pasta and the clams side by side.
- Step 5 – Cook the spaghetti for one minute less than indicated on the package. (The spaghetti will cook for an extra minute in the frying pan.)
- Step 6 – Heat olive oil in a frying pan on high heat.
- Step 7 – Add garlic, parsley and red chili pepper.
- Step 8 – Heat for a minute then add the clams and white wine.
- Step 9 – Cook for 5 more minutes.
- Step 10 – Remove from heat, put aside and cover until the pasta is finished cooking.
- Step 11 – (Important Tip : Remove the clams that are not open, and do not eat them. They were dead before you cooked them and could make you sick.)
- Step 12 – Put the spaghetti in the frying pan and pour the water you set aside earlier in too.
- Step 13 – Heat on high heat for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Step 14 – Sprinkle with black pepper and serve.
Tips
- Remove the clams that are not open, and do not eat them. They were dead before you cooked them and could make you sick.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Cook the spaghetti for one minute less than indicated on the package, as the spaghetti will continue cooking for an extra minute in the frying pan. You want to make sure the end result is perfectly al dente.
Serve with
- A glass of white wine
- Bread (a Tuscan bread is perfect, but your favorite bread wherever you are will taste great!)
- If serving as an Italian first course, or primi piatti, follow it with a fish or meat course.
FAQs
How to pronounce spaghetti alle vongole
spaghetti all-ay von-go-lay
How to eat spaghetti alle vongole
Eat with a fork! Unlike in the US and other countries, Italians do not eat spaghetti with a spoon. The proper Italian way to eat spaghetti is with a fork, get just the right amount of spaghetti on the fork so that you can twirl and twirl and twirl until you have a perfect amount of spaghetti for one awesome bite on your fork.
Looking for more tasty pasta recipes?
- Alpermagronen (Swiss Alpine Macaroni)
- Chorizo Spaghetti
- Porcini Mushroom Pasta
- Jerk Shrimp Pasta
- Garlic and Oil Spaghetti
- Pasta Recipes
- Italian Recipes
Spaghetti alle Vongole
Make this tasty clam pasta. You will love every bite! Make sure you let us know how it goes in the comments below!
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Spaghetti alle vongole
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: For 2
Description
This spaghetti alle vongole is bursting with flavor – garlic, parsley, butter & white wine!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs of fresh clams
- 6 ounces of spaghetti
- 6 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic (cut into 8 parts)
- 3 tbsp of parsley (roughly chopped)
- 2 dried chili peppers (crushed)
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Clean the clams by soaking the clams in a large bowl of cold water with a tbsp of salt for 30 minutes.
- Repeat 3 times to make sure the clams are cleaned thoroughly.
- Ladle out one portion of water (without the sand). You will use this to add flavor to the spaghetti later.
- Rinse thoroughly. Prepare the pasta and the clams side by side.
- Cook the spaghetti for one minute less than indicated on the package. (The spaghetti will cook for an extra minute in the frying pan.)
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan on high heat.
- Add garlic, parsley and red chili pepper.
- Heat for a minute then add the clams and white wine.
- Cook for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from heat, put aside and cover until the pasta is finished cooking.
- (Important Tip : Remove the clams that are not open, and do not eat them. They were dead before you cooked them and could make you sick.)
- Put the spaghetti in the frying pan and pour the water you set aside earlier in too.
- Heat on high heat for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with black pepper and serve.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: Italian
First published November 1, 2017. Last updated April 14, 2021 with more information, additional tips, and better readability.
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