We love this Linguine with Clam Sauce recipe so much, it’s the only one we ever make! A creamy, lemony sauce made with white wine and tons of chopped clams with just a touch of heat from crushed red pepper. Making restaurant worthy pasta dishes are so easy to do at home, just a few simple ingredients is all you need to get started. Also try our Classic Beef Lasagna and our family favorite recipe for Eggplant Parmesan!
Why This Linguine With Clams Recipe Is The Best
Sure there are those fancy versions of Linguine with Clams Sauce that you get at restaurants. They have those beautiful whole clams tucked in the pasta, usually in a broth bases, wine infused sauce. Delicious.
But when we make Linguine with Clam Sauce at home, we make it this way. With canned, chopped clams, tons (I mean tons) of garlic and the most addicting lemon cream sauce you’ve ever tasted.
A bonus is that this pasta recipe only takes about 25 minutes from start to finish so it’s as perfect for an everyday dinner as it is for date night or a dinner party.
How To Make
Start by cooking a lot of chopped garlic in olive oil. This pasta dish is definitely one that calls for a good amount of garlic, in my opinion, but you can cut it down if you must.
The key here is to cook this garlic over low heat for a couple of minutes. Don’t let the garlic get brown or else the flavor will be bitter, and that won’t make for a delicious Linguine with Clam Sauce.
Add the drained chopped clams to the garlic and cook them for 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors together. Sprinkle in a tablespoon of flour and then pour in a splash white wine. Anything like a chardonnay or pinot grigio, even a dry champagne will work. Scrape up any bits from the bottom of the skillet and let the wine cook out for a minute.
Pour in heavy cream, a pat or two of butter, clam juice and parmesan cheese. Finish the sauce off with salt and crushed red pepper to taste and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Can You Use The Clam Juice From The Canned Clams?
You can, but it does tend to get a little gritty. Some recipes for Linguine with Clam Sauce call for draining and reserving the clam juice but I find that just grabbing a bottle of clam juice is a safer bet.
I’ve done it both ways and even after careful straining you’ll still get some sand with the juice that’s drained from the can. And since clam juice is really an inexpensive purchase it’s an easy fix.
Can I Use Fresh Clams For This Pasta Recipe?
If for some reason you have fresh clams laying around, or just prefer using fresh clams the answer is of course, yes. You’ll need about a pound of fresh clams that have been cleaned, steamed and chopped.
But we really find that canned clams are just as good, much easier and way more affordable. A tip for using canned clams is rinse and drain them well take off any of tinned flavor that might be left behind.
Looking For More Pasta Recipes?
- Creamy Penne Vodka Recipe
- Penne Arrabbiata
- Pasta Carbonara
- Perfect Baked Ziti
- 15 Minute Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
Linguine with Clam Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeLinguine with Clam Sauce is such an easy pasta dish to make at home! We love this version with a slightly creamy sauce and tons of chopped clams!
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped garlic
- 29 ounce can chopped clams, drained
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup clam juice (see note)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Fresh black pepper to taste (optional)
- Kosher salt if needed
- Grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the linguine according to the package directions. Drain and return back to the pot with just a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes while stirring so the garlic doesn’t brown. Add the chopped clams and cook for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook 1 minute longer.
- Carefully pour in the wine, scraping up the bottom of the skillet as you stir. Let the wine simmer for 1 minute to reduce, then add the clam juice, heavy cream, butter. and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine the sauce and let simmer for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Add the lemon juice and crushed red pepper then taste the sauce for seasonings. Add salt and black pepper if desired.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked linguine and stir to combine. Add fresh chopped parsley and more parmesan cheese for serving.
Recipe Notes
I prefer to buy clam juice in a bottle instead of saving the drained juice from the clams as it can be gritty, even after straining.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
This is a great recipe! I use chopped and minced clams for a variation. I’ve been making it like this for yrs with the exception of the wine? What was I thinking lol! Great addition and taste!!
I just made and ate this. OMG!!! Heavenly!
Better than in any 5 star restaurant I’ve had it! I have half of it left and am going to freeze it, no way am I gonna waste this masterpiece. Im drinking some of the Chardonnay with it. Thank you so much for posting this. I’ll be add this to my repeat recipes.
We’re so glad you liked it! Cheers!
Absolutely delish!!! Made it exactly as the recipe states and wouldn’t change a thing – except that the yield I believe serves 4 as we all wanted more clam sauce!!
BEST EVER! We have ordered out and gone to dinner to enjoy this dish. Have not had a better flavored version than this. We will continue to make this recipe every time we want Linguine & Clams! In fact we are making this tonight. Thanks again
One of our favorites, too! So glad you liked it!
Been searching for years for a recipe that simulates my husband’s favorite restaurant version… and this is it!!! Did not have wine, so substituted with chicken stock, otherwise no changes as instructed. Yummy!
We’re so glad you liked it!
I just made this and came to say thank you. This is delicious 😋 I didn’t change anything except topped with cooked shrimp. Oh!