Italian

Serving

Italian Quick & easy

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Name: Spaghetti alle Vongole
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400g (14 oz) dried spaghetti; 1 kg (2.2 lbs) fresh littleneck clams or vongole veraci, purged and scrubbed; 4 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced; 1/2 cup dry white wine (like Pinot Grigio); 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 1 large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Spaghetti tossed with fresh clams, garlic, white wine, and chili flakes in an olive oil sauce, finished with parsley, a classic Italian seafood pasta.

30 minutes

Serves 4

14 min prep

23 min cook

Contains common allergens

Seafood Shellfish Wheat

In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.

Good to know

Ready in under 30 minutes

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: 30-minute meals

Instructions

6 steps

1
Purge the Clams: Soak the clams in a large bowl of very cold, heavily salted water for at least 30 minutes to allow them to spit out any sand. Lift them out of the water (don't pour, or the sand will go back on them) and scrub the shells clean. Discard any cracked or open clams that don't close when tapped.
2
Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until just shy of *al dente* (about 2 minutes less than package instructions).
3
Aromatize the Oil: While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté gently for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and barely golden (do not let it brown).
4
Steam the Clams: Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the scrubbed clams and immediately pour in the white wine. Cover the skillet tightly with a lid. Steam for 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the clams have opened wide. Discard any that remain closed.
5
Toss the Pasta: Using tongs, transfer the undercooked spaghetti directly from the water into the skillet with the clams and their briny juices. Toss the pasta vigorously in the bubbling broth for 1-2 minutes until it finishes cooking and absorbs the flavors of the sauce.
6
Garnish and Serve: Remove from the heat. Stir in the finely chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately in large, warm bowls, ensuring everyone gets plenty of clams and the delicious, garlicky broth at the bottom of the pan.

Spaghetti alle Vongole — plated and served — Serving moment. How Spaghetti alle Vongole looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

63/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 70

Kid-friendly 35

Weeknight-easy 86

Budget-friendly 72

Great leftovers 50

Pantry-friendly 53

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

735

Calories

51 g

Protein

86 g

Carbs

18 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Spaghetti alle vongole is a Neapolitan classic born of the Campanian coast, where small, sweet clams are pulled from the bay and tossed with pasta the same day. The purist version, in bianco, skips tomato entirely so nothing competes with the briny clam liquor, garlic, and olive oil. It is a dish about timing and freshness, traditionally cooked fast and eaten immediately.

Listahan note

This version keeps it in bianco, building the sauce from the clams' own released liquid, garlic, white wine, and parsley. It emphasizes purging the clams and the quick toss that keeps them tender.

Technique cues

Soak the clams in salted water before cooking so they spit out grit; sandy clams ruin the whole dish.
Open the clams in the pan and pull them as they pop so they do not overcook into rubber while the slow ones catch up.
Toss the nearly-cooked pasta in the clam liquor with a little of its starchy water so the sauce emulsifies and clings.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Purge the clams and mince the garlic and parsley while the pasta water heats, so the fast cook has nothing waiting.
Make-ahead: This dish does not hold well, but you can purge the clams and prep the aromatics hours ahead so the cook is only minutes.
Leftover move: Pick any leftover clam meat from shells and fold it with the pasta into a quick seafood frittata the next day.
Cleanup rhythm: Set a bowl out for empty shells as you eat, and rinse the clam pan right away before the brine dries.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

fresh clams

main protein and sauce

Purpose: Small clams release a sweet, briny liquor that becomes the sauce itself; their freshness is non-negotiable.

Handling: Soak in cold salted water for an hour to purge grit, discarding any that stay open when tapped.

Adaptation: Cockles or small Manila clams work; canned clams are a last resort and lose the fresh liquor.

garlic

aromatic base

Purpose: Gently sizzled garlic perfumes the oil that becomes the backbone of the sauce.

Handling: Slice thin or smash whole and soften in oil without browning, which would turn it bitter.

Adaptation: A milder shallot can stand in if garlic is too strong for the table.

dry white wine

deglaze and brightness

Purpose: It steams the clams open and adds acidity that balances the rich oil and brine.

Handling: Add once the garlic is fragrant and let it bubble briefly to cook off the raw alcohol.

Adaptation: A splash of clam juice with a squeeze of lemon if you skip wine.

spaghetti

pasta

Purpose: Long strands carry the thin, briny sauce and twirl up the clams.

Handling: Cook one minute shy of done and finish it in the clam pan with a little pasta water.

Adaptation: Linguine works equally well; avoid heavy tube shapes that overwhelm the delicate sauce.

fresh parsley

fresh finish

Purpose: It adds color and a grassy lift that cuts the brine right at the end.

Handling: Chop and stir in off the heat so it stays bright green.

Adaptation: A little fresh basil works, though parsley is traditional and cleaner here.

Technique notes

Reserve a small cup of clam-and-pasta liquid before draining; it is the secret to a sauce that emulsifies and clings.
Skip cheese entirely, since it muddies the clean brine of a proper vongole.
Add a pinch of chili flake to the garlic oil for the popular vongole-with-heat variation.

Ingredient swaps

Gluten-free direction: Use a good gluten-free spaghetti or linguine and lean on the reserved starchy water to bind the sauce.
Lower-sodium direction: Skip added salt entirely; the clam liquor is already briny, and season only with lemon and parsley.
Weeknight shortcut: Use frozen cooked clam meat plus a bottle of clam juice for a faithful sauce when fresh clams are not available.

Serve alongside

Grilled lemon bread or bruschetta
Simple fennel and orange salad
Sauteed broccoli rabe
Marinated olives
A glass of Vermentino
A crisp Falanghina
Sparkling water with lemon

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

This dish is best eaten immediately, but leftovers keep one day in the fridge in a sealed container. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water, knowing the clams will firm up slightly. Do not freeze, as the clams turn tough and the delicate sauce breaks on thawing.

Equipment

A wide, deep skillet with a lid
A large pasta pot
A colander for purging and draining clams
Tongs for tossing pasta

Make this household-aware

Listahan Pro checks this recipe against your household's allergens, finds pantry-aware swaps, builds the shopping list, and helps you plan the week around it.

Get the app