Linguine with canned clams is a wonderful dish to make when you’re craving clam sauce but don’t want to run to the store to buy fresh clams. Topped with homemade toasty breadcrumbs, this pasta is budget-friendly and takes about 30 minutes making it a perfect weeknight meal!
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There are so many times I crave linguine with clam sauce, and often they’re late at night!
For this reason, I always keep some canned clams in my pantry so I can easily toss together this super simple linguine with canned clams.
It’s similar in taste to the classic linguine alle vongole, but easier and more budget-friendly.
I love to top mine with homemade seasoned breadcrumbs which add wonderful texture and depth of flavor.
Bookmark this recipe because you’ll want to make this time and time again!
How to make the seasoned breadcrumbs (optional)
- Mince 1/2 clove of garlic and 3 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley. Pulse 5 slices of day-old bread in a food processor (or just use 1 cup of store-bought plain breadcrumbs) along with the garlic, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat a large pan to medium and add the breadcrumb ingredients to it.
- Stir frequently and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Set aside and serve with the pasta at the end.
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How to make linguine with canned clams
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Slice 7 cloves of garlic and mince 1/4 cup of flat-leaf Italian parsley. Cube 2 tablespoons of unsalted cold butter.
- Using 3 10-ounce cans of baby clams, separate the clams from their juice and reserve both. Note: You could certainly get by with 2 cans, but use 3 if you like a lot of clams!
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a large pan to medium-low and add 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the garlic, and 5 tinned anchovy fillets.
- Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the garlic is golden and the anchovies have dissolved. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. At this point, add 1 pound of linguine to the salted boiling water and cook until 1 minute less than al dente.
- Add a 1/2 cup of dry white wine and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the wine reduces by about half.
- Add the reserved clam juice and turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Add the baby clams to the pan and mix well. Simmer the sauce while waiting for the pasta.
- Add the linguine to the pan and mix with tongs or toss to emulsify the sauce.
- Cook the pasta with the sauce for 1 minute or until the pasta reaches al dente. If more sauce is needed, add a few ounces of reserved pasta water at a time until there is enough sauce. Note: I love it on the saucier side, but adjust it according to taste.
- Remove from the heat and add the butter and parsley. Mix well, then give it a taste test adjusting salt and pepper if needed. Serve in bowls with the optional seasoned breadcrumbs from above on the side. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Canned clams. Canned seafood is wonderful to keep on hand in your pantry. I typically keep several cans of baby clams, clam juice, sardines, oiled-packed tuna, and anchovies on hand for when I want to make a simple meal, like tuna pasta. I had enough clam juice from just the canned clams and didn’t need to open a can of clam juice, but if you want more you can certainly add it. I do prefer to use pasta water to make up the difference.
- Salt level. Clams and anchovies are pretty salty, as is the salted pasta water. For this reason, I did not need to add any additional salt to the recipe, besides the salt added to the breadcrumbs, but be sure to taste test and adjust to the salt level you prefer.
- Save your pasta water! As mentioned above and in most of my pasta recipes, it’s important to reserve your pasta water to help reconstitute the sauce. Never toss the pasta water until you’re done eating!
- The breadcrumbs. While the breadcrumbs are optional, I highly recommend using them! They bring wonderful texture and flavor to the canned clams with linguine!
More seafood recipes
Here are a few more of our favorite recipes using the fruits of the sea!
- New England clam chowder – chunky and creamy soup loaded with wonderful clam flavor.
- Linguine with red clam sauce – clams and pasta in a simple marinara.
- Clams oreganata – baked clams topped with garlicky breadcrumbs.
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Linguine with Canned Clams
Linguine with white clam sauce made from canned clams, garlic, and parsley and topped with homemade toasted garlic breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
For the seasoned breadcrumbs (optional)
- 5 slices day old bread (crust removed) or 1 cup store-bought plain breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (45g) olive oil
- 1/2 clove garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
For the canned clam sauce
- 1 pound (454g) linguine
- 5 tablespoons (75g) extra virgin olive oil
- 7 cloves garlic sliced
- 5 anchovy fillets
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup (120g) dry white wine
- 3 10-ounce cans baby clams see notes below
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter cubed
- 2 cups (480g) reserved pasta water might not need all of it
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Instructions
For the seasoned breadcrumbs
- Pulse 5 slices of day-old bread in a food processor along with the garlic, parsley, salt, and olive oil.
- Heat a large pan to medium and add all of the breadcrumb ingredients to the pan. Stir frequently and cook until the breadcrumbs turn golden (about 5-7 minutes).
For the canned clam sauce
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Separate the canned baby clams from their juice, reserving both.
- Heat a large pan to medium-low heat and add the extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and anchovies. Cook until the garlic is golden and the anchovies dissolve (about 3 minutes).
- Meanwhile, begin cooking the linguine until 1 minute less than al dente.
- Add the hot red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the white wine and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook the wine for 2-3 minutes or until it slightly reduces then add all of the reserved clam juice.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the baby clams to the pan. Mix well.
- Add the linguine to the pan. Toss or mix with tongs to emulsify the sauce. Cook the pasta with the sauce for 1 minute or until the pasta just reaches al dente. If more sauce is needed, add a couple of ounces of reserved pasta water at a time. The pasta should have plenty of sauce, so add enough pasta water.
- Turn the heat off and add the butter and parsley. Mix well then taste test. Adjust salt and pepper levels if required. Serve in bowls along with the seasoned breadcrumbs on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Three 10-ounce cans of baby clams will leave you with approximately 18 ounces of clam juice. If needed, use extra store-bought clam juice or more pasta water to make up the difference.
- No extra salt was added to the clam sauce due to the inherent saltiness of the clams, anchovies, and pasta water. Adjust according to taste right before serving.
- The extra reserved pasta water can loosen up the sauce if it dries out while waiting for guests to be seated. Use a few ounces at a time.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 706kcal | Carbohydrates: 86.3g | Protein: 31.9g | Fat: 27.6g | Saturated Fat: 6.8g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 625mg | Potassium: 632mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 22mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I have fond memories (decades old) of linguine with canned clams in “mom and pop” restaurants in some of San Francisco’s Italian neighborhoods. Your recipe seemed close to what I remember. And I enjoyed eating it. But the flavors seemed too subdued. I’m 77, and my taste buds are perhaps slowing down. What can I do to increase the clam flavor and pump up the seasoning? Thanks. And thanks for your recipes on Sip and Fest. I’ve tried and enjoyed many of them.
Hi Norm, you could try using another brand of canned clams and see if that helps, or add more anchovies. You could also try adding some extra clam juice. Hope this helps!
Delicious! Easy, will definitely be repeated. Thank you. This put some pizazz into my Monday.
So happy you liked it, Barb!
Jim, I have to tell you, I have never made this dish with canned clams. I had it out once and it was pretty bad. So I was thinking, can it taste alot better than what I had out, I googled the recipe and came across yours. Since I had tried some recipes of yours in the past, I went to you. ( by the way your beef stroganoff was the best I ever made, ) anyways this one was also a winner. I did add some lemon zest and a little juice, I couldn’t help myself.
Great Recipe!! Thanks
Hi Chris, we’re so happy you enjoyed this one (and the stroganoff too!)!
Love your recipes! I heard best canned clams in New England area is Bar Harbor but they come either whole or chopped. It didn’t say baby clams. Thoughts on what I should choose or find baby clams.
Hi Karen, you can use those clams and it will be fine. If you buy the whole ones, you may want to chop to make the pieces smaller.
Very delicious! Had to sub capers + teaspoon of fish sauce for the anchovies and it turned out great. Definitely will be making again. Yum
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Yvonne!
Excellent dish, no need to alter the recipe! The bread crumb topping adds the perfect texture/crunch to the finished dish.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Julie!
Recipes are so easy with few ingredients. Love the young man tastetester!
We’re happy to hear that, Marir!
Great recipe.
We’re so glad you liked this one, Alfredo!
Just made this and lordy, was it ever good! The breadcrumbs are a game changer in this one. I’ve had a lot of linguini and clams in my day (it’s high on my list of favorites), but I was blown away by how much flavor was packed into this sauce. Anchovies! So good. This is now my go-to recipe. Thanks Jim!
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Patrice!
I was staring at the cans of clams hanging out in my pantry and went looking for a clam linguine recipe that specifically used canned clams.
Your version got my attention as it has anchovies! I love anchovies and how they melt into a recipe and add such a great umami-ness, and this recipe shall remain in rotation within my household, it was DELICIOUS!
So great to hear, Dee Dee!
I’ve had this in my to-try pile for the longest time and just made it this evening. It was amazing, but I did make a few modifications. I added some peas & carrots, fresh mushrooms and green onions. Didn’t have fresh parsley on hand so substituted some fresh spinach. Due to the additions, added some black pepper in addition to the red pepper flakes. Going in our file to make again. Thank you for sharing all your amazing recipes!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Beth!
Huge fan of clam linguine and this recipe was so good – accessible and easy! Although I didn’t add white wine, bread crumbs, or butter it came out incredibly delicious. I did add shallots along with the garlic, and squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest at the end. It’s so light, refreshing, and tasty. The anchovies were such a great addition – it added so much depth to the overall flavor.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Naomi!
Delicious, but thought it could use some lemon juice.
We only used two 5-ounce cans of clams and that worked great. We also added the juice of a lemon and a bunch of pepper and that gave us the flavour we wanted. If I were to make it again, I would actually add a rue or cornstarch even though that’s not how the dish is “supposed” to be. I’d just rather have the clams better integrated in the dish and not have to keep fishing them out of the bottom of the pan.
Excellent, even without the bread crumbs