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!
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.
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.
If you’ve enjoyed this Linguine with Canned Clams Recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and tell us about it in the comments below.
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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 olive oil
- 1/2 clove garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley minced
For the canned clam sauce
- 1 pound linguine
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 7 cloves garlic sliced
- 5 tinned anchovy fillets
- 1/4 tsp crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 10-ounce cans baby clams see notes below
- 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley minced
- 2 tablespoons butter cubed
- 2 cups reserved pasta water might not need all of it
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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loved the recipe and the video, i’m a visual learner so videos are much appreciated. I want to follow your channel but cant find a follow button, am I just old and missing something?
Hi Michael, thanks for the comment! To follow the channel, go to the homepage of the website and in the top right hand corner you’ll see 4 icons in this order (Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube). Click on the YouTube icon (looks like a an arrow within a blue square) and that will bring you to the channel where you can click “Subscribe”. I hope that helps!
Absolutely fabulous!
Thanks for the comment, Heidi!
This was good but with a little added cream it elevated the texture. Will make again with added cream.
Delicious and add to that quick/easy meal in minutes…,, thank you
This is by far my fave version of linguine and clams!! I used chopped bacon (to sub for pancetta) since I didn’t have anchovies. It was quick and easy to make; couldn’t believe I had all the ingredients on hand! Perfect weekday meal.
I was never a fan of clam sauce, BUT I LOVE IT NOW
,I added alittle truffle butter and I like it with the breadcrumbs. . Thank You
I really like All Your recipes 😋
I saw your five star recipe I thought I would give it a try.
I had the chopped can clams & some frozen imitation crab so I decided to use your recipe as my base.
After thawing the crab leg parts, adding chopped onion plus using the anchovies & oil, I followed your recipe pretty close.
I also decided to add a little butter to the drained linguine, and once I mixed it all together, I squeezed one lemon over the pasta.
Plus topped each dish with some hand grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Simply Delicious. Will definitely make again as it did not take long to make.
Delicious
This is a wonderful recipe. Only made 2 changes … chicken broth for the wine and I added mushrooms with the garlic and anchovies sauté. We all loved it!
Thank you for another keeper.
Always awesome 🤩
I made this tonight for dinner, my family loved it! 2 exceptions that I made: I used whole wheat linguine and added a healthy dose of freshly grated Parmesan on top, because who doesn’t like Parmesan with their pasta? 5 stars!
Such amazing results from very modest ingredients! I love this pantry dinner. I also always have clam juice in the pantry to strengthen the broth. Delicious
Awesome. My tweaks were minimal. I used parsley (fresh), basil and oregano. Can’t help myself. Love that combo of Italian seasoning. I get anchovies in olive oil, so I didn’t add other/additional oil to the pan. Made dinner in record time. Thanks for this delicious addition to our repertoire!
I’ve made this many times and I’m never disappointed. If I don’t have anchovies on hand I just omit them and it’s still delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Also where can I purchase those counter top burners you are using in the video?
We hope you enjoy it, Tina! The burner Jim uses is for ease with video filming and photos of the food but for every day use he still recommends using a regular stove top. The brand of the burner he uses in the videos is Iwatani and you can find them on Amazon.
My family loves my canned clam sauce. Your recipe is similar to mine with two exceptions. I don’t add anchovies nor do I add seasoned breadcrumbs. I wanted to try your recipe and I’m so glad I did. It was so good. My family and I loved it. Thank you 😊
Hi, Tara —
Not being one to mince words, I’ll get right to the point: I think this recipe is PERFECT!! For decades I have been a huge fan of linguini with canned clams, and over the years have collected various recipes from a number of sources; however, from my perspective, your recipe tops them all because it includes everything I love about this dish which some recipes do not always include, AND your recipe incorporates some additional suggestions — anchovies, lots of garlic, seasoned breadcrumbs for added texture, and a little “crunch”, a touch of “heat” from red pepper flakes, plus Jim’s suggestion in the video that adding lemon juice — a personal favourite — also goes well with clams. I especially love the use of the seasoned breadcrumbs. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being best, this recipe gets an 11+ AND two thumbs up from me.
Hi Ellen, we are so happy you loved this recipe! Thanks for the great comment!
Great white clam sauce! Thank you for the recipe
If I used anchovy paste how much would I use?
Hi Diane, 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste is equal to roughly two anchovy fillets. Jim uses 5 fillets for this recipe so you can start with 2 – 2 1/2 teaspoons and go from there.
This is so good! I didn’t have anchovies but had anchovy paste and used that instead. I also skipped the breadcrumbs. This is easy and very tasty