Linguine with Italian Sausage and Clams
Sausage and Clam Linguine combines crumbly Italian sausage with briny clams and fresh parsley for the ultimate pasta dish. Ready in about 35 minutes, this one's perfect for busy weeknights!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguine
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 10 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 10-ounce cans baby clams see notes below
- 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons butter cubed
- 3 cups reserved pasta water might not need all of it
Instructions
- 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 heat with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the sausage and saute until browned. Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon or meat masher. Make some room in the pan and add the remaining olive oil and the garlic. Cook the garlic until golden.
- 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 and 1 cup of pasta water.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the baby clams to the pan. Mix well.
- Add the linguine to the pan and half of the parlsey and mix well. 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 mix in the butter and remaining parsley. Mix well then taste test. Adjust salt and pepper levels if required. Enjoy!
Notes
- Canned clams. 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.
- Fresh clams. Use 2-3 dozen to equal the 3 cans of clams. Steam the clams in water or white wine, remove as they open, then remove the clams from their shells and chop. Or just use them whole. The choice is yours.
- Sausage. Hot sausage or chorizo will work just as well. It will change the character of the dish but still be delicious. If you can't find bulk Italian sausage, simply remove the sausage meat from the casings.
- Pasta water. The extra reserved pasta water can loosen up the sauce if it dries out while waiting for guests to be seated.
- Leftovers. Sausage and clam linguine can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Calories: 743kcal | Carbohydrates: 59.4g | Protein: 46.2g | Fat: 33.7g | Saturated Fat: 10.1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 900mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 2.8g | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 11mg
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