Zucchini Pasta with Garlic Clam Sauce
Zucchini pasta with a simple garlic clam sauce. This delicious, easy, and healthy dinner comes together in less than 45 minutes!
As most of you know by now, I’m a pasta fanatic. It’s the Italian in me. We eat it at least once or twice a week, simply because it is fast, easy, and lends itself to so many different preparations. Pasta is the ultimate blank canvas.
In fact, I probably love pasta toppings and sauces as much as the pasta itself. Pesto, all’amatriciana, sautéed broccoli rabe, sweet and caramelized roasted tomatoes, light-as-air parmigiano-reggiano cheese, the list goes on and on.
Portion control whenever pasta is concerned is fairly non-existent in my family. Seconds (and even thirds) are almost a given. It’s definitely something we could be more mindful of.
Zucchini pasta, spiralized into beautiful, twirlable vegetable noodles, was practically made for people like me. People that like to make their pasta and eat it too.
I’m the first to admit that I’ve always been skeptical of pasta substitutes. As much as I love spaghetti squash, you will never find me claiming that it is an equal, or even worthy, substitute. It just doesn’t do it for me and that is the honest truth.
But spiralized noodles? I felt much more confident and excited about those. Today’s recipe for zucchini pasta with garlic clam sauce is from my friend Ali’s, a fellow Italian, incredibly successful (and inspiring!) cookbook, Inspiralized.
I was lucky to meet and spend time with Ali (we were roommates for the weekend!) at the Better Blog Retreat earlier this year. She continually blows me away and I feel lucky to call her a friend. This girl is a force to be reckoned with. I still have no idea how she does it all.
Chances are that if that you’ve heard about spiralizing (and vegetable noodles), you’re familiar with Ali and her amazing blog.
Aside from creating and sharing amazing inspiralized recipes – seriously, who knew that you could make so many things with this kitchen gadget – she has also created her very own spiralizer. It doesn’t get more impressive than that.
Actually, it does, because Ali has officially convinced me that vegetable noodles can be just as satisfying and delicious as the real deal stuff. Seriously, the first time that I prepared zucchini pasta, I was blown away by how full I felt after one bowlful.
Will I ever completely give up traditional pasta? No. But I’m excited to incorporate vegetable noodles – in various applications – into my regular weekly meal rotation.
Spiralizing is also incredibly fun! It’s also easy and fast. I stress that last point, because not only does a spiralizer tool lend oneself to eat more vegetables (something that I feel strongly about), but meals that can be prepared quickly. You can even store most spiralized vegetables in the fridge for up to a week at a time. Hello meal planning goals!
Today’s zucchini pasta with garlic clam sauce couldn’t be easier to prepare.
Al dente zucchini ‘linguini’ noodles are tossed with a simple sauce made with sautéed shallots, garlic, canned minced clams and their juices, red pepper flakes, white wine (a dry Sauvignon Blanc is perfect of this!), and fresh Littleneck clams. The zucchini noodles absorb the flavor of the sauce perfectly.
Serve it with a a couple pieces of crusty bread to help sop up the delicious broth. This meal is substantial on its own (Connor and I happily chowed it down), but you could easily use half dried linguini and half zucchini noodles too.
The best part about spiralizing is that its incredibly adaptable. Have fun and make it your own!
Zucchini Pasta with Garlic Clam Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 (6-ounce) can minced clams, drained, with half the juice reserved
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
- kosher sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5 lbs littleneck (or manila) clams, rinsed and scrubbed
- 3 large zucchini, spiralized with Blade C
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 lemons, quartered
Directions:
- Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is simmering, add the garlic and shallots. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the shallots are translucent. Add the red pepper flakes, reserved clam juice, and wine, and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the sauce is reduced by about half.
- Add the fresh clams to the sauce and cover. Steam for 7 to 10 minutes. Discard any clams that don’t open after 10 minutes, then add the chopped clams. Stir in the zucchini noodles and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the zucchini noodles are al dente.
- Divide the pasta among bowls and garnish with the remaining parsley and lemon wedges.
Nutritional Information: 237 calories per serving | Fat: 8 grams | Carbs: 20 grams | Sodium: 1077 mg | Protein: 20 grams | Sugar: 4 grams
Reprinted with permission from Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci (Clarkson Potter, 2015).
All images and text ©.Tips For Success:
- Store fresh clams in a bowl, covered with a damp paper towel, set within a bowl of ice in the refrigerator. Avoid submerging fresh clams in ice or water. Fresh clams are best cooked within 24 hours.
- Scrub and rinse several times before using to remove any grit or sand.
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This recipe post is done in collaboration with Ali at Inspiralized. While I received a complimentary Inspiralized tool and copy of Ali’s cookbook, I am thrilled to support my friend’s amazing kitchen tool and cookbook – and always love to share products that I use and love with you!
Products Used for this recipe:
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Linguine with clam sauce is one of my all-time favorites. I need to try this version!
I LOVE Ali and her cookbook! I have actually made this recipe and it is totally delish!! Love those claims!
Me too! Thanks Tieghan!!
Holy cow, that is insanely gorgeous! I use the spiralizer all the time at work, but maybe it is time I get my own!
Thank you!!!! xo I was going to say – I think an inspiralizer would be perfect for your job! Makes sense that you use one.
I am with you on that one! I am super skeptical of pasta stand ins, but I actually came to really love zoodles last summer!
I rarely ever cook with clams so this is a great one to add to my rotation!
Glad I’m not the only one! I don’t cook with clams nearly enough either and I’m not sure why. I love them!
I can so relate to being addicted to pasta! Quick simple pasta dishes are my saving grace when I am tired after work and don’t feel like cooking dinner but my husband and I have been staying off carbs for the month of January and it’s been hard! It’s definitely time to dust off my spiraliser and give this beauty of a dish a try! Love all the flavours here and of course the fact that it is so healthy is a HUGE bonus!
YES. My addiction will never end, but at least now I can replace ALL or some pasta with vegetable noodles and not feel quite as bad about that second or third helping 🙂
I don’t own a spiralizer, but this recipe sure makes me want to get one! I LOVE spaghetti and clams, so this recipe looks divine – so bright and colorful. Thanks for sharing!
It is so much fun, really! I also love that its really easy to clean and is incredibly light and small. I don’t own many specialized kitchen tools, but I highly recommend getting one if you’re interested in adding more vegetables in your everyday routine or eat a lot of pasta (and want to substitute noodles for some of it!).
This looks so beautiful! I love that you made a clam sauce instead of a traditional red sauce for zucchini noodles – and those clams look perfect. I want to dive right in!!
Thank you so much Erica! I love a simple garlic clam sauce like this too. It makes for a nice change from a traditional homemade marinara, which is usually my go-to sauce during the week.
Yum – what a beautiful dish! I love linguine with clams and I have a peeler that also doubles as a spiralizer (I think) so I might give this a shot in the near future if I can find some clams…
Thanks Laura 🙂
Love this post, Laura! I love the Inspiralizer! It is fun to use and easy to clean! Last night we had the deconstructed manicotti from the Inspiralized cookbook, and absolutely loved it! Even dad, who complained about not having pasta, agreed that it was delicious! We will try the clam sauce soon!
Hey Laura! If I haven’t said it elsewhere already, I just want to say A Beautiful Plate is amazing. Your whole new redesign and brand are totally gorgeous. Just smart and well laid out, and very YOU! BIG FAN over here lady. BIG FAN. Also, these clams? Fuggedaboutit.
I meant to reply to this!!! And I lost track of it! Thank you so much Sarah! Means so, so much to me – especially coming from you. Love ya! xo
My zoodler is just sooooo excited right now!!! This garlic sauce is heavenly!
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This recipe does not state when to add the canned minced clams. Since they are already cooked, I ‘m guessing after the fresh clams open. Can you confirm?
Hi Karen! If you look at step 2, it states to add the chopped clams (the canned ones!) after the fresh clams open. Let me know if that helps! Hope you enjoy itb