Italian foods are among my favorites, which is why I was thrilled when I found this great pesto pasta recipe with clams.

Honestly, you will think that you are dining in a fancy Italian eatery when you make this.

I made it for my family recently and they loved it – even my picky eaters cleaned their plates!

This entire dish only takes about half an hour to complete, which is great for authentic Italian dishes.

If you don’t really like clams, you could leave those off or maybe substitute shrimp but the clams really do give the pasta a wonderful flavor.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions

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This is so easy, too. There is very little actual hands on cooking required. You just make your pasta and then put together your pesto and clams.

So easy and yet so delicious. I made this with one of my favorite summer salads and it was a great meal. You could also add rolls or garlic bread.

If you have never cooked with clams, note that when you cook them, you only keep the ones that open. Clams that don’t open aren’t good so you throw out any that are closed when the rest of them are cooked.

This makes it important to know where you are getting your clams. If you can get them fresh, that’s even better but this will work just as well with clams that you pick up at your grocery store.

And, since the entire dish only takes about half an hour to prepare, you should plan a great dessert for afterwards, like these Nutella stuffed blondies. They’re a family favorite, too.

Always start with fresh ingredients for the tastiest dishes:

Make your own fresh pesto for this dish

Cook clams until done – throw away any that do not open during cooking

Mix pasta, pesto and clams together for a delicious and authentic Italian dish

Yield: 4 servings

Spaghetti Pesto With Clams Recipe

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Italian foods are among my favorites, which is why I was thrilled when I found this great pesto pasta recipe with clams. This is one of the easiest Italian meals that you will ever make and it’s got a great flavor, thanks to the dry white wine, butter and cloves, among other delicious ingredients.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (250 g) of spaghetti
• 10 oz. (300 g) fresh or frozen clams in shell
• 2 tbsps. of butter
• ½ cup of dry white wine or water
• 1 cup of basil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ⅔ cup of olive oil
• 3 tbsps. of lemon juice
• ½ cup of parmesan
• A pinch of chili flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.
2. Meanwhile make quick pesto by blending basil, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan and chili flakes together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Melt butter over medium heat. Add clams and pour in white wine or water. Cover skillet with a lid and let clams open up. Through away any clams that are closed.
4. Add pasta to the skillet, pour basil pesto on top and stir. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

7 oz (200 g)
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 582Total Fat: 43.8gSaturated Fat: 10.2gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 429mgCarbohydrates: 33.1gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 0.1gProtein: 17.4g