Hi, Seafoodies!
One of our all-time favorite meals is linguine with clam sauce, and we’re pretty sure we’re not the only ones! Pasta with clams (“alle vongole,” as Italians say) originates from the Campania region of Italy, known for its more than 200 miles of coastline, port of Naples and Amalfi Coast. In other words, it’s a place where the language of Seafood is spoken! You’ll find plenty of variations of this traditional dish out there—with red or white sauce, fresh or canned clams, with or without anchovies—and we decided to create our own superfast version we could enjoy at home. So without further ado, let’s dive into our newest recipe, Instant Pot Pasta with Red Clam Sauce! We use canned clams, crushed tomatoes and other pantry staples in this recipe, so you can whip up this 20-minute meal whenever the mood strikes.
Cooking clams in the Instant Pot is a game-changer: You can make sauce and pasta in the same pot, at the same time. Just give the garlic a quick sauté, then switch to pressure-cook mode and stir in the other sauce ingredients. Add the pasta gently to the mix, so it can absorb some sauce when cooking. Close the lid, and in just a few minutes, voilà! You’ve got a (nearly) instant meal with loads of slow-simmered taste. The twirlable strands of linguine and spaghetti complement this tomatoey sauce well, but feel free to use any pasta you have on hand.
Clams are the undisputed star of this dish, with good reason. In addition to being tasty, they’re a high-protein powerhouse and also are rich in vitamin B-12, selenium, iron and zinc. We like to keep canned clams on hand, so we can stir them into soups, sauces and dips for an instant nutritional boost. It’s a smart–and easy–way to get more seafood servings into our weekly meal plan.
This easy-to-make recipe has all the classic Italian flavor your family loves. It also has less fat and calories and significantly reduced cooking (and cleanup!) time than most versions of this dish, thanks to the trusty Instant Pot. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
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Instant Pot Pasta with Red Clam Sauce
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup water or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon red pepper chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces linguine, broken in half
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Fresh basil leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Select sauté setting on Instant Pot. Add oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
- Add in next 10 ingredients (clams through black pepper); mix well. Turn off sauté function. Add broken pasta on top of sauce (crisscross noodles so they don’t stick together when cooking); do not stir but press pasta down gently until covered by sauce.
- Secure lid; ensure valve is in sealing position. Select Manual-High pressure. Set cook time for 5 minutes. Let pressure release naturally, then quick release. Remove lid and stir; let sit for a few minutes to thicken. Top with capers, and basil and Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Recommended utensils; Instant Pot, spatula or large spoon
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Clams
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