Oh boy do I love Linguine with White Clam Sauce. It’s one of those pastas that are so simple, yet so full of flavor and vibrant to gaze at. Long & thin flat noodles covered in a glistening, creamy, garlicky sauce adorned with spices and chopped clams.
In fact, this dish reminds me of the amazing sauce used for baked clams that we make sure the server supplies us extra bread for to soak up every last drop…but in a pasta!
It’s easily one of my favorite pasta dishes ever not only because of its unforgettable rich/light flavor, but also because it’s just that: EASY…and QUICK! So get out that Instant Pot because this one’s gonna change the way you eat pasta!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Start off with a large shallot…
…and dice it up.
Then take a can of chopped clams in their juices…
…and pour it through a fine mesh strainer with a bowl under it so as to separate the clams from the clam juice.
See? No separation anxiety here. Set aside.
Now go to the Instant Pot and add in some butter…
…and some olive oil.
Give the pot some heat and allow the butter to melt into the oil and begin to bubble.
Once bubbling, add in the shallots…
…and simmer for a little.
Now add in some crushed garlic…
…and mix it in with the sizzlin’ shallots.
Next, take some dry white wine…
…and add it to the pot. Allow some of the alcohol to bubble off for another minute.
Now let’s make a garlic broth using that fabulous Garlic Better Than Bouillon (you can use Chicken broth too)…
…and pour the broth into the pot along with some lemon juice.
Now let’s add in a few dried spices like oregano…
…sweet basil…
…dried parsley flakes…
…Old Bay seasoning…
…and black pepper.
Stir everything up nicely.
Now we need one of our star ingredients: Linguine!
Take about half the box…
…break it half…
…and place on top of the liquid in the pot.
Push the linguine down with a spoon so it’s totally submerged in the liquid, but DO NOT STIR it! Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
When done, you’ll see the linguine will have cooked to perfection and it may be a little soupy. This is good because it’s going to make for a wonderfully rich and creamy sauce in just a moment!
Now take those reserved clams…
…add them to the pot and stir them in.
And finally, add in some grated Parmesan cheese…
…and give the pasta and clams a nice good stir so everything is coated and combined.
Allow it to sit in the pot for a few so the clams are heated through and the sauce thickens up nicely.
Then, transfer it to a serving bowl, plate it up…
…and SAVOR THE FLAVOR!
A magnificent pasta dish, done so quickly and easily!
Instant Pot Linguine with White Clam Sauce
I can assure you that even if clams aren't your thing, this pasta dish will be. It is one of the greatest (and easiest) Linguine with White Clam Sauce recipes I've ever known.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of butter (salted or unsalted is fine here)
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice (half a squeezed lemon)
- 1 large (or 2 small) shallot(s), diced
- 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
- 1 1/2 cups of garlic or chicken broth (I used 1 tsp of Garlic Better Than Bouillon + 1.5 cups of water)
- 1/4 cup of a dry white wine (Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc or a white cooking wine will work great)
- Two 6.5 oz cans of chopped clams with their juices, separated from one another (so dump the clams in a strainer and set aside the clam juice from the clams)
- 1 tsp of dried oregano
- 1 tsp of dried sweet basil
- 1 tsp of dried parsley flakes
- 1 tsp of Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp of black pepper
- 8 oz (half a box) of linguine, with the noodles broken in half (I HIGHLY suggest using linguine for this – it cooks to perfection)
- 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping if desired
Instructions
- Add the butter and oil to the Instant Pot. Hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting and wait until the butter has melted and it bubbles
- Add the shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute and then add in the white wine and let simmer for 1 minute more
- Add the broth, lemon juice, clam juice (but NOT the clams), basil, oregano, parsley, Old Bay, pepper and stir together well
- Break the linguine in half and lay it on top, pushing it all down under the liquid but NOT stirring
- Secure the lid and hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 6 minutes. Quick release when done (it may appear a bit soupy when the lid comes off but this is what we want for now!)
- Stir in the clams and the Parmesan. Let sit for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the clams get heated through and it will thicken up into an incredible sauce
- Transfer to a serving bowl, plate it up and sprinkle any extra Parmesan cheese if desired
- Enjoy and serve with some crusty Italian bread to sop up any leftover sauce!
Jeffrey's Tips
This will feed about 4 smaller appetites or 2 large ones. If you wish to double the recipe and use the whole box of pasta, everything in the recipe remains the same – just add in another cup of broth and another can of clams + their juices.
Want to set it over the edge and make it extra clammy? Take about 1 lb of fresh clams in their shell (they will be closed) and lay it on top of the pasta just before cooking! When done, discard any clams whose shell didn’t open!
Debbie Buchholz
A quick and easy recipe that will have your guest thinking you have been taking cooking classes. This recipe is requested often at my home. And I think it tastes even better the next day!
Jeffrey
This is one of my faves too! Thanks for the sweet words!
Cyn
I can’t believe Debbie even has any left for the next day!! We’re always scraping the bottom of the pot to get every last bit! Maybe I’ll try making it a day ahead.
Rose
I made it with imported lemon linguine from Italy and the combination was out of this world! Was a success!
Thks for this delicious recipe!
Will be a definite repeat!
Jeffrey
Well THIS just made my night! Thanks for sharing!
Rosaura Santiago
On that note had home made key lime sugar cookie to top it off! Thank goodness for cookie gift!
Frank
This is my go-to dinner to impress m’lady. You rock!
Marie
We made this once and my husband requested it for his birthday dinner tonight. Soooooo good!
Jeffrey
Fantastic. It’s one of my faves.
Jack
One of our new household regulars! Thank you!
Gigi
Thank you so much for this terrific recipe! I avoided spending $$$ tonight because I’ve made this before for my family and we adore it! I made sure I had all ingredients on hand. It is sooo good. We make the full pound!
Jennifer
When you make the full pound just adding that extra cup of broth is enough for all the pasta? I am excited to try this dish. Instead of 1 cup of extra broth I am going to use clam juice.
Heather
This recipe did not disappoint! My husband has been missing the pasta place in town ao I made this for dinner tonight. Not quite the same but delicious! Another winner! Can’t wait to make this for my mom.
Cyn
THIS!!!! This is SO easy and delicious. It went into our meal rotation after the first bite; under the quick and easy on a work night heading. My husband rarely cares what I’m planning to make as he’ll eat anything I put in front of him but this – this he asks for often.
Sharon
Would this fit in a 3 qt instant pot?
Kelli
Yes, I made this in a 3 at last night. Perfect with 1/2 a box of linguini.
Georgia
I’ll be honest; I’ve not been impressed with IP pasta recipes until now. This one is fabulous! When I told my husband what we were having for dinner, he didn’t say much (I know he’s not a fan of white pasta sauces). Well, he loved it! I love having a pantry meal in my arsenal, and this one is perfect.
Arya
this was amazing i cant even lie. so easy and affordable! i love the short ingredient list.
Denise Smith
Thanks for this Jeffrey!
I just absolutely can’t do canned clams …….
How many fresh clams should I use? Or better yet, how many little necks will fit to get as many as possible?
Thanks!
Denise Smith
Jane
May I ask what kind of parm. you’re using? Is it freshly grated or the kind you can buy in a tub in the cheese section?
Debra Fair
This recipe was easy and tasted great. I am not a big clam person, but this recipe did not disappoint. The pasta cooked great, not soggy and the clams with the lemon and the spices added a great taste. I will be making this again.
Barbara Firestone
We made this tonight and it is really, really, really good, and so easy to make. I will definitely be keeping two cans of claams in my pantry. We are looking forward to tomorrow left overs!
Diana
Another fantastikkkkk dinner!! Thxxx
Kim Jahsman
I make this often! I love it! More so- my partner likes it and he is extremely picky!
Monica
Has anyone used gluten free pasta?
Bob
always a hit. Substitute a cup of clam juice instead of water. I sauté fresh clams to augment the canned clams.
Veeps
Damn this is good! And I thought I don’t like linguine in clam sauce!
Jordan
Love this recipe. Would it be possible to make even more than a pound of this in one go with the 6qt IP? Or would that end up being too much for the IP to handle? Thanks!
David
Love this recipe…. I took the liberty of a couple tweaks added more garlic, clam juice and lemon juice and reduced the stock and absolute perfection! My go to dinner party dish!
Summer Howard
Made this for Christmas dinner, it was fabulous! I made a whole pound of pasta, so I just doubled everything. It was soooo easy and everyone loved it. Thanks for the recepie.
Ana
This is absolutely delicious!!! I can’t wait to try more recipes from the website and cookbooks!
Shannon
I can’t count how often I have made this recipe! SO GOOD. In fact, that’s what we are having for dinner tonight!
B
So easy. So delicious. Jeffrey’s tip for doubling is so simple, too. Will definitely make it again for the family.
Connie
Delish! 5 *s! Very flavorful. My husband’s favorite meal (a close second is Jeffrey’s IP pot roast recipe!)
Question- can this be adapted to make shrimp scampi (with linguini) by omitting the clam juice and adding more chicken broth and laying peeled, deveined, frozen shrimp on top of the pasta?
Keep the great recipes coming!
Philip
My family truly enjoys this meal. However, I cook one pound of pasta and it goes too fast. We usually make 2 pounds of pasta for our meals. If I double the recipe, including doubling the one pound information within tips. Would that work or are there other tweaks I should make.
Mike
Hi Jeff –
Is there any chance of doubling this recipe and leaving out the pasta (just make the sauce to pour over other pasta types… cooked on a stovetop)?
Rick
Make this once a month. Better than any restaurant! Just follow the directions, and wallah, perfection. Thanks Jeffrey, love your stuff.
Sharon
Turned out good. I only used 1 T. each of the butter and olive oil to save on calories and it was sufficient. Topped it with fresh parsley and hot pepper flakes.
Joanie
Good to know! I was wondering about that~
Melody
I adore your recipes!! Thank you. I’m currently between homes, so my IP in storage!! Could I do this stove top, just cook linguine separately? Thanks for all the love you share!!
Kristen
This is our traditional Christmas dinner (three years now). Soooo good! We always put the frozen clams on top and it makes the dish seem really fancy. Thank you!
Jeffrey
One of my all-time faves. SO glad you enjoyed!
Lubna
Is it possible to omit/lessen the amount of butter and use all/more olive oil to get the same result?
Thank you
Jean
I actually cut the butter and olive oil in half and the sauce was still delicious and silky and rich.
Kay
This is excellent. Perfect for the two of us with just a little leftover. I added a few red pepper flakes.
Jeffrey
So glad!
Linda
Made this today it was sooooo good.Followed it to the tee. I will make this again. Thank you foe your instant pot recipes. Linda from Ohio!!!
Jeffrey
Fantastic!
Mila
I’m wondering if I could make this with refrigerated tortellini and pressure cook for 0 minutes. How much liquid should I use?
Scott
Wow! So easy and soooooo good!
Can I simply double everything to make a double batch?
Jeffrey
Go for it! And thrilled you enjoyed!
Jean
I made this tonight after a very long and busy day. I wanted quick and easy and this was perfect. Incredibly delicious Italian comfort in a pot.
Jeffrey
Pure heaven!
Molly
Hi Jeffrey! I’m making this tonight for the first time. I have some lobster BTB in my fridge, do you think that would be good in this dish? Or would the lobster flavor overpower the clam flavor? Thank you!
Jeffrey
That will work nicely!
Dori
I consider myself an expert on eating authentic linguini with clams. I grew up in New Jersey and the highlight of my trips home are for this dish. But I’ve lived in CA for over 30 years. I’ve never made it myself until this recipe. And it is spot on the most delish thing I have ever made. Thank you for an easy , awesome recipe.
Jeffrey
This comment made my day! SO happy you loved it!
Lori
Hi Jeffrey,
I’m wondering what you think about using smoked clams for this?
Jeffrey
Go for it!
Fred
I made this tonight with some changes. it was over the top! here’s what changed: Had some beef broth I had opened and needed to use so I use that instead of chicken broth. Only had red wine vinegar and use that in place of the white wine. Doubled everything else in the recipe, except the clams I tripled those. I was concerned that the changes of the beef broth and red wine vinegar might negatively impact the taste, but they didn’t! It was so good I ate three plates full! Thanks jeffrey!
Valerie
My husband is learning to cook and likes your books. He made this last night and it was soooo good. Can’t wait to have it again.
The only thing he did differently was to cut the recipe in half but still added both cans of clams and we used spaghetti instead of linguini, I’m not a fan.
Thanks Jeff.
Lori
I LOVE this recipe and have made it many times. Tonight we had nothing exciting in the house for dinner, including no linguine or clams. Used 8oz wide egg noodles and a pound of frozen bay scallops on top of the noodles. High pressure for 4 minutes. It was delicious.
Jeffrey
Nice builds!