Cashew Free Spaghetti alle Vongole
Few pasta dishes hit as hard as this coastal Italian classic — briny clams, silky olive oil, white wine, and a kick of red pepper flakes all tangled up in perfectly cooked spaghetti. The sauce builds itself right in the pan from the clam cooking liquid, a splash of dry white wine, and golden garlic, so every strand gets coated in something deeply savory and oceanic. For anyone navigating nut allergies, this is the kind of recipe that's naturally in the clear — no cream, no nut-based sauces, just clean, simple Mediterranean ingredients doing exactly what they're supposed to do. The technique of finishing the pasta directly in the clam broth is what separates a good version from a great one, and the reserved pasta water helps pull the whole sauce together into something glossy and cohesive. Fresh flat-leaf parsley added at the end keeps things bright, and a squeeze of lemon over the top right before serving lifts every flavor in the bowl. It's an impressive dish that moves fast once the clams hit the pan, so have everything prepped and ready to go before you turn up the heat.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 2 lb littleneck clams (about 24 clams), scrubbed
- 1 lb spaghetti
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup dry white wine (such as pinot grigio or vermentino)
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- salt
For serving
- lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the scrubbed clams in a large bowl of cold salted water and let them soak for 30 minutes to purge any sand. Drain and rinse well.
- 2
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until 2 minutes shy of al dente — the pasta should still have a firm, chalky center. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the spaghetti.
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