Pasta with Clams and Sausages

With a bit of a kick from the spicy sausage and delicate clams, all tied together with wine and garlic and delicious pasta, this pasta with clams and sausage is an easy fancy-feeling meal! 

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If you're a regular here, you might remember me talking about our trip to Bologna last year. It was a real feast for the senses, as I think most trips to Italy are. There are a lot of people very passionate about their food!

Many traditional Italian dishes have only a short list of ingredients - it's about sourcing good ones and using them well. Pasta is a perfect example and we all know Italians take their pasta seriously. 

Much as I do like making my own pasta now and then, it's not realistic most days. So, using a good dry pasta is the next best thing. Having discovered Garofalo^® in my local Big Y, it's a great way to get that true taste of Italy at home.

Garofalo is made in Gragnano, a small town near Naples, and has been since 1789. That makes it the oldest and longest operating pastificio in Gragnano. Which, for a town renowned for its dry pasta, is really saying something. 

Gragnano has established IGP certification ((Identificazione Geografica Proetta) to protect the quality of Gragnano's pasta, a standard Garofalo meets.

This includes the use of durum wheat which helps give a characteristic rough texture which holds sauce better and gives a great flavor. Garofalo is also one of the few Italian import pastas to be Non-GMO certified.

All of this, of course, means you need something good to pair with it, and this pasta with clams and sausage is a great choice. It's a meatier, slightly spicy twist on pasta alle vongole, and is such a delicious combination. And even better, it's easy to make.

How to make pasta with clams and sausage

• Soak the clams in cold water while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Finely dice the onion and garlic and roughly chop the parsley. 
• Remove the skin from the sausage.
• Set a pot of salted water to boil. 
• Drain the clams and rinse them. Scrub off any remaining grit and dirt.
• Warm the oil in a wide pan and add the onion. Once it has softened slightly, add the garlic then the sausage. Break the sausage up as it cooks.
• Once the sausage has gently browned, deglaze pan with the wine then add clams in a layer. Cover and allow to steam.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the pan of water and cook until al dente. Drain and cover to keep warm.
• Discard any clams that don't open, then mix the pasta in with the sauce. 
• Transfer to bowls with clams served on top, and sprinkle with the parsley.

It might seem like a few steps, but really this dish comes together so quickly and easily. Rather than smothering the pasta in a heavy sauce, you get to taste its great flavor alongside the delicate clams, the light wine sauce with nice bursts of heat from the sausage. 

Ways to adapt this recipe

If you are not a fan of chili, you can use a non-spicy sausage, but personally I think the hot Italian sausage goes so well. Here I used cherrystone clams, mainly as that was what was available, but littleneck clams would also be great (if not better, as you get more of them for the weight!).

While fresh clams are definitely best, if you don't have access to them, you could use canned clams instead. If so, add the clam juice in with the wine and you may want to add a little pasta water to get a good balance of clams, sausage and light sauce to bring it together.

Here I used bucatini, as personally I like the fact it's that bit thicker without feeling heavy, but you could also use linguine or spaghetti.

If you'd like a slightly thicker sauce, you can add a little flour or cornstarch to thicken it and even a little cheese and/or cream, but these will change the flavor a little.

This pasta with clams and sausage is an easy meal to make but has enough going on to make it feel that bit special. It's just what every good Italian pasta dish should be: great ingredients, and not too many of them, but all coming together deliciously. So give it a try soon!

Try these other easy pasta recipes:

• Sardinian fregola with clams
• Crab pasta
• Pesto alla Trapanese is an easy, light sauce to use with pasta
• Plus get more seafood recipes in the archives.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Pasta with Clams and Sausage

This pasta with clams and sausage is an easy, fancy-feeling meal with tasty flavors.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 2

Calories: 812kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb littleneck clams or cherrystone - you may need one of two more if you use these since shells are heavier
• ¼ onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 ½ tablespoon chopped parsley (fresh)
• 4 oz hot Italian sausage 1 sausage
• 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ½ lb Garofalo Bucatini Pasta
• ½ cup white wine

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Soak the clams in cold water while you prepare the other ingredients (ideally soak for 20 minutes if you can).
• Finley dice the onion and garlic and roughly chop the parsley.
• Remove the skin from the sausage.
• Set a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
• Drain the clams and rinse and scrub off any remaining grit and dirt.
• Warm the oil in a wide pan and add the onion. Once it has softened slightly, add the garlic, stir and cook a minute, then add the sausage. Break the sausage up as it cooks.
• Once the sausage has gently browned, deglaze pan with the wine (i.e. add the wine and scrape any browning from the pathen add the clams in a layer. Cover the pan and allow to steam.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the pan of water and cook until al dente. Drain and cover to keep warm.
• Discard any clams that don't open, then mix the pasta in with the sauce (you may find it easiest to take the clams out then mix the pasta with the rest).
• Transfer to bowls, with clams served on top, and sprinkle with the parsley.

Nutrition

Calories: 812kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 734mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 393IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg

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