Dinner - Linguine with White Clam Sauce

The linguine with white clam sauce recipe comes from a great cookbook that Matt and I got for our wedding, called (appropriately) The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller. I'll be honest, I was apprehensive to reference this cookbook frequently because it seemed that each recipe needed a ton of ingredients.

The other day I decided to flip through it again, and I was pleasantly surprised! The recipes seem to have lots of ingredients, but most of them are pantry staples, things you have on hand, or things that are inexpensive to purchase.

I've always been a fan of clams in things like clam chowder, but have never really tried to cook with them. This recipe sounded intriguing enough to try, however I was a bit worried about the cost of purchasing clams. I am happy to note that you can purchase canned clams for under $2 a can, not bad for a good source of protein!

This meal is also great because although the book says it serves four, we have already gotten five servings from it and I believe there are still one or two more in the fridge. You really get a lot of bang for your buck on this meal. The only thing I messed up was the type of pasta. I totally flaked on putting linguine on our shopping list, so we ended up using some angel hair pasta we had on hand. It still turned out well, just a little different than I expected. Also, the "white sauce" isn't quite what you'd expect as it's more of a light wine sauce. Very tasty and light.

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

Ingredients:
-12 ounces uncooked linguine (or if you're forgetful like me, another stringy sort of pasta)
-2 teaspoons olive oil
-1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 (10 oz.) cans whole baby clams, drained (we used 1 whole baby clams and 1 chopped clams)
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-8 ounces bottled clam juice (gross sounding, I know! Just go with it!)
-1/2 cup chicken broth
-1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
-1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped (optional. We skipped these.)

Cook pasta according to package and drain, placing noodles in a bowl covered with foil to keep warm.
Heat oil in nonstick skillet with sides over med-heat. Add onion and garlic, saute until tender. Add clams and saute about 2 minutes.
Add spices and stir to coat. Add liquids and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and simmer until cheese melts (about 1 minute).
Pour clam sauce over pasta and toss. Garnish as desired with parsley or with additional shredded cheese.