Pasta with Clam Marinara Sauce

Zip up your regular tomato sauce with this simple recipe for pasta with clam marinara sauce!  A delectable seafood flavored supper.

Why we love this recipe

Pasta is one of my go-to solutions for when I want a speedy simple supper…but I also want it to be a little special, and this recipe for pasta with a simple red clam sauce checks all of those boxes.

It takes less than a half hour from walking in the kitchen to tucking your napkin under your chin, and while it might not be quite as speedy as pouring a jar of marinara sauce over your spaghetti (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) the few extra steps might win you a few extra smiles!

Marinara sauce is one of the easiest sauces on the planet. It is an easy combo of tomatoes (yes, the canned ones work just fine for marinara!), chopped onion and garlic.

I like to add a little chopped parsley to mine, and I do swirl a little butter in at the end to give it just a hint of creamy dreaminess.

And while it is a-okay to run your marinara sauce through the blender to smooth it out, I also like to leave it in its original, slightly chunky form, especially for this recipe.

I also love to add clams! Also the kind in the can for this speedy supper. Not only are they scrumptious, but they add a little fancy protein.

Ingredients you need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Pasta: You obviously also need pasta for this recipe, and you can use anything from a long pasta like linguine or spaghetti to a short pasta like penne or elbows. You be you, pasta-wise!
• Clams: You can use whole baby clams (our favorite choice) or chopped clams for this recipe. Look for them near the canned tuna fish in your grocery store.
• Tomatoes: Canned chopped tomatoes come both plain and with added flavors like garlic and onion. We like the plain version for this recipe, but any of the flavored versions will work too.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

Here’s how you make this recipe

Step 1: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté three cloves of minced garlic and one peeled and chopped sweet onion until just the onion is tender, about 3 minutes.  

Step 2: Drain the clam juice from the canned clams into the skillet. Add the tomatoes, half a cup of fresh chopped parsley and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer, turn down to medium low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Swirl in two tablespoons of butter until melted, then stir in the clams.

Step 3: Meantime, cook a half pound of linguine or other pasta in heavily salted water according to directions. Scoop out a cup of pasta water and drain. 

Step 4: Add the pasta to sauce and toss until coated, drizzling in some pasta water if you want to loosen up the sauce. 

Divide among plates, garnish with some grated parmesan and serve it up!

Recipe FAQs

Want to round out your meal?

We do love a slice of hearty bread to sop up every drop of this sauce, and this Almost No Knead Bread is our fave!

If you are looking to add some veggies on the side, you can’t go wrong with these roasted green beans. And how about some apple cider bundt cake for dessert? 

Other pasta with seafood recipes that we love

Looking for more pasta inspiration? Here is our complete collection of pasta recipes!

Could you leave us a review?

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.

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Pasta with Clam Marinara Sauce

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Zip up your regular tomato sauce with this simple recipe for pasta with clam marinara sauce!  A delectable seafood flavored supper.

• Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 6 ounce cans chopped clams or 1 ten ounce can baby clams with their juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces linguine or spaghetti
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish

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Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté garlic and onions until just tender, about 3 minutes.
2. Drain the juice from the clams into the skilled.  Add the tomatoes, parsley and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer, turn down to medium low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Swirl in butter until melted.  Stir in clams.
3. Meantime, cook pasta in heavily salted water according to directions, scoop out some pasta water and drain.
4. Add pasta to sauce and toss until coated. Drizzle in a little of that pasta water if you want to loosen up the sauce a little. Divide among plates, garnish with parmesan and serve!

Notes

• • Pasta: You obviously also need pasta for this recipe, and you can use anything from a long pasta like linguine or spaghetti to a short pasta like penne or elbows. You be you, pasta-wise!

• • Clams: You can use whole baby clams (our favorite choice) or chopped clams for this recipe. Look for them near the canned tuna fish in your grocery store.

• • Tomatoes: Canned chopped tomatoes come both plain and with added flavors like garlic and onion. We like the plain version for this recipe, but any of the flavored versions will work too.