This light and savory shellfish pasta recipe has a pesto white wine sauce, crispy pesto toasted breadcrumbs, and flavorful clams and mussels!
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I lurrrrveeeeee pasta.
So much. I could eat it for every meal. I could eat it for every DESSERT after every meal. It’s just a pile of carb-y, sauce-y, fantastical deliciousness.
The problem with pasta is the heavy sauces that generally come with it. Don’t get me wrong – I can put away Fettucine Alfredo and cheese-covered spaghetti and meatballs with the best of them. But sometimes, I like a lighter, more delicate flavor with my bucket o’ carbs. Like this shellfish spaghetti – light, delicate, MADE WITH WINE, includes seafood. Also includes crunchy, delightful pesto bread crumbs. I’m hooked.
There’s not too much more I can say here, really, besides this: make this pasta. It will make you happy. And did I mention there’s wine?
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. spaghetti
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 cups dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
- 3/4 cup basil pesto, divided
- 1 lb. clams, cleaned
- 1 lb. mussels, cleaned
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
For the Pasta and Sauce:
- Cook spaghetti in very salty water until al dente.
- While spaghetti cooks, prepare the sauce. Heat oil in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add white wine and pesto to saucepan and stir to combine.
- Add clams and mussels to saucepan and cover with the lid. Let steam until all the clams and mussels have opened, about 10-15 minutes. If there are any clams or mussels that refused to open, toss them out.
For the Breadcrumbs:
- While shellfish cook, prepare the breadcrumbs. Mix panko breadcrumbs with remaining pesto in a small bowl. Transfer to a small skillet over medium heat and toast until breadcrumbs are just browned, about 5 minutes.
To assemble:
- Drain al dente spaghetti and set aside.
- When shellfish have opened, remove lid and turn off the heat. Toss spaghetti with shellfish and sauce mixture until evenly coated.
- Top spaghetti with pesto breadcrumbs and serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe was great with clams and mussels, but you could swap in whatever shellfish you’ve got on hand! I think the sauce and pasta would also be great with lobster and/or shrimp.
It does not state how to divide the pesto. How much of the 3/4 c goes in the sauce?
Use 2 Tbsp. for the breadcrumbs! Sorry about the typo!
THAT is something I need to start experimenting more with in the kitchen–clams and mussels. Thank you for the inspiration!