Vongole means “clams” in Italian and Spaghetti Vongole has stayed close to the original recipes from the coastal regions of Italy. Add tomatoes instead of the greens if you like, but do go to a trusted fishmonger for the best seafood.
Spaghetti Vongole
Except for the Swiss Chard (2 CHO/100GR) and the white wine (1.5 CHO), the pasta is the only real Carbs in this recipe.
If you like Swiss Chard add more, rainbow is a little more colorful, but the taste once cooked is the same as the regular green.
Ingredients
- 36 clams
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ small bunch (100 gr) Rainbow Swiss Chard
- 4 oz. (100 gr) piece of pancetta
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 cup pasta water
- *½ – 1 lb. spaghetti
- Red pepper flakes for serving optional
Instructions
- Prep everything before you start cooking, because this comes together in the blink of an eye!
- Keep clams in the refrigerator covered with crushed ice until ready to use.
- Wash Swiss Chard and let air dry, or if rushed for time – spin the leafy greens in a salad spinner.
- Cut stems from the leafy green tops of the Swiss Chard and slice as you would celery. Set aside.
- Cut the pancetta in ¼ – ½ inch chunks and set aside.
- Start salted pasta to boil.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven and cook pancetta until a bit crispy and cooked through. With a slotted spoon, remove from the Dutch Oven and let rest until later.
- Add the stems of the Swiss Chard and sauté about 3 – 4 minutes before adding minced garlic. Stir garlic and Chard, brown but do not burn.
- Add the white wine and reduce by half.
- If you need to catch up and start the pasta, do so now and turn off the Dutch Oven.
- At the same time as starting the pasta, rinse the clams under cold water to remove the ice and place in the Dutch Oven, medium high heat. Cook clams with the lid on the Dutch Oven.
- Cook pasta until about 3 minutes away from when you would normally serve it because it will finish in the Dutch Oven.
- Check after 5 minutes and remove any open clams to a dish. Repeat every 2 minutes until all open clams have been set aside. Discard any that have not opened.
- Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Place pasta in the Dutch Oven and toss well with clam juices and Chard stems.
- Add Swiss Chard leafy greens and cooked pancetta.
- Add ½ cup pasta water and toss pasta with tongs. (you may not use all the pasta water – the intent is to have a glossy shine to the pasta and let it continue to cook, but you don’t want soup).
- After about 3 minutes, return clams to the Dutch Oven, toss and serve immediately.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes if desired.
We always cook GF and regular pasta and finish the dish as per the recipe but in 2 different saucepans, halving ingredients. So instead of placing all the pasta back in the Dutch Oven, simply add half the clam juices and Chard stems to the drained GF pasta pot and finish as above.
