"Linguine" with Clam Sauce
 

I made this for dinner tonight. :yum: I've never done it on zucchini noodles before and was quite pleased to find I didn't miss the pasta this traditionally is served on. This is my quickie, go to, favorite meal when I've forgotten to thaw meat for dinner. And get a load of the nutritional info!! Man, this is one HEALTHY dish to get hooked on. This dish is pictured here:
http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/clam-sauce/


I have always loved clam sauce on pasta. Though you can serve this on real pasta for your guests, it goes nicely with zucchini “noodles”, as shown for low carbers at the table. The zucchini noodles soak up the sauce’s wonderful flavor. This dish is OK for Induction if served on zucchini noodles. Personally, I do NOT think this would be good atop spaghetti squash threads as I think the squash taste will negatively impact the overall flavor of the dish. If you are already to the OWL phase of Atkins, ¼ c. dry white wine is good added to this before thickening. You want to talk healthy? Get a load of the nutritional info below!! I think clams may just be the highest source of vitamin B12 in the food kingdom! And it’s mostly in the juice! Moral of the story: EAT MORE CLAM LINGUINE!! :)

INGREDIENTS:

2 6-oz. cans clams with juice (do not drain)
4 slices bacon, cut into ½” pieces
2 T. butter, unsalted
2 oz. onion, chopped
6 medium mushrooms, sliced
2 oz. red bell pepper, chopped coarsely
¼ c. parsley, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Dash black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Chop bacon and brown over med-high heat. Add butter to melt in with the bacon drippings. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until onion and mushrooms are both tender. Add red pepper, parsley and seasonings. Add clams with their juice and simmer 2-3 minutes to blend flavors. Thicken slightly with your favorite thickener and serve atop zucchini noodles. Garnish plates with a few sprinkles of parsley if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 servings, each containing:

253 calories
13.8 g fat
8.27 g carbs, 1.75 g fiber, 6.52 g NET CARBS
23.8 g protein
330 mg sodium
669 mg potassium
33% RDA Vitamin A, 2950% B12, 63% C, 60% copper, 233% iron, 44% manganese, 36% niacin, 40% phosphorous, 81% selenium, 18% thiamin, 33% zinc

do you cook the zucchini any?

Yes, I saute it in olive oil for about 2 minutes just until it loses its white opaqueness, but is not too soft.

Thanx so much...I tried zucchini once before and I ended up cooking it to mush so it wasnt noodle like at all...LOL but still tasty!

what kind of thickener do you use?

Do you think guar gum would work?

I've used both guar gum and xanthan gum. They work about the same. Just a tiny sprinkle of either is all you'll need. Stir continuously and allow a couple minutes for it to "thicken" up.

we had this for dinner tonight. Soo good :) I'll definitely be making it again. I had to leave out the mushrooms and used some leftover pork instead of bacon but it was still super yummy. My husband kept raving about it too. Thx :)

Well I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it. I love how easy it is to throw together. Wait 'til you do it with bacon....it's even better! :)