Active Time N/A Total Time45 MIN YieldServes : 4

To give spaghetti with fresh clam sauce more flavor, chef Ashley Christensen purees sweet roasted bell peppers into the spicy, briny broth.

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best: We didn’t think spaghetti and clams could get better than the garlicky classic until chef Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina, created a version that forever changed the way we look at this dish. Her method is to steam the clams in wine, then puree the resulting broth with roasted red peppers, creating a briny, rich, deeply flavorful sauce that clings to the pasta—no leaving any delicious sauce behind in the bowl. Adding a hefty load of Swiss chard helps to amp up the flavor, creating a fabulously satisfying one-dish wonder.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 dozen littleneck clams
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 pound Swiss chard or collard greens, stemmed and chopped (8 cups)
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 pound spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish

How to Make It

Step 1    

In a large pot, heat 1/4 cup of the oil. Add half of the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the clams. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes; as the clams open, transfer them to a baking sheet. Discard any unopened clams. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve into a blender. Add the roasted peppers and puree until smooth.

Step 2    

Wash out the pot, then heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil in it. Add the remaining garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the crushed red pepper and Swiss chard in batches until the chard is just wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the roasted pepper broth and season with salt and pepper

.Step 3    

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente; drain. Add the pasta to the Swiss chard mixture along with the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and the 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Add the clams and toss to heat through. Transfer the pasta and broth to shallow bowls, garnish with grated cheese and serve.