(20) Minute Meal Thursday!

Ok, so I am trying to get the 20 Minute Meal thing down, and it's a journey, I'll tell you that much. I think from now on it'll be "Minute Meal Thursday" and it will be either a 20 or 30 minute meal. I'll specify in the post title. Does this make sense?

When making a pasta dish, I'm confused...do I count the 10 minutes it takes to boil the water? I say yes. I'm going to include that time. So the timer starts when the water goes on the stove. During the time it takes the water to boil, I prepare everything. And during the time it takes to cook the pasta, I cook everything else. The 20 Minute Meals are mostly pasta dishes, but I plan to come up with some other ones, too, that aren't pasta based...those might fall into the 30 Minute Meal category.

Anyways! This week's 20 Minute Meal is Linguine with White Clam Sauce.

***I use 2 cans of clams, because the cans go on sale for $1.25 quite often at CVS and Stop & Shop...You can use either 2 cans of clams, or a can of clams and a bottle of juice. I like to use 2 cans of clams to keep the cost down. To make this serve 6, add another half pound of linguine and another can of clams. Usually I don't calculate the price of a meal using the sale price (because I don't know when you'll be able to catch the sale) but in this case I do. This is because this meal is inexpensive to make when I buy the ingredients on sale, but is almost twice as expensive if you pay full price for the ingredients. That defeats the purpose. So, I recommend you make this once you get your hands on some sale clams...Otherwise be prepared to pay over $7 for this meal.***

deby's Linguine with White Clam Sauce

serves 4

-2 cans chopped clams (I use Snow's, because they go on sale 4/$5 at CVS and S&S, so stock up then for this quick pantry meal) ($2.50)

or

-1 can chopped clams and 1 bottle of clam juice ($1.25 + $2.99 = $4.24)

-2 T. olive oil ($.24)

-1 T. butter ($.09)

-1 T. dried parsley ($.18)

-1 1/2 T. fresh chopped garlic, about 4 cloves ($.08)

-1/2 t. salt (<$.01)

-1 dash black pepper (<$.01)

-1/2 c. shredded romano cheese ($.73)

-1 pound linguine ($.99)

Total is $4.83 (2 cans of sale clams) or $6.57 (sale clams + bottled juice) depending on how you make it. That's $1.21-$1.64 per serving. Not bad. I originally had the pasta @ 3/4 lb, but I think it needs to be a pound. I've adjusted the recipe accordingly :).

1. Put on large pot of water to boil. While the water boils:
2. Slice 4 cloves of garlic, and add them to a pot with the olive oil, butter, salt, parsley, and pepper.
3. Cook garlic over medium heat until it's *just* fragrant and a tad bit golden, then add the juice from both cans of clams (or the bottle of juice and the juice from the can). DO NOT ADD THE CLAMS NOW (they will get chewy and tough if cooked too much). Bring pot to a simmer and then turn down to low, cover it, and allow it to cook (you're really just warming it and allowing the flavors to marry...you're not cooking anything).



4. The water should be boiling, so add the linguine.
5. When the linguine is almost cooked (after around 8 minutes of boiling), add the clams to the sauce and warm through. Then turn it off.
6. Drain pasta and ladle the sauce over the linguine.
7. Top with grated cheese.
8. Sit down to dinner and talk about how great the pasta is.

scrimpyTips:

-This is best served with fresh italian bread or a baguette

-This is great leftover

-This is a quick, pantry meal. You should stock up on clams and clam juice during sales so you always have these ingredients on hand. This is Mike's favorite, and it's SO easy (he could probably make it himself...but I doubt it)

-To make this serve 5 or 6, cook the whole pound of linguine (or a little extra, too, if you're all men) and add another can of clams to the mix

-This sauce is so flavorful, especially with the addition of cheese, that all you need is a nice ladleful of sauce over each bowl of pasta.

-This sauce welcomes the addition of some spice from red pepper flakes. Feel free to add in a pinch along with the oil, salt, garlic, and parsley.

-This is a good freezermeal. Just cool to room temperature, ladle into freezer bags, and lie them flat in the freezer. When you're ready to eat it, just put it in a pot to reheat, and serve over fresh pasta.

-This is a good make-ahead meal. I made it this morning, and will reheat it and serve it over fresh pasta later. Then I will post a picture for you!

This meal is a favorite in our family. Every time I come home, my Mom and I make white clam sauce (or plan to make it and never get around to it). Anyways, it's a delicious, simple, affordable meal and it couldn't be quicker to make. I hope you enjoy!

Stay tuned for a post on how to freeze your own fruits and vegetables later. Oh! And keep your eyes open for Freezermeal Friday tomorrow!

xo

Taylor