Italian · Authentic-ish Italian
Spaghetti alle Vongole
460 kcal a serving, against 590 for the traditional version. That is 130 kcal off, or 22%, with 23.7g of protein. Serves 4. 30 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Clams opened in a hot pan with white wine and garlic, the liquor kept and reduced, spaghetti finished in it with oil, chilli and parsley. No cheese, ever.
What changed, and what each change costs
60ml of olive oil down to 25ml
It's 530 kcal of the plate and the clam liquor does most of the same job once you've reduced it.
What it costs you. The sauce needs more work to come together. Reduce the clam liquor by half before the pasta goes in, then toss hard with pasta water. Get that right and the loss is small.
250g of clam meat up to 350g
This is the one swap in the book that goes the other way. More clams means more protein and more of that salty liquor, for 86 kcal per 100g.
What it costs you. It costs money rather than calories. About 1.4kg of clams in the shell instead of a kilo.
100g of dried pasta a head down to 80g
With half again as many clams on top, the plate doesn't look emptier.
What it costs you. Almost nothing here, because the extra clams fill the gap visually and actually.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 590 | 460 |
| Protein | 22.6g | 23.7g |
| Fat | 17.2g | 8.4g |
| Saturated fat | 2.5g | 1.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 79.4g | 65.3g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.8g | 5.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Italian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, molluscs, sulphites.
The method is in the book
Make this exactly as written. It's the best argument in the book that lightening isn't always a compromise. More clams, less oil, same dish, roughly 30% fewer calories and half as much protein again.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Italian, along with 59 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.