Slow-Cooker Clam Sauce

Total Time

Prep: 10 min. Cook: 3 hours

Makes

4 cups

Updated: Oct. 02, 2023
Serve this delectable clam sauce as a hot dip for holiday get-togethers. The sauce is bright and fresh with pasta, too. —Frances Pietsch, Flower Mound, Texas
Slow-Cooker Clam Sauce Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cans (10 ounces each) whole baby clams
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup sherry
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Hot cooked pasta
  • Optional: Grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and minced fresh parsley

Directions

  1. Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes more.
  2. Drain clams, reserving liquid; coarsely chop. Place clams, reserved clam juice, mushroom mixture and the next 9 ingredients in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low for 3 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf; stir in parsley. Serve with pasta. If desired, serve with optional ingredients.

Test Kitchen tips
  • Serve with lemon wedges and top with additional parsley.
  • For a creamy sauce, stir in cream cheese or heavy cream.
  • Nutrition Facts

    1/2 cup: 138 calories, 10g fat (4g saturated fat), 40mg cholesterol, 580mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 0 fiber), 7g protein.