Elena's Linguini with Clam Sauce

Ingredients

Contains: milk, wheat, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

• 1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, drained with juice reserved
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams, drained with juice reserved
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, or as needed
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice
• 2 (8 ounce) cans mushroom pieces, drained
• 2 zucchini, grated
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the linguine, and cook until al dente, about 9 to 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

3. Add the drained mushroom pieces and grated zucchini to the skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the zucchini softens.

4. Stir in the cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt. Add the bottled clam juice and the juice reserved from the clam cans, then simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Mix the cornstarch with a splash of water until smooth, stir it into the sauce, and simmer for 2 minutes until thickened.

6. Add the drained minced clams and chopped clams to the sauce and heat through for 3 minutes without letting it boil hard.

7. Add the cooked linguine to the skillet and toss until evenly coated with the sauce.

8. Stir in the chopped parsley and grated Parmesan, season with salt to taste, and serve hot.