This light, healthy Spinach Clam Soup recipe is quick and easy to make, packed with whole baby clams and fresh spinach and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.
So… this is the third clam soup recipe I’ve shared. Yes, I love clams that much! I’ve shared the traditional New England Clam Chowder, my favorite chowder, and Manhattan Clam Chowder, which is my husband’s favorite. This soup is different than those, it’s much lighter than a chowder, basically just clams and spinach in a flavorful broth. Simple enough for a weeknight dinner, but great for a starter to a special occasion meal.
I was inspired to make this a few weeks ago after seeing a Spinach Clam Soup on Ciao Florentina. Her pictures are so pretty! She used fresh whole wild baby clams in her recipe, and I probably could have gotten them, but they are so expensive for just a few clams, so I opted to use canned clams. If I had been making it for a special occasion instead of a weeknight dinner, I absolutely would have used fresh clams, I love the way they look! I decided to leave out the potatoes in order to make the soup low-carb and light.
Don’t be afraid of the amount of garlic in the soup, it dissolves completely and you can’t really taste it as much as you would think. I had planned on cutting the amount of red pepper flakes I used to 1/2 teaspoon, but honestly can’t remember if I did or not, and it was just a bit too much for my tastes. I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon and tasting it. You can always add more, you can’t take it away!
- 30 ounces canned whole baby clams with the juice (3 10-ounce cans)
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 32 ounces vegetable broth (I used one without a heavy tomato base)
- 1/2 of a yellow onion grated
- 3-6 cloves garlic, grated (depending on their size)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 anchovies
- juice of two lemons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 - 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, according to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
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Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Add the grated onion and cook until translucent. Add the anchovies to the pot and break them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the white wine
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Pour in the broth, then stir in the oregano and bay leaves. Add the clams, along with the clam juice; heat to a simmer. Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and chives, then top with the baby spinach. Cover for about 5 minutes to let the spinach wilt. Serve hot.
Inspired by Ciao Florentina Spinach Clam Soup
Anna says
Can’t wait to try this.
Bernadette says
Hi Anna, I hope you like it. Thanks for commenting!
Matt H. says
This was a lame and disappointing soup. I resurrected it with some shrimp, celery, and organic tofu paste, let it sit for one week in the refrigerator, and reheated it to go over oven baked salmon filets. Then it became very good.
Chatting, blinking one’s pretty eyes, and using exclamation marks! does not make good soup.
Bernadette says
Hi Matt, my version is meant to be a very light soup, not filling. Your version sounds fine, however, I don’t recommend leaving seafood sit in the refrigerator for more than 2-3 days.
Kim says
I like your comment (its meant to be light soup!) I will make it today thank you.
Bernadette says
Hi Kim, yes I liked my comment myself. I would love it if you would come back and tell us what you thought of the soup.
Jasmine says
What a lame arrogant comment. 😒
Carolyn DeChick says
You must be a very unhappy person
Heather says
Delicious! My husband was looking for something low-carb and I was looking for something high in iron. It was perfect! It was light but filling and we didn’t miss the potatoes of a typical clam chowder.
Bernadette says
I actually can’t wait to make this again! It is a great recipe, I just want to make the photos a little nicer. So glad you liked it!
KJ says
I needed a soup recipe in a pinch – we’re sick of the regulars, and my daughter is allergic to tomatoes and milk. I found this recipe and tried my own version of it. I added celery, yellow bell pepper, and leek, for flavor and since I’m trying to get more veggies into my family. I thought about adding carrots too, but didn’t think of it in time. I did cayenne (a little too much!) instead of the red pepper flakes. I also included the potatoes in mine because I have children to fill, so thanks for mentioning that as an option. I wish I had added the clams without the clam juice, the broth smelled heavenly before I added it. After, it smelled, well, clammy. 😊 The kids liked it, so I’ll be trying it again. Thank you!
Bernadette says
The changes sound great, thanks for your comments!
Sharon Wilkins says
Gosh, this soup sounds so delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Henry Dewald says
i am a single parent with the kids all gone. I happened upon many cans of white clam sauce. Wondering what I can do with them because I do not eat pasta. Can I make a soup or even something I can pour over a fish recipe to make it delectable. Any suggestions?
Bernadette says
Hi Henry, I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner, I was away for a while. I posted your question to a food blogger group I’m in, and while they didn’t have any real recipe suggestion for you, they did recommend that you check the expiration dates on the cans. I will leave your question up in case anyone has any suggestions.
Suong says
Sorry, I haven’t tried your recipe, but it sounds great. I’m actually shocked come across this, because I thought spinach clam soup was something mom made up. Her version was similar and very simple and she did put tofu in hers and served it with rice. It was a yummy, healthy full meal. My only comment and suggestion based on my experience and the picture you have is to try using more spinach. Spinach just shrinks once cooked, so mom would fill the pot with so much spinach it seemed to overflow, but no fear–the spinach quickly shrunk as it cooked! Thanks for sharing your recipe.