Pasta with Creamy Clam Sauce

This is one of my favorite, quick, easy "semi-homemade" sauces that I love to make when I a quick dinner. My mother used to make this and really, it is amazing- comfort food at it's best! I always keep cans of cream of mushroom soup and cans of minced or chopped clams in my pantry in case I want to whip this up for a quick, tasty dinner. It's just as versatile as an elegant pasta dish at a dinner party! Any kind of pasta is fine. I particularly like to toss this with wide papparadelle noodles from Trader Joe's. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley. Use chopped clams if you prefer bigger pieces of clam.

Pasta with Creamy Clam Sauce

1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
2  small cans of minced or chopped clams (or one can of both)- usually find this in the tuna section but if you have fresh chopped clams at your fish market, you can use that.
3 T olive oil
1/2 T minced, fresh garlic
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste
Optional: about 1/4 cup white wine
4-5 servings of cooked pasta

1. Prepare cooked pasta- drain and set aside while making sauce.
2. Open cans of clams and drain, setting aside the clam broth.
3. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and drained clams. Saute for about one minute being careful not to burn the garlic.
4. Add the can of soup. Stir thoroughly to mix clams, garlic, oil, and soup. Add 1/4 cup of clam broth and simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper. Add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer. Add more broth if needed or white wine (optional). Simmer for about 5 more minutes or until desired thickness. For extra richness, toss in a T of butter.
5.  Toss pasta with clam sauce and serve.