Mussels in Tomato Sauce

Name: Mussels in Tomato Sauce with Pasta Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Pasta (cappelletti) 200 g; Water for cooking the pasta 2 l; Salt for cooking the pasta 14 g; Dried Mediterranean herbs 2-3 pinches; Frozen mussels 200 g; Tomatoes pcs; Basil 1 sprig; Olive oil 3 tbsp; Sugar 1 tsp (5 g); Spices: salt, ground black pepper, nutmeg to taste

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50 mins

Mussels in tomato sauce for pasta is a simple and very tasty dish. Few people know that in Italy, pasta is what they call almost anything made from dough. The reason is simple: the word “pasta” simply means dough.

It really is that simple: dried strips, pieces and lumps of dough are all dough, and so all pasta. Traditionally, though, pasta means products made from flour, water, and sometimes eggs or vegetable additions (for color).

The quality of the flour is what makes pasta what it is. Italian pasta is made from durum wheat flour. That is why it doesn’t overcook and goes so well with all kinds of sauces.

The Italian way of cooking pasta means catching the moment it’s done quite precisely. The pasta should be almost ready, with a barely perceptible firmness, right on the edge. Italians call this al dente, “to the tooth”. The term isn’t only for pasta, though. It’s how rice for risotto is cooked, how vegetables are cooked to keep a tender crunch, and how legumes are cooked. Either way, overcooking means ruining it.

Very often the sauce for pasta is tomato-based, like this sauce with mussels. After the discovery of America, tomatoes were brought to Europe and gradually became the foundation of the cuisine, especially for sauces. An exceptionally tasty and filling pasta sauce is amatriciana. The basic tomato sauce is the parent of a whole bouquet of other sauces. Salsa di pomodoro is the sauce used for pizza.

Today we’ll combine the mussel and tomato sauce with cooked pasta. Pasta and mussels in tomato sauce is an exceptionally tasty dish, simple and beautiful. I’ve covered how to clean and cook musselsseparately; for variety, try spaghetti with mussels.

More with mussels

Spaghetti with Mussels

30 min

Mussels with Vegetables

55 min

Mussel Frittata: Italian Seafood Omelet Baked in the Oven

40 min

Mussel Risotto with Garlic, White Wine and Parmesan

Ingredients

2 servings

For the pasta
Pasta (cappelletti) 200 g
Water for cooking the pasta 2 l
Salt for cooking the pasta 14 g
Dried Mediterranean herbs 2-3 pinches
For the sauce
Frozen mussels 200 g
Tomatoes pcs
Basil 1 sprig
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp (5 g)
Spices: salt, ground black pepper, nutmeg to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Preparing the ingredients

Why cappelletti? It’s no accident: the shape of this pasta resembles mussel shells, and its many hollows and curls hold the mussel sauce beautifully. Cappelletti is usually sold filled, but if you look around you can find plain pasta, just the dough. The type of pasta is up to you; I only recommend one that isn’t smooth and has a complex surface. Any pasta with mussels in tomato sauce will be delicious.
If you can buy fresh tomatoes cheaply, great. If not, well, canned tomato pulp costs $1.50 a can.
Cover frozen mussels with water, bring to a boil, then rinse with cold water.
Scald fresh tomatoes with boiling water. Peel them and remove the seeds. Be sure to cut out the “growth zone” where the stem was.
Finely chop the tomato flesh.

Pasta

Bring 2 liters of water to a boil and add salt: 14 g, at 7 g per liter of water. I recommend adding 2-3 pinches of dried herbs from a “Mediterranean” blend to the water. It usually contains basil, oregano, mint, savory and others.
Cook the pasta until al dente, with a barely perceptible firmness. The cooking time is on the package. That is usually enough.
Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and let the water run off.

Mussel sauce

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and let it get hot. Fry the tomato flesh in the oil, add salt and pepper. Add grated nutmeg, about a knife tip.
Next, add sugar so the mussel sauce is sweet and sour. How much sugar is up to you. I add 1 tsp.
Cover the sauce with a lid and simmer on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, of course. No need to add extra liquid. The tomatoes will give off enough moisture.
After that, add the prepared mussels to the tomato sauce. Stir and simmer for another 5-6 minutes from the moment it boils. The mussels will cook perfectly in that time. Don’t cook mussels in tomato sauce for long, or they can turn tough.

Serving

Usually the pasta and sauce are mixed before serving and only then put on plates. Really, it’s up to you. I prefer to mix only if the sauce has no large pieces. When the sauce has pieces of fish, seafood or meat, I put the sauce on top of the pasta. Pasta with mussels is served this way. You can mix it on the plate, or even eat it without mixing. It’s a matter of taste.
Put the cooked pasta on plates and top with the mussels in tomato sauce.
Sprinkle with finely chopped basil, which is a must. You’ll often see a recommendation to top it with grated Parmesan or pecorino. I’m not sure mussels in tomato sauce need anything extra; they are self-sufficient.

Calories and macros

690 kcal

Serving ≈ 480 g

Protein27 g16% of kcal
Fat25 g34% of kcal
Carbs83 g50% of kcal

100 g145 kcalProtein 5.7 gFat 5.2 gCarbs 17.5 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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