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Browse through my Recipes folder to discover my archive of recipes listed on my blog.
Browse through my Recipes folder to discover my archive of recipes listed on my blog.
While this recipe may seem like there are many moving parts to it, it is actually pretty quick and easy to pull together. If you prep before you begin to cook, you can easily throw this meal together in about a half hour! The best part about this dish is that your dinner guests will believe that you have spent the whole day in the kitchen – because it will taste that way!
When I first tried out this recipe, I used about 3 pounds of mussels for a group of four people. I initially thought three pounds would be too much, but boy was I wrong. Once everyone finished eating, I noticed that there were mountains of empty mussel shells pilled on everyone’s empty plate! The white wine sauce that the mussels are cooked in is so indulgently delicious, that even a non seafood lover won’t be able to put them down! I served about 4-5 mussels on each plate, to not overcrowd the dish. However, I wanted to make sure the rest of the mussels were available at the table, so I placed the rest of them in a serving bowl and set them in the middle of the table. This made it easy for those eating to grab as many mussels as they wanted while enjoying their meal. And to my surprise, the bowl was empty at the end!
Each element of this dish is light, which in the end, pulls together each of their individual flavors very well. My favorite part about this dish is that it was a great way to use the cherry tomatoes and basil I had growing out back this summer! Feel free to serve parmesan cheese with this delicious bowl of pasta.
Dairy Free Note: For this recipe I used Earth BalanceVegan Butter Spread & Follow Your Heart dairy free parmesan cheese.
Make it Gluten Free: To make this dish gluten free, replace the regular pasta with your favorite gluten free pasta.
PASTA
TOMATO SAUCE
ROASTED TOMATOES
MUSSELS & WHITE WINE SAUCE
Rinse the mussels in a colander and remove any “beards” they might have. If you find any mussels already open, throw them away. Set the rinsed mussels to the side.
Fill a large pot with water, add salt, and set it on high to bring to a boil for the pasta. While you’re doing this, also place a large round pan out on the stove to cook the mussels in. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper & preheat the oven to 150 degrees for the tomatoes.
Once the pot of salt water is at a boil, add the angel hair pasta and cook to the packaging instructions.
In a separate pot for the sauce, add olive oil and pressed garlic over medium-low heat, cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add the cans of crushed tomatoes & sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Leave the sauce simmering on the stove at medium-low while you keep cooking. Do not add the basil leaves to the sauce, (that will come at the end).
Move over to the lined baking sheet. Drizzle about two tablespoons of olive oil onto the sheet. Add the cherry tomatoes, crushed garlic, and salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to make sure all the tomatoes are covered in oil and salt. Place in the oven and cook for 10 – 12 minutes.
Warm the olive oil and DF butter on the last empty pan on the stove over medium heat. Add pressed garlic and simmer for a few seconds, then add the wine. Stir well before adding the mussels into the pan. Try and coat the mussels with the wine sauce mixture while adding the salt.
Cover mussels while they simmer in the wine sauce, until they are cooked & open. This will take about five to seven minutes.
Once the angel hair is fully cooked and drained, add it to the pot with the simmering tomato sauce. Coat the pasta with the sauce, then add about 3 tablespoons of the white wine sauce to the pasta, and the roasted tomatoes and mix gently. Chop up the fresh basil and add it to the pasta mix.
Serve the pasta onto a plate, and then place about 4-5 mussels onto the pasta and serve.
Once you have served all the plates, place remaining mussels into a serving bowl and place in the middle of the table to enjoy!
