Fast Mussel Spaghetti
The best seafood is fresh! Agreed, but come Tuesday afternoon, counting down the minutes, the seconds until dinner time, the best seafood fast and readily available. So fresh shelled mussels in the refrigerator or in the freezer (if you have thawed them) is a delicious, nutritious and inexpensive shortcut when weekday dinners need to be ready in no time. Mussels are particularly rich in iron and vitamin B12, so very useful when fasting for Lent or for young kids where every bite counts.
The frozen mussels are pre-cooked and easy to overcook, so you will need to reduce the cooking times you will see below by half. With a little care they will remain tender. If you read the recipe through so that the steps are clear and you have your ingredients prepared, dinner is ready in 20-25′.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps. Olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 500 gr. tomatoes, grated
- A few basil leaves or 1 tablespoon Basil pesto
- 4 garlic cloves
- 500 gr. Mussels, rinsed and shelled
- 60 ml white wine or 2 tbsp lemon juice if you are serving children
- 400 gr. Spaghetti
- grated lemon zest and finely chopped parsley for serving
In a saucepan saute the onion in half the oil, until translucent. Add half the garlic and 30″ later the grated tomato. Season and allow to simmer uncovered for about 15 ‘-20 ‘.
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, add the spaghetti and boil for 2 ‘ less than the label on the packaging. Have the colander ready.
In the meantime, in a large wide frying pan, sauté the remaining oil, the remaining garlic with the mussels for 2 minutes and add the wine. Allow to evaporate while adding the basil to the tomato sauce. Stir the sauce well and pour into the pan with the mussels. Simmer for 2 ‘, then add the strained spaghetti, stir well and take off the heat. Serve immediately with the lemon zest and parsley.
