Fresh mussels with pasta in a spicy tomato sauce make the perfect meal for a special occasion or just as a treat for the family. Plump juicy mussels are cooked in their shells in my special chilli tomato and onion sauce and then mixed with cream before being served on a bed of pasta. This is a spicy, garlicky dish, perfect for when you want something different but don't want to spend hours in the kitchen.
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I made a batch of my favourite chilli tomato and onion sauce the other day, intending to freeze it as a base for other meals. It tasted so good that I decided to use half of it immediately to make these fresh mussels with pasta in tomato sauce. And I'm so glad I did! They tasted amazing!
The sauce is packed with tomatoes and onions, flavoured with chilli and garlic, with a slight tang from red wine vinegar, which is tempered with the sweetness of brown sugar. This, coupled with the addition of cream, makes the perfect sauce to combine with the plump juicy mussels on a bed of tasty linguine.
The sauce contains all the spices and flavourings so you don't need anything extra (apart from the mussels, cream and pasta) to throw this dish together. Because the sauce is ready-cooked, you can have this dish on the table in less than half an hour.
These mussels with pasta are so quick and easy to make, they are ideal for a quick supper when you don't feel like cooking. However, they look as though you have spent hours in the kitchen, and are posh enough to serve at a dinner party when you are trying to impress your guests with your culinary expertise!
What you will need
**Get the complete recipe for making these mussels with pasta in a spicy tomato sauce on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
This recipe is sufficient for 2 people but is easily scalable to feed more.
To make this dish of mussels with pasta you will need these ingredients:
- Pasta - I think this dish is best served with either spaghetti or linguine but if you prefer a smaller noodle that's perfectly fine.
- Fresh mussels in the shell - you can normally buy these from the fish counter in your local supermarket, or otherwise from a fishmonger. Allow at least 1 pound (450 grams) of mussels per person. The edible portion of mussels is only about 30%, so once the shells have been discarded you should have about 4 to 5 ounces (or 140 grams) of mussel meat per person.
- Single cream - this adds creaminess to the sauce and also helps with thickening.
- Tomato and onion sauce - you can make your own sauce using your favourite recipe, but I would really recommend this chilli tomato and onion sauce. The garlic and chilli in the sauce go so well with the mussels. You can read the complete post if you would like, but for convenience, I've included instructions for making this sauce in the recipe card on this post. It takes around 1 and a half hours to make this sauce, but most of the time is hands-off while it simmers away. So really, all it takes is an extra 10 minutes of prep time.
- Freshly chopped parsley for garnish.
How to make mussels with pasta
- If you are making my tomato and onion sauce, then start it off about an hour and a half before you are ready to start making this dish. You could even make it the day before and store it in the fridge.
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, then drain and set aside.
- Place a quantity of tomato sauce in a large pan and bring it to a boil. For 2 people I used 2 cups of my chilli tomato and onion sauce.
- Add the mussels and mix them through.
- Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat down to a simmer and let the mussels steam for about 5 minutes until they are all opened.
- Once the mussels have cooked, transfer them from the pan into a bowl, leaving the sauce behind. I use a slotted spoon to do this.
- Reserve 12 mussels in their shells (6 per person) and remove the remaining mussel meat from the shells. Place the mussel meal in the sauce that has been left in the pan.
- Tip any sauce remaining in the bowl back into the pan.
- Mix the cream into the sauce and bring the sauce back to a boil.
- Stir in the drained pasta, then garnish with chopped parsley and the reserved mussels and serve.
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How to make chilli tomato and onion sauce
These are instructions for making a small batch of tomato sauce (sufficient for this recipe). See the original chilli tomato and onion post for more details.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes - chopped
- Onions - chopped
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Dried chilli flakes
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan (or frying pan) and sweat the chopped onions with the crushed garlic gently until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil (1).
- Now add the rest of the ingredients, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.
- Leave to simmer for about an hour until the tomatoes have disintegrated and the onions are cooked (2).
- Remove the lid and let it continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the tomato sauce is thick and glossy.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
- Depending on how much liquid is released by the tomatoes this whole process will take quite a long time. But I’m sure you’ll agree, once you’ve tasted it – that it is worth the wait!
Tips and FAQ
~ When you buy fresh mussels, check the smell. They should smell of the sea, and not smell 'fishy' at all.
~ Fresh live mussels should be tightly closed. If any of the mussels are open, just squeeze them gently, or tap them on the counter and they should close up. Discard any mussels that do not close as these will be dead.
~ Likewise, if any of the shells are cracked or broken, you should discard those too.
~ To clean the mussels put them in a colander and rinse them under cold running water. This will remove any sand or seaweed debris that may be clinging to them.
~ If any of the mussels have a beard you should pull it away from the shell and discard it.
~The mussels will open as they cook. Discard any mussels that do not open during cooking as they will be dead.
Don't freeze fresh mussels! I've tried it. The mussels close up tightly and die, so when you try to cook them they do not open.
However, you can freeze the mussels in the sauce (I would do it before adding the pasta). You can keep them in the freezer for up to four months. After that, the texture will start to deteriorate.
Defrost the sauce in the refrigerator (or microwave) while you make the pasta, then add the cold mussels to the cooked pasta, and allow to heat gently until piping hot.
You can freeze the tomato sauce in meal-sized portions in plastic bags for up to six months. Defrost in the refrigerator or if you are in a hurry, in the microwave.
Yes, you can make this dish of mussels with pasta the day before and store covered in the refrigerator. I wouldn't store it for longer than that.
Reheat in a pan on the stove (or in the microwave) until piping hot.
You can make the tomato sauce up to three days beforehand and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make this dish.
You can easily scale this dish to feed any number of people:
~ Pasta - 2 ounces (60 grams) per person - that's about one cup of cooked pasta.
~ Fresh mussels in their shells - one pound (450 grams) per person.
~ Tomato and onion sauce - one cup per person.
~ Cream - 2 tablespoons per person.
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Other recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe you may also like to try these other pasta and seafood dishes:
- Pasta Pescatore
- Creamy seafood linguine
- Salmon and broccoli pasta
- Seafood stuffed pasta shells
- Creamy mussel pasta
- Fresh mussels in creamy garlic sauce
- Octopus stew - Spanish style
- Stuffed mussels with rice and tomato - fresh mussels in the shell, stuffed with a savoury rice and tomato mixture.
📋The recipe
Fresh mussels with pasta in a spicy tomato sauce
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
Tomato and onion sauce
- 4 large tomatoes roughly chopped
- 3 medium onions cut into 1cm/½" dice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes or to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Mussels and pasta
- 4 ounces / 120 grams spaghetti or linguine
- 2 pounds / 900 grams fresh mussels in the shell
- 4 tablespoons single cream
- 2 cups homemade tomato sauce use my recipe or use your own favourite recipe
- Freshly chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
Tomato and onion sauce
- Chop the tomatoes and onions. Crush the garlic4 large tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 3 medium onions
- Sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a saucepan for a couple of minutes and then add the tomatoes and bring to the boil.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer with the lid on for about 1 hour until everything has turned into a lovely mushy sauce2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.salt and pepper
- Now remove the lid and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and glossy – 10 to 20 minutes
Mussels and pasta
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and set aside.4 ounces / 120 grams spaghetti or linguine
- Place the tomato sauce in a large frying pan and heat until boiling.2 cups homemade tomato sauce
- Add the mussels in their shells and mix through the sauce.2 pounds / 900 grams fresh mussels
- Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat down to a simmer and let the mussels steam for about 5 minutes until they are all opened.
- Once the mussels have cooked, transfer them from the pan into a bowl, leaving the sauce behind. I use a slotted spoon to do this.
- Reserve 12 mussels in their shells (6 per person) and remove the remaining mussel meat from the shells. Place the mussel meal in the sauce that has been left in the pan.
- Tip any sauce remaining in the bowl back into the pan.
- Mix the cream into the sauce and bring the sauce back to the boil.4 tablespoons single cream
- Stir in the drained pasta, then garnish with chopped parsley and the reserved mussels and serve.Freshly chopped parsley
Notes
- Pasta - 2 ounces (60 grams) per person - that's about one cup of cooked pasta.
- Fresh mussels in their shells - one pound (450 grams) per person.
- Tomato and onion sauce - one cup per person.
- Cream - 2 tablespoons per person.
- When you buy fresh mussels, check the smell. They should smell of the sea, and not smell 'fishy' at all.
- Fresh live mussels should be tightly closed. If any of the mussels are open, just squeeze them gently, or tap them on the counter and they should close up. Discard any mussels that do not close as these will be dead.
- Likewise, if any of the shells are cracked or broken, you should discard those too.
- To clean the mussels put them in a colander and rinse them under cold running water. This will remove any sand or seaweed debris that may be clinging to them.
- If any of the mussels have a beard you should pull it away from the shell and discard it.
- The mussels will open as they cook. Discard any mussels that do not open during cooking as they will be dead.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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