Mussels in spicy tomato sauce with fresh linguine

9
Points®
Total Time
21 min
Prep
6 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Moderate
The classic combination of mussels and tomato sauce turns into a hearty one-dish meal with the addition of linguine. It’s an impressive meal that’s wonderfully simple to prepare. The homemade tomato sauce is flavored with garlic, wine, and crushed red pepper for a little heat. If you prefer a milder sauce, you can certainly omit it. When purchasing mussels, look for ones that have tightly closed shells or that close when gently tapped, and they should smell like the ocean. Avoid ones that are cracked or stay open. The hairy filaments that protrude from a mussel are known as a beard. To remove them, pinch the filaments between your thumb and forefinger and pull firmly. But you may be able to skip this step; some mussels available have no beards.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Onion

1 medium, chopped

Garlic

5 clove(s), minced

Canned diced tomatoes

14½ oz

White wine

½ cup(s)

Crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp

Uncooked mussels in shells

2 pound(s), scrubbed and debearded

Basil

¼ cup(s), fresh, chopped

Fresh parsley

¼ cup(s), falt-leaf variety, fresh, chooped

Uncooked pasta

9 oz, fresh linguine variety

Instructions

  1. Fill a large saucepan with 2 quarts water, and bring it to a boil over high heat.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a nonstick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the mussels, spooning the sauce over them. Cover the Dutch oven and simmer until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open. Stir in the basil and parsley.
  4. When the water boils, add the linguine and cook until just al dente, according to package directions. Drain and toss immediately with about 1⁄2 cup of the sauce from the Dutch oven, then turn onto a heated platter. Top with the remaining sauce and mussels and serve at once. Yields 2 cups mussels in shells and 3⁄4 cup pasta with sauce per serving.