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Quick, easy, and delicious- this 15 minute drunken mussels pasta recipe is full of garlic, white wine, and red pepper flavor- perfect for spaghetti or linguine!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe – my goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!
Delicious 15 Minute Drunken Mussels Pasta
I was always afraid of cooking mussels.
They are tricky- there are all sorts of things to do (like scrub them well, remove sand, take off their little “beards”)- and I’m always afraid of cooking a bad mussel and basically killing everyone.
Yea- I’m totally neurotic like that.
But really- it is SO easy to cook mussels, and this drunken mussels pasta is SO good!
(and if you’re insane like me, you can TOTALLY use pre-cleaned and pre-cooked frozen mussels in this recipe! Yay for a safe and awesome shortcut. Of course, fresh always tastes best- but let’s be real- we don’t all live near the ocean or have time to clean shellfish for a light and delicious dinner!)
This dish couldn’t be more simple- toss in a pan with some butter, wine, garlic, peppers and top with fresh cilantro- and you have an elegant, romantic meal!
Isn’t this perfect for date night? So romantic- and it looks impressive and gourmet but doesn’t take any fancy skills or equipment!
FAQs
I like to add red pepper flakes, chili, lemon zest or an extra squeeze of lemon juice to add some heat and acid to the dish!
If you want to add more body then yes you can add some tomato sauce and a little extra virgin olive oil to thin.
If you want some cream or heavy cream to add more richness to the sauce and thicken it up.
You can add some sauteed mushrooms, chili, a bit of white wine, or some fresh basil to add more flavor!
More Delicious Seafood Recipes
Try these other seafood dishes next:
Click here to see all our main dishes!
Drunken Mussels Pasta Recipe
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Drunken Mussels Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs mussels, cleaned and debearded (frozen ok too- do not pre-thaw)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp garlic paste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups white wine
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 cup spaghetti or linguine, cooked al dente
Instructions
- Heat butter in a pan on medium high heat, add mussels.
- If frozen- add immediately to pan and cook from frozen (add another 5 minutes to cook time).
- Add garlic, lemon and wine, as well as bell pepper.
- Stir well and cook on medium high heat until mussels open naturally.
- Discard mussels that don’t open on their own.
- Add pasta and toss in sauce to coat evenly.
- Garnish with cilantro and plate.
- Add fresh grated parmesan, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Dear Courtney O’Dell
Lovely recipe, I am currently writing a novel and would respectfully request your permission to reproduce your recipe in the book, with of course full credit to you in the references. I will understand if you decline however.
with kind regards
Bec McCormack