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Pasta with mussels in cream sauce

Pasta with Mussels in Cream Sauce

Original, aromatic, savory — a celebration every day! Pasta with mussels in cream sauce is a true Mediterranean dish made by all the rules of Italian cooking. Seafood pairs beautifully with cream sauce, which softens its flavor and makes the pasta silky.

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Spaghetti

200

Mussels

150

Cream (10%)

200

Garlic

Vegetable oil (olive oil is better)

Butter

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 18 % 8 g

Fats 24 % 11 g

Carbohydrates 58 % 26 g

267 kcal

GI: 8 / 92 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

How do you make pasta with mussels in cream sauce? Get the ingredients ready. Use any long or medium pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, orecchiette, farfalle, and so on). Cream of 10–20% fat works. You can use shelled mussels or ones in the shell.
Step 2:

If the mussels are frozen, thaw them first by moving them from the freezer to the fridge overnight.
Step 3:

Peel the garlic and chop it coarsely. I usually slice the garlic into thin petals, since they're easier to pick out of the pan.
Step 4:

Heat a mix of vegetable oil and butter in a skillet. In this combination the butter won't burn, since vegetable oil has a much higher smoke point. Keep the heat fairly low.
Step 5:

Fry the garlic until golden.
Step 6:

Then take it out. The garlic is only there to flavor the oil. Add the mussels to the skillet. Fry them over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Seafood turns rubbery and tasteless if fried too long.
Step 7:

Pour the cream into the skillet and bring it to a boil.
Step 8:

Boil the spaghetti in salted water to al dente per the package directions. Drain the cooked pasta in a colander. The sauce comes together fast, so it's best to start the pasta at the same time as the sauce.
Step 9:

Add the spaghetti to the skillet with the mussels and stir. Warm it through for just 1 minute, then take the skillet off the heat.
Step 10:

Divide the pasta with mussels among plates right away and serve. Enjoy!

Mussel meat is pure, high-quality protein. It's rich in phosphatides, which benefit liver function. These shellfish are fairly fatty, but it's the so-called "good" fat, containing especially beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids — special substances that improve brain function and restore visual acuity. Mussels contain various trace elements, including zinc, manganese, iodine, cobalt, and copper, about 20 essential amino acids, and vitamins B2, B6, B1, and PP, as well as E and D. They're also an excellent antioxidant. Mussels are especially high in cobalt — nearly ten times more than pork, beef, or chicken liver. They have a pleasant, delicate taste, high nutritional value, and beneficial properties: good for improving metabolism, stimulating blood formation, raising overall vitality, and strengthening immunity. Mussels are recommended for various blood disorders and high radiation exposure.
The cream for this recipe can be any fat content, but remember that the higher the fat content of the products you use, the higher the dish's calorie count.
For how to cook pasta properly, how to get it al dente, how to choose a quality product to avoid disappointment, and much more, read the article "Pasta — the finer points of choosing and the secrets of cooking it."
Important! The wrong pan can ruin even the best recipe. For all the details on choosing the perfect pan for different dishes, read here.