Spaghetti with mussels and pesto, a first course that reminds us of summer, for its colors and ingredients. Summer, sun, and holidays are synonymous with good disposition even in the kitchen, the more we know the ingredients, the better we cook. Today we talk about mollusks, naturally we mean specimens belonging to two families, those with shells and those without. Obviously, those with shells mainly include mussels, clams, razor clams, fasolari, and many others. The rest of the mollusks are shell-less: small octopuses, cuttlefish, squids, calamari, octopuses, and more. For my recipe today, I used frozen and shelled mussels, many of which are available on the market and of good quality, I wanted to try.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, All seasons
- Energy 440.29 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 27.04 (g) of which sugars 1.51 (g)
- Proteins 15.87 (g)
- Fat 26.97 (g) of which saturated 2.54 (g)of which unsaturated 1.30 (g)
- Fibers 2.11 (g)
- Sodium 528.66 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 10 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare the spaghetti
- 3.5 oz mussels (frozen)
- 3.5 oz Genoese pesto
- 1 clove garlic
- 2.7 fl oz dry white wine
- 5.3 oz spaghetti
- 1 bunch chopped parsley
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
Tools to prepare the spaghetti
- Frying pan
- Pot
- Wooden spoon
Steps to prepare spaghetti with mussels and pesto
We think that it is not always possible to find fresh products, and sometimes technology helps us, with excellent frozen products always available as if they were fresh.
Put a clove of garlic in a pan with oil and chili pepper.
When the garlic turns golden, lower the heat and add the parsley.
Add the mussels, it will be sufficient to leave them out of the freezer ten minutes before using them. No need to thaw.
Stir a couple of times with a wooden spoon and add the white wine.
Cook the mussels for ten minutes over medium heat and after the wine has evaporated, turn off the heat and add the pesto.
I always prepare pesto at the end of summer and in glass jars, I keep it for a few months in the freezer with the production date and portions.
Boil the spaghetti and blend them with the mussels and pesto, a nice sprinkle of parsley and it’s ready.
Spaghetti with mussels and pesto.
Serve the spaghetti with mussels and pesto hot.
If you like, add another teaspoon of pesto on top of the spaghetti
