Quick enough for weeknights but special enough for guests, Spaghetti with Mussels brings fresh seafood flavour to your plate in under 30 minutes.
Spaghetti with Mussels is a classic of Italian home cooking. It started in the South, where mussels are easy to find, but it has become popular everywhere. The recipe is simple, made with only a few good ingredients, and depends on their freshness and quality for its flavour.
Some cooks add the mussels straight into the sauce, but I prefer to open them first. This step helps remove any sand and keeps the sauce clear and clean. It takes a few extra minutes but makes a big difference to the taste.
Reasons To Cook Mussel Pasta Tonight
- Straightforward ingredients come together quickly, perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
- Practical way to use fresh mussels when they’re in season and affordable.
- Brings a bit of variety to your weekly pasta rotation without extra effort.
Key Ingredients for Spaghetti with Mussels
Mussels
Provide briny, umami-rich cooking liquor that seasons the sauce once strained. Choose tightly closed shells, scrub and debeard, and discard any that stay open after a firm tap.
Tomatoes
Bring balanced acidity and natural sweetness, keeping the sauce light and fluid. Use ripe fresh tomatoes in season or good-quality whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand.
Garlic
Adds a mild garlic aroma that complements both tomatoes and mussels. Sauté only until pale golden; remove the cloves after infusing if you prefer a gentler taste.
Parsley
Gives a clean, fresh herbal note at the end. Stir in off the heat to keep colour and fragrance; flat-leaf parsley works best.
Find the complete list with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Spaghetti with Mussels
Step 1: Soak cleaned mussels in well-salted water for at least 2 hours to purge any sand.
Step 2: Heat extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan, then sauté the garlic cloves for about 1 minute until light golden.
Step 3: Stir in the diced tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes; set the sauce aside.
Step 4: Put the mussels in a pot, cover with a lid, and cook over high heat until they open.
Step 5: Lift the mussels out, strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve, and reserve it for the sauce.
Step 6: Remove most mussels from their shells, keeping a few in the shells for garnish.
Step 7: Return the tomato sauce to the pan, add the mussels and the strained liquid, and cook over high heat for 5 minutes.
Step 8: Add chopped parsley, season with salt and pepper, and turn off the heat.
Step 9: Cook the pasta following the steps on How to Cook Pasta al Dente, but drain it 1 minute early; finish cooking it in the pan with the sauce over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing well.
Step 10: Serve at once with freshly ground black pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh mussels are best, but frozen, pre-cooked mussels can work in a pinch. Add them directly to the sauce and cook only until hot so they stay tender.
Mussels are ready when their shells open naturally during cooking. Closed mussels after cooking simply mean they were not alive beforehand. Always discard them and use only the ones that open naturally for the best flavour and safety.
Yes. Prepare the tomato base up to a day in advance, cool, and refrigerate. Add the mussels and their liquor only when ready to serve for the freshest flavour.
Linguine or spaghettini both hold the sauce well. Avoid short shapes, as they don’t coat evenly with the light mussel sauce.
Extra Help from the Kitchen
Buy Mussels the Same Day – Use mussels within a few hours of buying them. Fresh shellfish give a sweeter, cleaner flavour and open more evenly when cooked.
Keep Mussels Cool Before Cooking – Store them in the fridge covered with a damp cloth. Avoid sealing them in plastic, as they need air to stay alive.
Use a Wooden Spoon to Stir – A wooden spoon is gentler on the mussels and helps keep them from tearing while mixing with the sauce.
Reserve a Cup of Pasta Water – If the sauce thickens too much while tossing, add a small splash of the cooking water to loosen it without diluting the flavour.
Variations and Twists
Finish with Lemon and Parsley – Grate fresh lemon zest and sprinkle extra chopped parsley over the pasta before serving. The lemon brightens the tomato sauce and lifts the mussel flavour.
Make a Tomato-Free (Bianca) Sauce – Leave out the tomatoes for a lighter version. Cook the garlic slowly in olive oil, add a splash of white wine and mussel liquor, then finish with parsley and black pepper.
Combine with Mixed Seafood – Add a few cleaned prawns or clams along with the mussels. Let them cook together during the last few minutes so everything stays tender and juicy.
Use Cherry Tomatoes – Replace large diced tomatoes with halved cherry tomatoes. They soften quickly, adding sweetness and a fresh, rich colour to the sauce.
Make Spicy Spaghetti with Mussels – Sauté one small fresh chilli or a pinch of dried peperoncino with the garlic in olive oil to add gentle heat and warmth to the sauce.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store leftover Spaghetti with Mussels in a shallow airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 day. Cool quickly before closing the lid to prevent condensation.
Do not freeze the assembled pasta. The tomato and mussel sauce can be frozen on its own (mussels out of shells) in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months at −18°C – 0°F. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a frying pan over low heat with 1–2 tbsp water until hot.
Other Seafood Recipes You Might Like
Spaghetti with Vongole
Clams open in white wine and garlic, and the sauce for Spaghetti with Vongole comes together in the same pan as the pasta.
Impepata di Cozze
Steam fresh mussels with olive oil, garlic, and plenty of pepper. Impepata di Cozze is all about simple, bold flavour.
Risotto alla Marinara
In Risotto alla Marinara, seafood stock seeps slowly into the rice until creamy, with prawns and squid folded through at the end.
Pasta with Scallops and Lobster Oil
Sweet scallops meet silky strands in Pasta with Scallops and Lobster Oil, finished with a drizzle that deepens the seafood aroma.
Garlic Scallops
A quick sear in butter and olive oil turns into a golden crust. Garlic Scallops stay tender inside and soak in a lemony pan sauce.
Oysters Kilpatrick
Fresh oysters topped with bacon and a Worcestershire glaze make Oysters Kilpatrick a savoury seafood classic from the grill.
Paella Mixta
Rice, saffron, chicken, and prawns cook together until the bottom forms a gentle crust, giving Paella Mixta its signature texture.
Spaghetti with Mussels Recipe
Quick enough for weeknights but special enough for guests, Spaghetti with Mussels brings fresh seafood flavour to your plate in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 kg – 2.2 lbs mussels – cleaned
- 600 g – 1 1/3 lbs tomatoes – diced
- 2 garlic cloves – crushed
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp parsley – chopped
- Salt and pepper – to taste
- 360 g – 12.7 oz spaghetti
Instructions
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Soak cleaned mussels in well-salted water for at least 2 hours to purge any sand.
-
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan, then sauté the garlic cloves for about 1 minute until light golden.
-
Stir in the diced tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes; set the sauce aside.
-
Put the mussels in a pot, cover with a lid, and cook over high heat until they open.
-
Lift the mussels out, strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve, and reserve it for the sauce.
-
Remove most mussels from their shells, keeping a few in the shells for garnish.
-
Return the tomato sauce to the pan, add the mussels and the strained liquid, and cook over high heat for 5 minutes.
-
Add chopped parsley, season with salt and pepper, and turn off the heat.
-
Cook the pasta following the steps on How to Cook Pasta al Dente, but drain it 1 minute early; finish cooking it in the pan with the sauce over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing well.
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Serve at once with freshly ground black pepper.
Hello. A friend of mine told me about your blog and “Cooking With Mr. C.” on Facebook. I now have two favorites. Keep up the great work. Denise
I would definitely love this with delicious mussels. Have a nice weekend, Manu! 🙂
Manu, how delicious. I could get a fork and dive in!
I plan on trying. I might be able to handle it. I am not a very good cook, and I do better keeping things simple and easy.
I’m Italian even though you would never know it by the name (born in Italy and all). I was just surfing around for what to do with a few spare mussels. And came across your blog. This recipe is just about how my mom would make it. I’m gonna check out your other recipes on your site. So far, I like what I see very much.
Made this tonight- it was simple and spot on. I actually used canned diced tomatoes since it’s winter and fresh ones aren’t the best. I loved the trick to open the mussels first and add them later. This made the broth perfect for a nice piece of Italian bread! Will keep and make again!!