Cavatelli with mussels is a quick seafood pasta of mussels, cherry tomatoes, garlic and chili in light olive oil, ready in about 35 minutes. It feeds 4 and works as a weeknight dinner that still feels special.
Why This Recipe Works
The mussels steam open in just 2 tablespoons of water. So little water keeps the juices in the pot salty and sweet. They taste like the sea instead of like plain broth.
Strain those juices through a very fine sieve before they go in the sauce. Mussels shed grit and bits of shell as they open, and the sieve keeps all of that out of the pan and off your plate.
Take the shells off only half of the mussels. The shelled ones are easy to eat and stir through the pasta. The ones left in the shell make the bowl look full and give you something to scoop with a fork.
Cavatelli with Mussels Ingredients
For the mussels
- 2 1/4 pounds mussels
For the sauce
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 small chili pepper, finely diced
- 11 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pasta
- 14 ounces cavatelli or conchiglie (fresh or dried)
How To Make Cavatelli with Mussels
Steam the mussels
- Clean the mussels: Scrub the mussels under cold running water and pull out the beards. Tap any open mussel on the counter and throw it away if it does not close.
- Open them: Set a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of water and all the mussels. Cover it and steam for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pot now and then so they cook evenly. Throw away any that stay shut.
- Shell and strain: Take the shells off half of the mussels. Pour the cooking juices through a very fine sieve and save them, because they flavor the sauce.
Make the sauce
- Soften the garlic: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the garlic and chili and cook gently until the garlic is soft but not brown, since browned garlic turns bitter.
- Cook the tomatoes: Cut some of the cherry tomatoes in half and leave the rest whole. Add them all to the pan and cook until they soften. The mix of halved and whole tomatoes gives you both juice and plump bites.
- Add the mussels: Stir in the mussels, the saved cooking juices and the parsley. Heat everything through gently, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook the pasta and serve
- Boil the pasta: Cook the cavatelli in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, following the package time, until al dente. Taste one piece a minute early to check.
- Toss together: Drain the pasta and stir it into the mussel sauce. Divide it among 4 bowls and pour a thin stream of extra virgin olive oil over each portion.
Recipe Tips
- Go easy on the salt: The mussel juices are already salty. Taste the sauce before you add any salt, and keep the pasta water only lightly salted.
- Pick lively mussels: Cook mussels the day you buy them. A mussel that stays open after a firm tap, or smells off, should go in the trash.
- Mind the chili: A small chili is enough for a gentle warmth. Remove the seeds if you want less heat, or leave them in if you like more.
- Serve it right away: The pasta keeps drinking the sauce as it sits. Bring it to the table as soon as it’s tossed so it stays loose and saucy.
What To Serve With Cavatelli with Mussels
This dish is quite soupy, so it can be eaten with a spoon as well as a fork. Put out crusty bread to mop up the juices, and a crisp green salad or a glass of cold white wine alongside.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container for 1 day at most. Seafood pasta is best fresh, so plan to make only what you’ll eat.
- Reheat: Warm it gently in a pan with a splash of water until hot all the way through. Do not reheat it more than once.
- Freezer: This dish does not freeze well, because the mussels turn rubbery and the pasta goes soft.
FAQs
Can I use frozen mussels?
Yes, cooked frozen mussels work if you thaw them in the fridge first. Skip the steaming step and heat them in the sauce, but you will not have the fresh cooking juices to add.
What can I use instead of cavatelli?
Conchiglie works well, as the recipe says, and so do other short shapes with hollows like orecchiette. Cook any of them to al dente.
Why should I throw away mussels that stay closed?
A mussel that does not open after cooking was likely dead before it hit the pot, so it is not safe to eat. Throw away any that stay shut, and any open ones that do not close when tapped before cooking.
Is this cavatelli with mussels dairy-free?
Yes. The ingredient list has no butter, cheese or milk, so it is dairy-free. It is not gluten-free, because cavatelli is made with wheat.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 650 kcal
- Total Fat: 27g
- Total Carbohydrate: 72g
- Dietary Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 29g
Cavatelli with Mussels
4
servings15
minutes20
minutes35
minutesCavatelli tossed with steamed mussels, soft cherry tomatoes, garlic, chili and parsley in a light olive oil sauce. A quick seafood pasta for 4 that is soupy enough to eat with a spoon.
Ingredients
- For the mussels
2 1/4 pounds mussels
- For the sauce
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small chili pepper, finely diced
11 ounces cherry tomatoes
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the pasta
14 ounces cavatelli or conchiglie (fresh or dried)
Directions
- Clean the mussels: Scrub the mussels under cold running water and pull out the beards. Tap any open mussel on the counter and throw it away if it does not close.
- Open them: Set a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of water and all the mussels. Cover it and steam for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pot now and then so they cook evenly. Throw away any that stay shut.
- Shell and strain: Take the shells off half of the mussels. Pour the cooking juices through a very fine sieve and save them, because they flavor the sauce.
- Soften the garlic: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the garlic and chili and cook gently until the garlic is soft but not brown, since browned garlic turns bitter.
- Cook the tomatoes: Cut some of the cherry tomatoes in half and leave the rest whole. Add them all to the pan and cook until they soften. The mix of halved and whole tomatoes gives you both juice and plump bites.
- Add the mussels: Stir in the mussels, the saved cooking juices and the parsley. Heat everything through gently, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Boil the pasta: Cook the cavatelli in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, following the package time, until al dente. Taste one piece a minute early to check.
- Toss together: Drain the pasta and stir it into the mussel sauce. Divide it among 4 bowls and pour a thin stream of extra virgin olive oil over each portion.
