Pasta With Mussels

Ingredients

• 1 lb. pasta of your choice
• 1 teaspoon salt

Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leave, chopped
• coarse black pepper and salt to season
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 (15 ounce) tomato sauce
• 1 lb mussels, scrubbed
• (Serves 4)

Directions

Pasta

1. Put enough water into a large pot that it will cover the pasta.
2. Bring the water to a boil, add salt then pasta and cook al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.
5. Add the onion, garlic, celery and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Sautee for 5 minutes then add the wine and the tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer.
6. Add the mussels and cover with a tight-fitting lid or if you do not have a lid, use aluminum foil. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until the mussel open.
7. If there are any unopened mussels, throw them away.
8. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the cooked opened mussels to a bowl, and cover with aluminum foil.
9. Place the drained pasta into the skillet with the sauce and toss to evenly coat the pasta and cook for a minute or two to heat up.
10. To serve, divide the pasta and sauce onto the 4 serving plates and top each one with the cooked mussels.
11. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve right away while nice and hot.