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Pasta with mussels is a delicious linguine recipe made in a creamy garlic butter and white wine sauce. The result is a light and creamy pasta dish that’s flavored with white wine (or dry sparkling wine), shallots, garlic, mussels, and fresh basil. This is one of the easiest recipes to make and it’s perfect for date night or special occasions.
If you’ve never made mussels before they are incredibly easy to make. They’re usually cooked by steaming in a covered saucepan with a broth such as beer, cream, wine, or water. This simple broth can be flavored with garlic, butter, and herbs. It only takes 5 minutes!
The key ingredient to creamy pasta sauces is whipping cream. Whipping cream has a higher fat content so it can be heated without it separating or coagulating. When you simmer whipping cream for 5 minutes, the water will evaporate, thickening the fat content left behind.
For this recipe, the mussels are simmered in wine, garlic, shallot, and cream and then tossed with parmesan cheese and your pasta of choice. The texture is rich without being overly heavy.
If you enjoyed this recipe, try my mussels in red sauce recipe or my easy beer-steamed mussels. If you’re looking for more delicious pasta recipes, try my mussels and squid ink pasta!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Mussels: I usually use P.E.I. mussels (Prince Edward Island) because they’re delicious and readily available. You can also make this recipe with clams (check out my creamy beer steamed clams recipe).
- Linguine or spaghetti: I prefer linguine but spaghetti works well too. You can ultimately use any pasta you prefer, even tubular pasta.
- White wine or dry sparkling wine: this is a great opportunity to use old wine or an opened bottle of sparkling wine that has been sitting in the fridge. Champagne or Prosecco works great!
- Shallot: shallot is like the garlic of onions. It’s very flavorful and fragrant. It’s fantastic in pasta dishes because it’s sweeter than most onions and not as pungent.
- Garlic: finely mince or use a microplane for a very fine paste-like consistency.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: crushed pepper or red chili flakes add a pinch of flavor. This can be omitted if you don’t have any.
- Whipping cream or heavy cream: always use whipping cream or heavy cream because it will thicken when simmered. You can’t achieve the right consistency with light cream or half and half.
- Grated parmesan cheese: I always opt for a block of cheese that I can shred myself. Pre-grated cheese lacks freshness and is treated with preservatives that prevent proper melting.
- Fresh basil: basil can be a substitute for fresh parsley if you don’t like it. I like how it adds fresh herb flavor to the final dish.
- Olive oil/butter: I use a combination of olive oil and butter to soften the garlic and shallot and add flavor. You can use one or the other if you don’t have both.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
Expert Tips
- When you buy mussels at the store, they’re, in fact, alive. Don’t seal the bag or they will suffocate.
- If mussels don’t close on their own when rinsed or tapped on the counter, they’re likely dead. Mussels should have a mild oceanic or salty smell (if overly fishy, they’re likely bad).
- The pool of liquid in the bottom of the pan will slowly dissipate as the sauce thickens. Be patient and keep the pasta moving to prevent burning. It’s ready when the liquid is nearly gone.
More Shellfish Recipes
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Pasta with Mussels
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds mussels, rinsed
- 12-14 ounces linguine or spaghetti
- 3/4 cup white wine or dry sparkling wine
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Rinse mussels under cool water and remove beards if any, discard any that do not fully close when rinsing (these are dead).
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a big pinch of salt, and cook linguine a little firmer, just before al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a large covered saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook garlic and shallots until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine/sparkling wine, red pepper flakes, and cream. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
- Add mussels, give a quick stir, cover, and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until all the shells open up on their own.
- Strain and add the linguini and the parmesan cheese to the mussels, tossing to mix in the sauce. Simmer uncovered for about 5-7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the sauce thickens and coats the shells and pasta.
- Serve topped with fresh basil, more parmesan cheese, and a few mussels.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi I made this recipe more than once I added mushrooms and shrimp and let me tell you it was over the top five thumbs up I would make it again and again thank you very much for this recipe
Shawn this is a great recipe ! It combines all the elements of Italian cooking that we love . I believe a cream sauce is more appropriate with seafood as it’s not overwhelming like a red sauce . Also for delicate flavored meat and game also such as veal and rabbit. I will be making it again.
Made this dish for my husband’s birthday and we were both extremely happy how it turned out! I added shrimp as I don’t care for mussels and it was amazing!
All I can say is WOW. We made this recipe this evening and it was amazing. The only change was onion instead of shallots. We don’t normally cook with so much fat (butter, oil, cream, and cheese!) so to a degree we thought yeah, no wonder it delicious. But it’s also well-balanced, and really super good. We used black linguini (made with ink) and it looked so beautiful with the mussels and the green basil. Thank you, this dish made our evening 🙂