If you love Mussels, then my Tuscan Mussel recipe is perfect for you!
I’m not quite sure when it happened or exactly how it happened, but one day my wife decided she like mussels. This was, of course, the same woman who didn’t think she liked them for the last 12 years I have been asking about them….hmmm.
Now I’m not complaining mind you, I do enjoy a good plate full of steaming mussels with a loaf of crusty bread and lately, my sauce of choice has been aioli. One of the restaurants we had gone to a while ago served their mussels with white beans in the sauce, and they were absolutely delicious!
Now once again, my wife who normally won’t even look at a bean, had no problems eating the mussels, beans and all! Not being one to miss an opportunity to use my beloved cannellini beans in a dish, I decided to replicate the mussels we had out at home!
To say they were nothing special with the beans would have been an understatement.
Somewhere along the line I had missed a crucial step to making the beans and the mussels one with the universe….sigh
I think you know me well enough by now to know that I don’t give up too easily, especially with food, so when I bought my seafood last week I picked up a bag of mussels too. As busy as the week was the mussels almost didn’t make it on the menu, and oh how I hate losing mussels!
Here’s a tip too, if you do need to cook them, after cooking they freeze pretty good, but unlike clams, they do not freeze well raw, the meat kind of explodes. So steam them take the meat out of the shell and freeze it on a cookie tray and then place them in a ziplock bag until you need them!
So let’s get back to the mussels! I mentioned the bag of mussels waiting for me patiently in the refrigerator, and right next to it was a head of broccoli rabe that had been beckoning to me every time I opened the door ( I have been on a broccoli rabe kick lately, its always on hand, right next to the pineapple) I thought why not, it has to improve the flavor of the beans doesn’t it?
Well my friends, let me tell you, It went beyond my expectations, the blending of the flavors was truly a match made in heaven! The bitter broccoli rabe helped enhance the flavor of the cannellini beans, and the mussels just danced across the plate so happy to be a part of this meal!!
I now have a new go-to mussel recipe, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
If you enjoyed this recipe you may also like these:
- Quick and Easy Steamed Mussels
- New Zealand Mussels Five-Ways
- Clams Casino
- Oysters Rockefeller
- Garlic Oysters
Tuscan Mussels
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cultivated mussels Bag of mussels approx: about 2 pounds
- 1 head broccoli rabe
- 15 oz cannellini beans small can
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 ounces white wine optional
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp grated Romano cheese
Instructions
- Begin heating your pasta water, cook pasta per instructions on the box.
- While the pasta is getting ready, clean your mussels. Remove any seaweed or debris from the shell and discard any mussels that are open! If they won't close when you tap them, they are dead. Never eat dead shellfish! Rinse your mussels in cold water thoroughly, then allow them to drain in a colander.
- Wash the head of broccoli rabe, and cut it into small strips about ¾ of an inch.
- Slice 2 cloves of garlic and place in a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, as the garlic starts to cook, add the broccoli rabe and continue to saute for 7-10 minutes until the broccoli rabe is tender.
- Open a small can of cannellini beans and rinse them in cold water. Add the beans to the broccoli rabe, season with sea salt, pepper, and grated Romano cheese. Add a little water to the pan from the pasta pot. Set this aside until serving.
- At this point you should begin cooking your pasta, DeCecco is my pasta of choice and it calls for 11 minutes which is just enough time to cook the mussels.
- In another saute pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 cloves of sliced garlic, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Allow the garlic to begin cooking then add the mussels, the white wine and cover to let them steam open, after about 5 minutes the mussels will open, allow them to cook for another 2-3 minutes to fully cook the meat.
- Add the broccoli rabe mixture to the mussels. Cook until broccoli rabe is reheated. Serve and enhoy!
Emily Malloy
You rock my socks off with this.
Lin Ann
Congrats on Top 9! No. 1! My daughter would soooo love this dish, and so would I. Fabulous
Peggy
These mussels sound terrific! I've never had them with cannelini beans before, but I bet it's a welcome addition =)
spiceblogger
I LOVE mussels! Sadly, I can not get them fresh where I live. Sometimes I can find them frozen, and they're ok. But nothing is like fresh, steamed mussels.
This recipe looks delicious.
congrats on Top 9!
–shelley
baking.serendipity
I think I need to give mussels another shot as well…perhaps with this recipe 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Chef!
The Harried Cook
Wow… I hated mussels too, and started eating them only a few years ago… Never seen mussels with beans before! Sounds fabulous! And thank you for the tip about freezing mussels. I had no idea! Thanks for sharing!
Happy When Not Hungry
Wow these mussels look amazing! I've never tried making my own. These look beautiful!
Monet
Hi sweet man. You and your wife have a few things in common 🙂 I thought I hated mussels until about a year ago. Now I can't get enough of them! I can't wait to give this recipe a try. Thank you so much for sharing this deliciousness…I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow. Hugs and love from Austin!
Monet
Hi sweet man. You and your wife have a few things in common 🙂 I thought I hated mussels until about a year ago. Now I can't get enough of them! I can't wait to give this recipe a try. Thank you so much for sharing this deliciousness…I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow. Hugs and love from Austin!
Pacheco Patty
I like your recipe Chef, you've really made a wonderfully satisfying meal out of your mussels. I'm glad the whole family is on board with liking mussels, they are so yummy;-)
a. maren
oh dear, this looks incredible. your seafood recipes really inspire me!
Elyse @The Cultural Dish
Haha well at least your wife finally came around… better late then never I guess! I'll be giving this recipe a try for sure! Thankfully my boyfriend loves mussels just as much as I do! Thanks for sharing!
Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes
Your wife sounds like my husband who doesn't like salmon, but we recently discovered he liked artic char . . . do you think I can find it anywhere?
Your mussels sound absolutely delicious! There is a restaurant that I go to that makes Greek mussels, if I can find the recipe I'll give it to you!
Have a great day!
Mary
Tastemonials
I just learned to like mussels recently as well. I'm not sure about the beans, though, like your wife, I'm not a fan. I like the mussels spicy with red onion, cilantro and hot pepper, sort of Peruvian style.
Barbara
Looks marvelous, Dennis. Mussels are a favorite around here too. But I do them very simply. I really must try this; so many delicious components….and oh that bread!!
Maranda
I'm so glad you were able to overcome the dish and find a way to make it as flavorful as you wanted it to be. It looks great!
warmvanillasugar
Neat idea! This looks so great.
Kate from Scratch
OOoh, wow. classic and delcious. Amazing photos too. I love this. Congrats in advance on the Top 9. 😉 *fingers crossed and knocks on wood*
anniebakes
I love mussels and this looks fantastic! great photography! anne
Gastronome Tart
I felt that way about oysters. Now I love them and my husband still doesn't understand how I flipped! This looks amazing! I have never cooked mussels or clams at home before. Thanks for the recipe.