Pasta with mussels, tomatoes, and fried capers is a classic Italian dish that is both delicious and easy to make. The combination of briny mussels, sweet tomatoes, and salty capers creates a flavor profile that is both complex and satisfying. This dish is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal, or for a special occasion dinner party.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
PASTA WITH MUSSELS, TOMATOES AND FRIED CAPERS
The best part of a big pot of mussels is arguably the broth, especially when it features plenty of garlic and wine. Here, the mussels and their broth - combined with ripe summer tomatoes - make a heady, rich sauce for pasta. A topping of toasted garlicky bread crumbs run through with fried capers gives the mixture texture and tang. This is just as good warm as it is hot, so feel free to make it up to an hour in advance, adding the herbs just before serving.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories dinner, weekday, pastas, main course
Time 1h
Yield 3 to 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain.
- As pasta cooks, prepare the bread crumbs: In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add capers and minced garlic, and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add bread crumbs, and fry until both crumbs and capers are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Scrape the crumbs and capers onto a plate, and season to taste with salt.
- Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot and let it get hot. Add sliced garlic and red-pepper flakes, and let sizzle until garlic is golden at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes have softened and start to lose their shape, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomato solids to a small bowl, add lemon juice to taste, and set aside.
- Add wine and oregano to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add mussels, cover and cook over medium heat, shaking the pot occasionally, until mussels have opened and are cooked through, about 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer mussels with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, and let cool slightly. Discard any unopened mussels.
- Simmer the mussels liquid until reduced to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Discard oregano sprigs.
- When mussels are still hot (but not too hot to handle), pull meat from shells and add to the pot with reduced mussel broth (discard shells). Add pasta, tomatoes and butter, and toss well. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt if needed.
- Transfer mixture to a shallow serving bowl and toss with herbs. Top with bread crumb-caper mixture and serve.
PASTA WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND CAPERS
The roasted cherry tomatoes break down just enough to coat the pasta. The oregano provides needed herb flavor.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Pasta and Grains
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes, capers, and oregano with oil and season with salt. Roast until tomatoes burst and begin to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Return pasta and 1/4 cup pasta water to pot and add tomato mixture. Cook over high until sauce is slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. If necessary, add remaining pasta water to create a light sauce that coats pasta. Serve sprinkled with oregano.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 432 g, Fat 12 g, Fiber 5 g, Protein 13 g, SaturatedFat 2 g
PASTA WITH MUSSELS IN TOMATO SAUCE
Semolina linguine is a traditional and wonderful pasta to use. But you can make the dish with whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta; both are getting better and better. Look for a flat noodle like tagliatelle, fettuccine or linguine. If you use whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta, make sure not to overcook it. My rule of thumb is to check for doneness a minute before the suggested cooking time on the package; noodles should be cooked al dente.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, lunch, pastas, main course
Time 50m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Pulse tomatoes with juices in food processor just a few times to break down into a coarse purée; set aside. Bring large pot of water to boil for pasta.
- Meanwhile, in a wide skillet or saucepan with lid, combine crushed garlic clove and shallot with white wine. Bring to a boil and add mussels. Cover and cook, shaking pan from time to time, 2 to 4 minutes, or until mussels open up. Check mussels after 2 minutes; transfer open mussels to a bowl using tongs. Cover pan again, wait another minute, and repeat until all mussels have opened.
- Leave mussels to cool in bowl until easily removed from shells. Remove half from shells and leave other half intact. Taste a mussel; if it is sandy, give them all a very quick rinse and drain in a colander. Transfer to a bowl and keep covered while you make tomato sauce.
- Place a strainer over another bowl, line with cheesecloth and strain the liquid in the pan into bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup. Rinse and dry pan.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in pan and add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add tomatoes, thyme or marjoram (or both), and sugar.
- Turn heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring often, 5 to 10 minutes, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add 1/2 cup broth from mussels, stir together and bring to a simmer. Taste and add salt as needed (you may not need to add any). Tip all mussels, shelled and unshelled, into sauce, cover and turn heat to very low or remove from heat if not serving right away. Keep warm while you cook pasta.
- Warm a large bowl for the pasta. When water for pasta comes to a rolling boil, salt generously and add pasta. Cook al dente, following the directions on the package. Drain and toss in the warm bowl with tomato sauce, mussels and parsley. Serve right away.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 626, UnsaturatedFat 9 grams, Carbohydrate 80 grams, Fat 13 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 40 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 1095 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams
PASTA WITH SMOKED MUSSELS AND CAPERS
Steps:
- Bring large pot of water to a boil and boil pasta. Meanwhile prepare the ingredients: Coarsely chopping the mussels, sardines, capers and parsley and adding them to the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste with salt and crushed red pepper.
- When pasta is done, drain and shake dry and add to the bowl; toss with scallions, reserving some for garnish. Serve warm.
- Refresh leftovers with vinaigrette.
PASTA WITH MUSSELS, TOMATOES AND FRIED CAPERS
Steps:
- Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain.
- As pasta cooks, prepare the bread crumbs: In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add capers and minced garlic, and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add bread crumbs, and fry until both crumbs and capers are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Scrape the crumbs and capers onto a plate, and season to taste with salt.
- Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot and let it get hot. Add sliced garlic and red-pepper flakes, and let sizzle until garlic is golden at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes have softened and start to lose their shape, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomato solids to a small bowl, add lemon juice to taste, and set aside.
- Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot and let it get hot. Add sliced garlic and red-pepper flakes, and let sizzle until garlic is golden at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes have softened and start to lose their shape, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomato solids to a small bowl, add lemon juice to taste, and set aside.
- Simmer the mussels liquid until reduced to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Discard oregano sprigs.
- When mussels are still hot (but not too hot to handle), pull meat from shells and add to the pot with reduced mussel broth (discard shells). Add pasta, tomatoes and butter, and toss well. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt if needed.
- Transfer mixture to a shallow serving bowl and toss with herbs. Top with bread crumb-caper mixture and serve.
DOUBLE-TOMATO PASTA SALAD
For full-spectrum tomato flavor, this pasta salad pairs fresh tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes. The sun-dried tomato oil and the water that's released from salted tomatoes serve as a built-in dressing. Nuts and herbs add crunch and freshness, but you should feel free to add more embellishments right before serving, like mozzarella or shaved Parmesan, white beans or chickpeas, sardines or another tinned fish, or briny condiments like capers or olives.
Provided by Ali Slagle
Categories dinner, easy, lunch, weeknight, pastas, salads and dressings, main course
Time 35m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Holding back the sun-dried tomatoes with your fingers, drain the oil from the jar into a large pot. Coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the pot, along with the nuts and olive oil. Set over medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the nuts are toasted, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl (reserve the pot), then stir in the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
- Fill the reserved pot with water (no need to wash) and bring to a boil. Season water with salt, add the pasta and cook until just past al dente. (The pasta will not cook further in the sauce.) Drain the pasta.
- While the water is coming to a boil, coarsely chop the ripe tomatoes. Add to the sun-dried tomato mixture, season with 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. (Tomato mixture can be made up to 2 hours ahead.)
- Add the drained pasta to the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Let sit until room temperature, about 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. Pasta salad will keep up to 3 days if refrigerated.
- When ready to eat, taste the pasta salad. If flavors are muted, add salt and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. If it's too sweet, add black pepper and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. Stir in the greens and eat.
FETTUCCINE WITH TOMATOES AND CRISPY CAPERS
This is fast, healthy and so good! We made this recipe which we found on F&W Magazine, July/08 edition, with angel-hair pasta and it was delicious! This is "From Chef Tips For Speedy Dishes" by Grace Parisi where the fried capers add a delectable, salty crunch to the pasta tossed with fresh tomatoes and prosciutto.
Provided by Manami
Categories Vegetable
Time 30m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.
- In a small bowl, toss the capers with the cornstarch and transfer to a sieve; shake off the excess cornstarch.
- Add the coated capers to the oil and fry over high heat, tilting and gently shaking the pan, until the capers are crispy and golden, about 3 minutes.
- Drain the capers, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet.
- Spread the capers on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the anchovies and garlic to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring, until the garlic is golden and the anchovies dissolve, about 3 minutes.
- Add the prosciutto, separating the ribbons, and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook just until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 minutes; stir in the basil.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente.
- Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
- Return the pasta to the pot along with the water and pour the sauce on top.
- Toss over high heat just until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Serve the pasta in bowls, garnished with the crispy capers.
- Pass the grated cheese at the table.
- A Light Chardonnay: 2007 Terres Dorées Beaujolais Blanc will be a great addition to the meal, as well as, garlic breadsticks & a salad of greens.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 487.7, Fat 21.8, SaturatedFat 3.5, Cholesterol 66.1, Sodium 286.9, Carbohydrate 61.4, Fiber 3.3, Sugar 2.6, Protein 12.1
PASTA WITH TOMATOES, CAPERS, OLIVES AND BREADCRUMBS
Make and share this Pasta With Tomatoes, Capers, Olives and Breadcrumbs recipe from Food.com.
Provided by sofie-a-toast
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 35m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- 1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the sliced garlic over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan or skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic turns golden, about two minutes. Do not let it take on any more color than this. Remove the garlic slices with a slotted spoon and discard (or use as a garnish later), then add the bread crumbs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until the bread crumbs are crisp. Remove from the heat, and set aside.
- 2. Return the pan to medium heat, and add the remaining olive oil, the red pepper flakes and the minced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds until the garlic smells fragrant, and add the tomatoes, capers and olives. Bring to a simmer, and simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- 3. Meanwhile heat water to a boil, salt generously and add the spaghetti. Cook al dente, following the cooking recommendations on the package but checking about a minute before the suggested time. Drain, and toss with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parsley on top, toss again briefly and serve, passing the Parmesan at the table.
Tips:
- To save time, use frozen mussels that have been thawed and cleaned.
- If you can't find fresh tomatoes, use canned diced tomatoes instead.
- Don't overcrowd the pan when frying the capers, or they will steam instead of fry.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce for a little extra heat.
- Serve the pasta with a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley or basil.
Conclusion:
This pasta with mussels, tomatoes, and fried capers is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. The mussels are plump and juicy, the tomatoes are sweet and tangy, and the fried capers add a salty, briny flavor that complements the other ingredients perfectly. This dish is sure to be a hit with your family and friends.
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