Bucatini mussels and tomatoes ❤️ 

Pasta with mussels is always a great success! It is a very versatile dish since it can be enriched in many ways, for example with clams or vegetables. Bucatini with mussels and cherry tomatoes will be literally irresistible, tasty and easy to prepare. Let's find out how to proceed.

Pasta with mussels is a true classic, especially widespread in seaside areas or in the summer season. Compared to the white variant, bucatini with mussels and cherry tomatoes will have an extra gear. Not only, in fact, they will be tastier and better but they will also have an extra note of color that will leave your guests literally speechless. You can pepper this dish with fresh mussels, taking care to clean them carefully, or with frozen mussels. For a richer dish, however, you can also add other fish, such as clams. Let's find out, therefore, together how to proceed step by step and many equally tasty and good variations.

Ingredients

400 g bucatini 

1 kg mussels

300 g cherry tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

extra virgin olive oil to taste

salt to taste

chili pepper to taste

Method

To prepare bucatini with mussels and cherry tomatoes we start by understanding how to clean mussels. This step, in fact, is of fundamental importance for the success of your dish. The mussels, in fact, will be cleaned of any impurities present on the shell and the internal byssus. Dedicate a few more minutes to this step because it will be fundamental. Once this is done you can move on to cooking. In a large non-stick pan, heat some extra virgin olive oil and brown the garlic cloves. You can leave the garlic cloves whole and then remove them when cooked or chop them very finely. When the garlic starts to brown you can add the mussels. Cover, then, with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes. You will notice that with the heat the mussels will open on their own. Those closed ones will have to be removed. Once this is done, turn off the heat, shell some of the mussels and leave the others whole. The cooking liquid of the mussels, on the other hand, will be filtered and used for the preparation of the seasoning. This step is important to eliminate any traces of sand present in the cooking liquid. Take the pan, add a round of oil and let it heat. Then add the cherry tomatoes, previously washed and reduced to halves or quarters. Sauté for a few minutes adding salt and chili according to your taste. When the cherry tomatoes begin to soften you can add the mussels, both whole and shelled. Sauté for a minute and then add the cooking liquid of the mussels. Now heat plenty of salted water in a large enough pot then cook the bucatini. Leave al dente, drain the bucatini and transfer them to the pan together with the sauce. Sauté for a few minutes and serve with a dash of oil and, if you like, with finely chopped parsley or oregano.