Mussels with White Beans & Tomatoes
Cooking mussels may seem intimidating, but here we've made it quick and easy. We've added white beans to turn this classic mussels-in-white-wine-sauce dish into a heartier weeknight meal. Serve with whole-grain crusty bread to sop up the flavorful broth.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1 medium shallot sliced
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 15 ounce can no-salt-added white beans, rinsed
- 2 pounds mussels scrubbed and debearded if necessary (see Tip)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and shallot; cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to release their liquid, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beans and stir to combine. Place mussels on top and pour in wine. Cover and cook until the mussels open (discard any unopened mussels), 5 to 6 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and garnish with more thyme, if desired.
Notes
Tip: To clean mussels, rinse very well under cold running water and use a stiff brush to remove any barnacles or grit from the shell. Discard any mussels with broken shells or any shells that remain open after you tap them lightly. Pull off any fibrous "beard" that might be pinched between the shells; the "beards" of most cultivated mussels are already removed.