Penne with Mussels
Penne with mussels is a classic Italian main course combining fresh mussels, cherry tomatoes, tomato purée and penne in a lightly spiced sauce. The TM7 chops the parsley, shallots and garlic in seconds and steams the mussels gently in the Varoma, giving you a restaurant-quality seafood dinner with minimal effort.
About this recipe
Penne with mussels Thermomix TM7 brings the flavours of an Italian seaside trattoria straight to your kitchen. This seafood pasta recipe combines fresh mussels, sweet cherry tomatoes and a touch of chilli in a briny tomato sauce that clings beautifully to ridged penne. Searching for a quick weeknight dinner made in your all-in-one kitchen machine? This is it: the TM7 chops the flat leaf parsley, shallots and garlic in seconds, then gently steams the mussels open in the Varoma while the tomato purée sauce simmers below, capturing every drop of mussel liquor. No hovering over a steaming hob, no endless chopping boards. Extra virgin olive oil rounds out the sauce with fruity depth, and the fresh parsley finishes it with a bright green lift. Serve it straight from the bowl with crusty bread for mopping the juices, and you have an impressive main course that tastes like a holiday on the Belgian or Italian coast.
Preparation tips
- Scrub the fresh mussels under cold running water and pull off any beards before cooking; discard any that stay open when tapped, as only tightly closed mussels are safe to eat.
- Reserve a ladle of the penne cooking water before draining; the starchy liquid loosens the tomato and mussel sauce so it coats every pasta tube beautifully on the plate.
- For a family-friendly version, simply leave out the fresh chilli and let everyone add a pinch of dried chilli flakes at the table for extra heat.
Recipe variations
- Gluten-free option: swap the penne for your favourite gluten-free pasta and check that the tomato purée is certified gluten-free; the mussel and cherry tomato sauce naturally contains no gluten.
- Festive variation: add a splash of white wine to the sauce with the shallots and garlic, and finish with a teaspoon of lemon zest for a brighter, celebration-worthy seafood pasta.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Fresh flat leaf parsley is chopped in seconds by the Thermomix, giving an even green garnish without a knife or board.
- Steaming in the Varoma opens the mussels gently, preserving their briny juices for the tomato sauce below.
- The TM7 blends tomato purée and cherry tomatoes into a silky sauce at high speed, ready without manual stirring.
- Weigh the penne and mussels directly in the mixing bowl, so the quantities for this pasta are exact with no extra scales.
- The shallots and garlic are heated evenly in olive oil, releasing sweet aromatics without any risk of burning.
Ingredients
- fresh flat-leaf parsley
- water
- fresh mussels
- extra virgin olive oil
- shallots
- garlic cloves
- fresh red chilli (optional)
- dry white wine (optional)
- cherry tomatoes
- tomato purée