Parmesan Marinara Baked Mussels. Make a terrific, easy first course for a celebration dinner, especially a romantic dinner for two on Valentine’s Day.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 dozen large mussels
- 1 cup marinara Sauce
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups crusty bread crumbs
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- pinch coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash the mussels and pull off any beards that may still be attached to the shell. A pair of needle-nose pliers works well for this. Discard any mussels with cracked or broken shells and those that do not remain closed after a minute when you pinch them together. Also discard any mussels that do not open during the cooking time.
- Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large covered pot. Add the mussels, cover the pot and let them steam for only 3 minutes to open the shells.
- Remove the top shell and loosen the mussels from the half of the shells that they are attached to before laying them in a baking dish.
- Spoon about a teaspoonful of marinara sauce over each mussel in their shells.
- Over medium heat melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the the garlic. Cook for just a minute to soften it.
- Add the bread crumbs, chopped thyme and black pepper. Stir to combine well, then toss in the Parmesan cheese.
- Spoon the crumbs evenly over the marinara sauce covered mussels. Press the crumbs down gently and bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
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