Mussels Fra Diavolo

Simple, yet out of this world and packed with flavor, this mussel dish will rock your socks! Make it as spicy as you like but remember the heat makes the dish because fra diavolo literally means brother devil in Italian. Easy to prepare, you can either use fresh farmed or wild caught mussels or take a little extra help from the store and pick up a bag of frozen. Cooked in a low carbohydrate prepared sauce, my favorite Mario Batali Marinara Sauce, and spiced with crushed red pepper flakes, white wine and served with Shiritake Tofu Spaghetti Noodles for an almost no carb pasta substitute, this dish will be on the table in no time. A great one for the waist that is nice and low in carbs. If you are salt sensitive you can substitute an equal amount of no salt added tomato sauce in place of the marinara sauce to reduce the sodium with great results. I hope you enjoy.

Mussels Fra Diavolo

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 small onion, diced

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 1/2 cups low carb marinara sauce (I used Mario Batali)

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 lbs. mussels, scrubbed and cleaned, discard any mussels with broken shells (about 24 to 32 medium sized in the shell)

5 or 6 fresh large basil leaves

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 - 8 ounce packages Shiritake Tofu Noodles, spaghetti style, drained and rinsed

4 tsp. Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Preheat a large saute pan on medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic, onion and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the marinara sauce, white wine and mussels, cover and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook until all of the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes, shaking pan back and forth occasionally. If any mussels do not open discard them.

While the mussels are cooking rinse the Shiritake Tofu Noodles under cold running water for a minute or two. When the mussels have opened add the noodles and toss with sauce until they are heated through. Tear in the fresh basil leaves and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutrition Facts

4 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 216.7

Total Fat 9.2 g

Saturated Fat 0.8 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g

Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g

Cholesterol 28.0 mg

Sodium 663.3 mg

Potassium 58.3 mg

Total Carbohydrate 9.5 g

Dietary Fiber 3.1 g

Sugars 2.3 g

Protein 13.8 g

Notes for using cultivated mussels ~ Cultivated mussels are those with the thin black to brown shell and are most common. Be sure that the shells of all mussels are closed before cooking. This indicates that the mussels are alive. If the shell is open lightly tap it to see if the mussel closes. If it remains open the mussel is dead and must be discarded. Also discard any mussels that have not opened after cooking. The color of the mussel flesh can vary from orange to white. This is not an indication of quality or flavor but rather indicates the sex of the mussel. Mussels with orange flesh are female and those with white flesh are males.

For more information on Shiritake Tofu Noodles please refer to the column on the right hand side of this page titled "Labels" and scroll down to Low Carbohydrate Supermarket Products. Click on this for the page with the information about these great, practically no carb, noodles.