Mussels with italian sausage

Super easy, hearty, and satisfying, and another great way to cook with the leftover wine from earlier in the week.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste

• 2 links spicy Italian sausage, casings removed and roughly chopped (and frankly, plain ground turkey works well too, just season to taste)

• 1/2 cup last night’s red wine

• 1 rosemary sprig and fresh thyme and Italian parsley if you’ve got it

• 1 can of diced tomatoes or jar of pasta sauce

• 2.5 - 3 pounds small mussels, scrubbed and beards removed, open or broken ones discarded

• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Spaghetti or crusty bread

METHOD

1. Pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on some tunes, and shake off the day.

2. Heat your olive oil in a nice big pot with a lid. Sauté your onion and garlic, add your favorite dried herbs (I like herbs de provence mix), salt and pepper, red chile flakes, cook 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the sausage to the pan and cook, stirring to break it up, for 5 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. Add the wine, diced tomatoes and rosemary and bring to a boil. Lower to medium, let reduce for 10 minutes or so then add the mussels, cover the pan, and steam until the mussels open, about 5 minutes.

5. Serve atop cooked spaghetti or in a bowl with a side of crusty bread. Sprinkle the parsley on top. Cheers!

#mussels