Spaghetti Carbonara with Mussels

I am a fan of carbonara sauce, in fact, I can eat pasta carbonara as it is without addition of anything else. Lately I get bored with the common carbonara recipe, it’s either with bacon, ham, shrimp with peas, and repeat. I want to find something different, and luckily I saw a pack of frozen mussels at the grocery store. So this week I decided to play with mussels. Here is the recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara with Mussels.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg mussels

1 yellow onion, diced

4 eggs

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. butter

2 1 /2 cups whipping cream

350 g spaghetti

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparations:

If you use fresh mussels: Rinse the mussels in cold running water. Stir with rough hand around the mussels, then check whether the mussels are alive, by giving them a little tap into the kitchen table. Discard them if they do not close, or if the shells are damaged. Scrub the mussels clean with a sponge or a small knife. Boil the mussels in a pot for 5 minutes. Drain and discard the mussels that do not open.

In another pot,  add water and salt to boil and cook spaghetti until al-dente (about 7-8 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare a saucepan and melt the butter. Add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Drain the spaghetti in a colander and add the spaghetti and mussels to the sauce pan.

Beat the eggs, whipping cream and 1 1/2 cup of cheese all together in a mixing bowl. Add the mixture to the saucepan and blend it well. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until sauce is a bit thicken and serve immediately. Top with  the remaining cheese and parsley if you wish.

Happy eating!