Mussel and Pasta Soup

900g (2lbs) Fresh mussels, washed and debearded
15ml (1 tablespoon) Cooking oil
l Large onion, sliced
10ml (1 desertspoon) Garlic sauce, or similar
4 sticks Celery, sliced
225g (8oz) Carrots, finely chopped
11ž4litres (2 pints) Fish or vegetable stock
1 x 425g (15oz) Can chick peas, drained
125g (4oz) Pasta shells
Salt & pepper


1 Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the onion until it is soft and transparent.
2 Stir in the garlic sauce, celery and carrots and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
3 Add the stock and chick peas, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
4 Stir in the pasta shells and continue to simmer until almost cooked.
5 Add the mussels to the soup, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the mussel shells have opened. Discard any that have not opened.
6 Season and serve immediately with chunks of crusty bread.
Serves 4
Nutritional Values per portion (approx)
305 Kilocalories 19g Protein 7g Fat 44g Carbohydrate 8g Fibre

Posted in: Pasta