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Preheat your oven to 400°F. Prepare a large aluminum foil baking pan by lightly greasing it or lining it with parchment paper.

Prepare the mussels: Discard any mussels that are open and do not close when tapped. For about half of the mussels, carefully remove the meat from one half of the shell and place it back into the other half, creating a single-shell presentation. Leave the remaining mussels in their full shells.

Prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, sugar, salt, and black pepper until well combined. This will be your reddish-brown sauce.

Arrange the base: Spread the fresh spinach evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

Place the mussels: Arrange the prepared mussels (both the half-shells with meat and the full-shells) on top of the spinach in the pan.

Sauce and season: Pour the prepared sauce generously over all the mussels and spinach in the baking pan, ensuring an even coating. Sprinkle the Old Bay seasoning, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder evenly over the sauced mussels.

Add cheese and herbs: Liberally sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the mussels and sauce. Finish by sprinkling the dried Italian herbs over the cheese.

Bake: Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the mussels have fully opened (discard any mussels that do not open).

Serve: Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Serve immediately with tongs, ensuring each serving gets a good mix of mussels, spinach, and sauce.


Preheat your oven to 400°F. Prepare a large aluminum foil baking pan by lightly greasing it or lining it with parchment paper.

Prepare the mussels: Discard any mussels that are open and do not close when tapped. For about half of the mussels, carefully remove the meat from one half of the shell and place it back into the other half, creating a single-shell presentation. Leave the remaining mussels in their full shells.

Prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, sugar, salt, and black pepper until well combined. This will be your reddish-brown sauce.

Arrange the base: Spread the fresh spinach evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

Place the mussels: Arrange the prepared mussels (both the half-shells with meat and the full-shells) on top of the spinach in the pan.

Sauce and season: Pour the prepared sauce generously over all the mussels and spinach in the baking pan, ensuring an even coating. Sprinkle the Old Bay seasoning, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder evenly over the sauced mussels.

Add cheese and herbs: Liberally sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the mussels and sauce. Finish by sprinkling the dried Italian herbs over the cheese.

Bake: Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the mussels have fully opened (discard any mussels that do not open).

Serve: Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Serve immediately with tongs, ensuring each serving gets a good mix of mussels, spinach, and sauce.
