Steamed Mussels with Spinach over Whole Wheat Spaghetti

A few weeks ago, I wanted to make this recipe for our Friday dinner, minus the sausage (we try to observe meatless Fridays). I also forgot to pick up fennel at the store and didn't want to venture back into the weather to get it, and we were out of crusty bread. So, basically, I made something completely different.

I sauteed an onion and several cloves of garlic in a bit of olive oil, then added about 3/4 c. of white wine (a really remarkably good Louis Jadot chardonnay). I steamed the mussels (about 3 lbs, which we bought frozen at Meijer) in the wine/onion/garlic mixture until they were hot. Meanwhile, I boiled up about half a package of Trader Joe's whole wheat spaghetti (purchased back home for $0.49. I regret not buying more!). When the mussels were done, I removed them and added a tablespoon or so of butter to the wine sauce and then thickened it with some flour. I put the pasta, mussels, and sauce all together, along with a couple of handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped. The spinach wilted down nicely, and the whole thing was a really yummy supper. It was, perhaps, a bit light for the dead of winter in northern Indiana, but it was definitely enjoyable. I look forward to trying something similar again when the weather is better suited to it.

Here it is: