Clean the mussels by scrubbing the shells under cold running water. Pull away the fibrous beard, discard cracked mussels, and tap any open mussels; discard those that do not close.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente according to the package timing, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, and drain.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking for 30–60 seconds without browning the garlic.

Add the tomatoes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Crush whole tomatoes with a spoon and simmer the sauce uncovered for 12–15 minutes, until it thickens slightly.

Pour in the white wine and add the cleaned mussels. Cover and cook for 5–7 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until the mussel shells open.

Discard every mussel that remains closed after cooking. Remove roughly one-third to one-half of the mussels from their shells if desired, leaving the rest in their shells for serving.

Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss for 1–2 minutes. Add splashes of reserved pasta water until the sauce coats the noodles, then stir in parsley and optional basil or lemon juice.

Serve immediately with the mussels arranged over the pasta. Finish with extra chopped parsley, and do not add Parmesan, which is generally not used with mussel pasta.