Mussels with Tomatoes and White Beans

Some of my favorite meals have come about from trying to use up leftover ingredients from recipes we're testing for the magazine. This dish is one example; faced with a bunch of mussels that would otherwise go to waste, I grabbed some other ingredients we had on hand in the kitchen—a can of beans and some cherry tomatoes—plus a few things I already had in my pantry at home. After tasting dishes at work all day, something simple and not too heavy is usually in order when dinner rolls around, and this fits the bill: It's brothy and light and takes just a few minutes to prepare and cook, which is just enough time to enjoy a glass of white wine while the mussels open. You'll want some crusty bread to sop up all the broth. —Farideh Sadeghin, test kitchen director