Penne Arrabbiata translates to “angry pasta” in English. This name refers to the spiciness of the red chillies.
Arrabbiata sauce is one of the easiest pasta sauces that you can make and it’s extremely delicious. Our arrabbiata sauce is made with canned Italian plum tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh chillies and fresh basil. With these five ingredients, you can make a flavourful, spicy and delicious Arrabbiata sauce. Penne Arrabbiata can be cooked in less than 20 minutes which makes it perfect for a busy weekday meal.
Tips to make the perfect Penne Arrabbiata
- The main ingredient for this dish is the tomatoes. We cook the sauce with canned tomatoes but we always make sure that they are good quality Italian plum tomatoes. This makes a huge difference in your sauce. Plum tomatoes are the best option for the sauce. You can cook the arrabbiata sauce using fresh plum tomatoes, but they will only be juicy enough during the summer months.
- Penne Rigate is the perfect pasta for this recipe. The sauce will stick to the pasta so when you finish your plate, no extra sauce will be left on the bottom of the dish. If you use maccheroni or spaghetti, the arrabbiata won’t stick as good to the pasta.
- Adding a little bit of brown sugar, we reduce the acidity of the tomatoes. This gives your pasta the taste you are looking for. We avoid using sugar in the kitchen as much as possible, but sometimes a teaspoon can make the difference.
- If you can’t find good quality Italian canned plum tomatoes, you can use the canned tomatoes you would normally buy and add one tablespoon of tomato paste to achieve a deeper flavour.
- When cooking the garlic and fresh chillies, bring the oil to one side of the pan slightly lifting it with your hand. This way you avoid burning the garlic and chillies and they will release a beautiful flavour to the oil that will later be mixed with the tomatoes.
- We use fresh chillies but you can substitute this ingredient for dried chillies or dried chilli flakes.
How to make Arrabbiata Sauce Step by Step
- Prepare the tomatoes slightly cutting them with scissors or chopping them with a knife. If your tomatoes are not really good quality, add one tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Cover the bottom of a pan with extra virgin olive oil. When hot, add the red chilli thinly sliced. Bring the oil to one side of the pan slightly lifting it with your hand and cook the chilli for 1-2 minutes. Add then the garlic thinly sliced and repeat the procedure.
- When the garlic and chilli are cooked add the tomatoes with their natural juice and 1/2 cup of water. Turn the heat down to medium and leave the sauce simmering until reduced to half.
- Add sugar and salt and stir. When the sauce is ready, add the cooked pasta and fresh chopped basil. Stir one last time and serve!
We love serving our Penne Arrabbiata with black olives and some shredded hard cheese on the top.
If you are looking for more delicious pasta dishes, have a look at our recipes:
Fresh Basil Pesto
Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
Vegan Lentil Bolognese
Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Penne Arrabbiata
Spicy, rich and delicious Pasta dish from Rome.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 200 g Penne Rigate
- 400 g canned tomatoes slighly chopped or cut
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 fresh chilli (adjust to taste) thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- A handful fresh basil chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta following the packet instructions. Reserve some of the pasta water for later.
- Prepare the tomatoes slightly cutting them with scissors or chopping them with a knife. If your tomatoes are not really good quality, add one tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Cover the bottom of a pan with extra virgin olive oil. When hot, add the red chilli. Bring the oil to one side of the pan slightly lifting it with your hand and cook the chilli for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and repeat the procedure.
- When the garlic and chilli are cooked add the tomatoes with their natural juice and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Turn the heat down to medium and leave the sauce simmering until reduced to half. At this point, you can adjust with a little bit more of the pasta water if your sauce is too thick.
- Add the sugar, salt and pepper and stir. When the sauce is ready, add the cooked pasta and fresh chopped basil. Stir one last time and serve!
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