Sometimes you just need comfort food, something that will fill you up, taste delicious, and won’t take forever to make. That’s where tucking into a bowl of satisfying spicy penne arrabiata comes in.
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Full of rich tomato flavor, with garlic, fresh basil, and the all-important red pepper flakes, this is a ‘go-to‘ quick meal in our household.
Why you’ll love arrabiata pasta
- It’s a perfect quick midweek dinner.
- It’s a flexible dish and you can easily add your favorite veggies to it.
- Kids love this dish making it an easy family dinner.
- It’s 100% vegetarian and can easily be made vegan.
What ingredients do I need?
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
Can I use store bought arrabiata sauce?
The arrabiata sauce is a crucial ingredient to this delicious penne pasta dish, so we don’t recommend buying it.
The flavor from homemade arrabiata sauce is so much better than those you buy in jars.
You can always make a big batch of this tasty tomato sauce and freeze it so you have it to hand anytime you need it.
Arrabiata means angry, it’s the red pepper flakes that makes the sauce angry. How angry you want your penne arrabiata is totally up to you, you can have an absolutely livid dish if you are a real spicy fan!
Should I use whole or diced tomatoes?
If you’re using San Marzano tomatoes, which are sweet, peeled tomatoes that are grown in Italy, then you’ll find that they are mainly found as canned plum tomatoes or whole tomatoes.
If you can’t get hold of San Marzano tomatoes then buy the best brand you can afford and it’s your choice, you can use either whole or diced tomatoes (chopped tomatoes or crushed tomatoes).
What can you add to penne arrabiata?
Penne arrabiata is a perfect spicy tomato sauce base and you can add virtually anything that you like to it.
Popular additions include vegetarian sausage, courgettes or zucchini, aubergines or eggplant,
How do I store it?
You can store our penne arrabiata in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 3 days
Recipe notes and tips
- Out of fresh basil?
Use chopped parsley instead, the flavors will be different but it’s a good substitute. - Don’t have any red pepper flakes?
If you’ve got some dried chili peppers then just chop these, it’s the same thing! - Need to thicken your tomato sauce?
Add some tomato paste to it, this will help thicken the spicy sauce. - Check your cheese
If you are going to garnish your penne arrabiata with parmesan cheese, make sure you check the ingredients, as not all parmesan cheese is vegetarian. - Make it vegan
Use vegan cheese, that’s all you need to do to turn this classic dish vegan.
How to make penne arrabiata with step-by-step instructions
Making our penne arrabiata is so easy if you follow our instructions.
A full printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Over medium heat, add your extra virgin olive oil to a large pot then add red pepper flakes (use finely chopped chili pepper if preferred) and minced fresh garlic and cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring to prevent them from burning.
Then add San Marzano tomatoes and stir to combine.
Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.
While the arrabiata sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add your penne pasta.
Cook the penne pasta according to the packet instructions, ensuring that the penne is al dente.
Drain the pasta, reserve some pasta water, and add it to the cooked arrabiata sauce.
Stir so that the penne is evenly coated with the spicy tomato sauce, if needed, add a little of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce.
Serve immediately and garnish with vegetarian parmesan cheese and fresh basil or finely chopped fresh parsley.
More Italian recipes for you to try
If you love Italian food, then you may like these easy Italian recipes.
- Penne alla vodka – this recipe is out of this world
- Cacio e pepe – a creamy Italian classic
- Pesto pasta – a delicious taste of Italy with this easy recipe
- Margherita pizza – a foolproof delicious recipe
- Caprese pizza – this tastes as good as it looks!
Penne arrabiata pasta recipe
Utensils
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ tsp Red pepper flakes
- 2 Cloves of garlic minced
- 14 oz Canned tomatoes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 8 oz Penne pasta
- Vegetarian parmesan cheese finely grated – optional
- Fresh basil leaves optional
Instructions
- Over medium heat, add your olive oil to a large pot then add red pepper flakes and minced fresh garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent them from burning. Then add San Marzano tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and black pepper to taste2 tbsp Olive oil, ½ tsp Red pepper flakes, 2 Cloves of garlic, 14 oz Canned tomatoes, Salt and black pepper
- While the arrabiata sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add your penne pasta. Cook the penne pasta according to the packet instructions, ensuring that the penne is al dente. Drain the cooked penne, retaining a little of the pasta water, and add it to the cooked arrabiata sauce. Stir so that the penne is evenly coated with the spicy tomato sauce use a little of the reserved pasta water if you prefer a thinner sauce8 oz Penne pasta
- Serve immediately and garnish with vegetarian parmesan cheese and fresh basilVegetarian parmesan cheese, Fresh basil leaves
Notes
- Out of fresh basil?
Use chopped parsley instead, the flavors will be different but it’s a good substitute - Don’t have any red pepper flakes?
If you’ve got some dried chili peppers then just chop these, it’s the same thing - Need to thicken your tomato sauce?
Add some tomato paste to it, this will help thicken the spicy sauce - Check your cheese
If you are going to garnish your penne arrabiata with parmesan cheese, make sure you check the ingredients, as not all parmesan cheese is vegetarian - Make it vegan
Use vegan cheese, that’s all you need to do to turn this classic dish vegan
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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lynn polito says
Yum! I love a good arrabiata sauce and this is delicious!
Mandy from Splash of Taste says
Arrabiata sauce is SO good, isn’t it! We use it in so many dishes 🙂
Aimee says
So tasty, love the heat from the red peppers.
Mandy from Splash of Taste says
It’s a lovely spicy pasta, isn’t it!
Anne says
Looks great, I love spicy pasta!
Donna says
My kind of pasta!!! This went down a treat, and was well received by the kids which is always a bonus
Jenn says
I love ALL your pasta recipes and this one is another winner! I love the kick of spice – it’s not angry at all!
Kathy Hester says
Spicy pasta sauce? Count me in – this looks so amazing!
Sachiko says
This is just one of my favorite ways to eat pasta! The bit of spiciness is so good.
Kim says
We love pasta and this was so fast and easy!
Sherry Ronning says
Mandy, you are a master at pasta dishes and this is no exception!! Well done!!
Helen says
This is perfect mid week comfort food. Speedy and simple, but so good.