Description
Penne all’Arrabbiata is a classic Italian spicy tomato pasta dish featuring a fiery sauce made with garlic, red chili peppers, and crushed tomatoes. This quick and flavorful recipe is perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner, delivering a perfect balance of heat and tang with simple pantry ingredients. Served with a sprinkle of parmesan and fresh parsley, it’s a timeless favorite that’s both satisfying and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 400g / 14oz penne or ziti (or other pasta of choice, short or long)
- 1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt (for cooking pasta)
Sauce
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 red cayenne pepper chili, finely chopped (with seeds)
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes (red pepper flakes)
- 800g / 28oz canned crushed tomato
- 1 1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp white sugar (only if needed, optional)
To Serve
- Parmesan, finely grated
- 2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the finely minced garlic and stir for about 10 seconds until fragrant. Then add the finely chopped cayenne chili and chili flakes. Cook together for 1 minute or until the garlic turns light golden, releasing the spicy aromatics.
- Add Tomato and Season: Pour in the canned crushed tomatoes along with their juices. Rinse out the empty tomato cans with water and add that to the pot as well. Stir in 1 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to season the sauce.
- Simmer: Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce heat back to medium and let it gently simmer for 15 minutes. Check the taste around 10 minutes; if the sauce tastes too sour, add 1/2 teaspoon white sugar to balance it out.
- Cook Pasta: While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente.
- Reserve Pasta Water: Just before draining the pasta, stir it well to loosen the starch, then scoop out 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water and set it aside. Drain the pasta thoroughly.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: Return the drained pasta to the pot with the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss well over medium heat to fully coat the pasta with the spicy tomato sauce. Add more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce to your desired consistency.
- Serve: Divide the pasta into bowls and serve immediately. Garnish with a generous amount of finely grated parmesan cheese and sprinkle with chopped parsley if using. Enjoy your vibrant, spicy Penne all’Arrabbiata.
Notes
- Keep the seeds in the cayenne pepper chili for extra heat, but adjust according to your spice tolerance.
- The sugar is optional and used only if the tomato sauce tastes too acidic or sour.
- Reserving pasta water is important as the starch helps the sauce cling to the pasta better and adjusts the sauce consistency.
- Use high-quality canned crushed tomatoes for the best flavor.
