Penne arrabbiata is quick and easy-to-make pasta that needs 20 minutes or less to make. It’s rich, spicy, and has bright tomato-flavors. It’s comforting food without being too heavy and has a wonderful kick to it.
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What is arrabbiata?
In Italian arrabbiata means “angry”. It refers to the spiciness of the sauce as it has hot peppers. The heat from chili peppers makes an “angry” spicy sauce. It’s slightly sweet, savory, and fabulously spicy. The spice is balanced with the sweet-tart balance of tomatoes.
Why you’ll love penne arrabbiata recipe
“penne all arrabbiata” might sound fancy but it is one of the simplest Italian pasta recipes. It’s quick, easy to make, budget-friendly, and packed with flavors. The sauce has a bright pop of tomato flavors, without being too heavy. The “angry” spicy sauce has a wonderful kick from chili pepper.
If you are looking for spicy comforting pasta this one of perfect for you, the “angry” pasta.
The most popular Italian pasta sauce is the arrabbiata sauce, it’s made by slow simmering of tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil with chili peppers to make a thick concentrated tomato-based sauce. The bold fiery flavors of the sauce result in an incredibly tasty pasta dish.
Using only the best quality tomatoes gives great taste. Whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, which have rich tomato flavors, it’s sweet and lower in acidity.
Using simple ingredients make a pasta dish that is date-night worthy with minimal effort.
Easily customize the recipe depending on your choice. This is not the authentic Italian version of the penne arrabbiata recipe, as the authentic recipe does not include Parmesan, fresh basil, and onion. To add flavor I’m willing to tweak the authentic recipe.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need –
- Penne pasta
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Red chili flakes
- Tomato paste
- Canned peeled whole tomatoes
- Dried herbs
- Fresh basil
- Salt & pepper to season
- Parmesan cheese
All ingredient’s exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below.
- Pasta – penne is a traditional choice of pasta for this recipe. You can use any other pasta shape you want.
- Olive oil – use extra virgin olive oil for best results.
- Yellow onion (optional)- I like to use onion for flavor and taste.
- Garlic – don’t skim on fresh garlic.
- Red chili flakes – for a spicy kick. Adjust the amount depending on your spice tolerance levels.
- Tomato paste – tomato paste has more concentrated flavors which adds a rich tomato-y flavor to the dish. Tomato paste has rich bold flavors and is thicker in consistency. It’s a concentrated tomato flavor, cooking it in olive is essential to remove some of the acidity concentrated in it.
- Canned peeled whole tomatoes – canned peeled whole tomatoes work best in this recipe. Use canned tomatoes with their juices. If you can’t get canned whole tomatoes, use fresh tomatoes.
- Dried herbs – dried oregano and dried thyme. You can also use other dried herbs of your choice. Feel free to substitute dried herbs with fresh herbs. For every 1 teaspoon of dried herb use 1 tablespoon of fresh herb.
- Season – with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fresh basil – don’t skip this. Classic Italian flavors of tomato and basil are simply the best. Fresh basil elevates the flavor and taste. You can substitute fresh basil with fresh parsley, but the flavors won’t be the same.
- Parmesan cheese – buy block cheese and grate it fresh when ready to use.
How to make penne arrabbiata recipe
In a large pan sauté onion, garlic, and red chili flakes in olive oil.
Add tomato paste and cook until the paste turns slightly brown, caramelized.
Add canned whole peeled tomatoes along with the juice. Add dried herbs, salt, and pepper to taste the sauce. Simmer cook while breaking the tomatoes with the ladle as you stir.
Let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Season generously with salt, and cook penne pasta in boiling water very al-dente (means cook pasta 2-3 minutes lesser than the packet instructions).
Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.
Add cooked pasta, fresh basil leaves (roughly torn). Gently stir until pasta is coated in sauce.
Turn off the heat, and add parmesan cheese. Mix.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. If you like it spicy, you can add more chili flakes.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Tips for making best penne arrabbiata
- Using only the best quality tomatoes gives great taste. Whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, which have rich tomato flavors, it’s sweet and lower in acidity.
- Use good quality olive oil for an authentic Italian taste.
- Use fresh ingredients, fresh onion, and garlic. Won’t recommend onion powder or garlic powder.
- Sauté and cook the tomato paste well. Tomato paste has rich bold flavors and is thicker in consistency. It’s a concentrated tomato flavor, cooking it in olive is essential to remove some of the acidity concentrated in it. It needs to be cooked until it caramelizes turning darker in color.
- I always cook pasta a few minutes (2-3 minutes) less than mentioned on the packet. As pasta continues to cook even after draining it, it’s best to cook less. Remember cooked pasta is again added to the sauce which continues to briefly cook pasta further.
- To prevent pasta from sticking together, wait until the water comes to rapid boiling before you add pasta to cook in it. Also, stir once or twice as it cooks.
Variations
Add any veggies you like! Vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini are great.
Add meat like ground beef, Italian sausage, chicken, shrimp, chorizo, and meatballs.
Make it spicier by adding more red chili flakes or adding fresh red peppers.
What to serve with penne arrabbiata
It can be paired with any Italian starter to make a great Italian meal. You can serve it with garlic bread, focaccia, bean salad, tomato salad, panzanella salad, Caeser salad, simple salad.
Storing tips
Leftover pasta can be stored in air tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Reheat in a pan with a splash of water.
To freeze – make the arrabbiata sauce separately and store it in an airtight sealed container for up to 3 months. When you are ready to serve, reheat the sauce in a pan until heated and serve with freshly cooked pasta.
Common questions
Arrabbiata in Italian means “angry”, spicy. Arrabbiata sauce is spicy where as marinara sauce is more garlicky.
In this recipe, I use ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, which to my palate isn’t spicy. If you do like it spicy add more chili peppers.
Penne is the traditional choice of pasta for this recipe. You can use any other pasta shape you want.
Looking for more Italian recipes? Try these
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📋Penne Arrabbiata
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28- ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 10 basil leaves
- ½ cup Parmesan
Instructions
- In a large pan sauté onion, garlic, and red chili flakes in olive oil.
- Add tomato paste and cook until the paste turns slightly brown, caramelized.
- Add canned whole peeled tomatoes along with the juice. Add dried herbs, salt, and pepper to taste the sauce.
- Simmer cook while breaking the tomatoes with the ladle as you stir.
- Let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Season generously with salt, and cook penne pasta in boiling water very al-dente (means cook pasta 2-3 minutes lesser than the packet instructions).
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.
- Add cooked pasta, fresh basil leaves (roughly torn). Gently stir until pasta is coated in sauce.
- Turn off the heat, and add parmesan cheese. Mix.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. If you like it spicy, you can add more chili flakes.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Using only the best quality tomatoes gives great taste. Whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, which have rich tomato flavors, it’s sweet and lower in acidity.
- Use good quality olive oil for an authentic Italian taste.
- Use fresh ingredients, fresh onion, and garlic. Won’t recommend onion powder or garlic powder.
- Sauté and cook tomato paste well. Tomato paste has rich bold flavors and is thicker in consistency. It’s a concentrated tomato flavor, cooking it in olive is essential to remove some of the acidity concentrated in it. It needs to be cooked until it caramelizes turning darker in color.
- I always cook pasta a few minutes (2-3 minutes) less than mentioned on the packet. As pasta continues to cook even after draining it, it’s best to cook less. Remember cooked pasta is again added to the sauce which continues to briefly cook pasta further.
- To prevent pasta from sticking together, wait until the water comes to rapid boiling before you add pasta to cook in it. Also, stir once or twice as it cooks.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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