Pasta Arrabbiata
Penne in a spicy tomato sauce of garlic, chilli and olive oil, finished with parsley.
Photograph credit: Penne Arrabbiata (image of Arrabbiata sauce on Wikidata Q1891043) by Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Pasta Arrabbiata: Step by Step
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Warm the oil with the garlic and chilli over a low heat for 2 minutes until the garlic is pale gold.
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Pour in the tomatoes and salt and simmer for 12 minutes until thick.
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Boil the penne for 9 minutes, 1 minute under the packet time, and drain, keeping a mugful of the water.
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Toss the pasta in the sauce for 1 minute with a splash of pasta water, then scatter with the parsley.
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What Can Go Wrong
- Do not let the garlic brown.
- Add the tomatoes quickly.
- Adjust the chilli to taste.
- Keep some pasta water.
If You're Missing Something
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Good to Know About Pasta Arrabbiata
This is what to make on a warm evening when you want something with heat and not much else. Arrabbiata means angry in Italian, and the anger is the chilli.
Warm the oil with the garlic and chilli over a low heat for 2 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold and the oil is orange. Do not let the garlic colour more, because brown garlic is bitter. Add the tomatoes before the garlic burns. They cool the pan and stop the cooking.
Pour in the tomatoes, add the salt, and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and the oil has separated slightly at the edges.
Boil the penne for 1 minute under the packet time and keep a mugful of the water. Toss the pasta in the sauce for a minute, loosening it with a splash of the water, and finish with parsley. Cheese is not traditional here, so leave it off or add very little.
On the Table Alongside
Green salad · Crusty bread · Rocket · Red wine
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Focaccia Genovese, Rosemary Focaccia, Creamy Parmesan Polenta.
Keeping Pasta Arrabbiata
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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