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    Home » Recipes » Pasta

    Penne Arrabbiata

    By Dannii · Published 7th July 2020 · Updated 6th December 2021 · 75 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links and generates income via ads · This site uses cookies · Post contains 839 words. · About 5 minutes to read this article.

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A simple tomato pasta sauce that has a kick of heat and plenty of flavour. This Penne Arrabbiata recipe shows that vegan food doesn't have to be boring or complicated. And it's ready in just 15 minutes!

    Two plates of penne arrabbiata next to a pan of more pasta and a plate of salad
    Jump to:
    • Step by step
    • What is Arrabbiata?
    • Why should you try it?
    • How spicy is it?
    • What to serve it with
    • FAQs
    • Extra tips
    • More Pasta Sauce recipes
    • Recipe
    • Feedback

    Step by step

    One: Add the pasta to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes.

    A saucepan full of penne pasta

    Two: Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chilli and garlic and cook on a low heat for 1-2 minutes.

    A frying pan with minced garlic and chili flakes cooking in it

    Three: Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper to the pan and stir well and simmer until the pasta is ready.

    A tomato pasta sauce cooking in a frying pan

    Four: Drain the pasta (reserving a little of the water) and add to the sauce along with the basil.

    Cooked pasta in a frying pan on top of a tomato souce

    Five: Stir well and serve.

    Cooked penne pasta mixed with arrabbiata sauce

    What is Arrabbiata?

    Originating in the Lazio area of Rome in Italy, Arrabbiata sauce, also known as sugo all'arrabbiata, is a spicy sauce for pasta. It is made from garlic, tomatoes, and dried red chilies cooked in olive oil. The word Arrabbiata, literally translates to 'angry', so this is an angry (or spicy) sauce!

    Why should you try it?

    • Ready in 15 minutes
    • Easy to make as spicy or mild as you like
    • Simple, natural ingredients that you probably have in your cupboard

    How spicy is it?

    You can tell from the translation, 'angry sauce', that this is going to be spicy! Of course, you can adjust the amount of chilies that you put in to make it milder, but then it will only be an 'annoyed sauce', and that sounds silly! If you still want a tomato pasta sauce, without the kick of heat, try our Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce or Marinara recipes.

    Penne pasta mixed together with a spicy tomato sauce

    What to serve it with

    This is a light and simple meal, but one with plenty of flavour, so just a sprinkling of grated Parmesan is really all that's needed. If you wanted to bulk it out with something else, or just add some protein, you could add some cooked chicken or prawns (shrimp). Keep it vegetarian by adding some cubes of grilled halloumi or, to keep it vegan, some tofu.

    Tomato pasta on a plate in front of a plate of salad

    FAQs

    Best pasta for Arrabbiata sauce

    Any pasta will work, but pasta is made in different shapes and sizes for a reason. The best is penne as the tube shape holds the sauce well and means you will have a tasty mouthful each time. Other good pastas for Arrabbiata are rigatoni, macaroni or paccheri. You can use fussili too, if that is all you have, but that pasta is better suited to thinner sauces.

    How to store Arrabbiata sauce

    This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, if kept in an airtight container. To freeze, put in an airtight container and leave a gap of about 1cm (0.5 inch), before putting the lid on. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost fully and then heat in a pan on the hob (stove top).

    Extra tips

    • You could adapt the amount of chilli though to suit more delicate pallets and make it kid friendly, but the whole point of this dish is for it to have a bit of a kick to it.
    • A teaspoon of fish sauce in the recipe will add a real savoury depth to the sauce. This will no longer be vegetarian/vegan if you include this.

    More Pasta Sauce recipes

    • Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce
    • Slow Cooker Hidden Vegetable Pasta Sauce
    • Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
    • Marinara

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    If you’ve tried this penne arrabbiata recipe, or any other recipe on the blog, then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
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    DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓

    Recipe

    A plate of penne arrabbiata topped with chopped herbs and Parmesan shavings

    Penne Arrabbiata

    A simple tomato pasta sauce that has a kick of heat and plenty of flavour. This Penne Arrabbiata recipe shows that vegan food doesn't have to be boring or complicated.
    4.88 from 54 votes
    Pin Print
    Course: Lunch
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 3 minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Allergen:
    An illustration of a carton of milk.
    Dairy
    An illustration of two ears of wheat.
    Gluten
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 419kcal
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    Ingredients

    UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures
    • 140 g penne pasta
    • 1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
    • 3 garlic cloves crushed
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 400 g chopped tomatoes canned
    • 2 tablespoon tomato puree
    • 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
    • 4 tablespoon fresh basil finely chopped
    • 15 g parmesan optional

    Instructions

    • Add the pasta to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes.
      140 g penne pasta
      A saucepan full of penne pasta
    • Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chilli and garlic and cook on a low heat for 1-2 minutes.
      1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 3 garlic cloves
      A frying pan with minced garlic and chili flakes cooking in it
    • Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and salt and pepper to the pan and stir well and simmer until the pasta is ready.
      400 g chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
      A tomato pasta sauce cooking in a frying pan
    • Drain the pasta (reserving a little of the water) and add to the sauce along with the basil.
      4 tablespoon fresh basil
      Cooked pasta in a frying pan on top of a tomato souce
    • Stir well and serve topped with Parmesan.
      15 g parmesan

    Notes

    • You could adapt the amount of chilli though to suit more delicate pallets and make it kid friendly, but the whole point of this dish is for it to have a bit of a kick to it.
    • A teaspoon of fish sauce in the recipe will add a real savoury depth to the sauce. This will no longer be vegetarian/vegan if you include this.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1portion | Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 452mg | Potassium: 677mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1335IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 196mg | Iron: 4mg
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @hungryhealthyhappy on Instagram and tag #hungryhealthyhappy!
    DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Charla

      July 13, 2020 at 12:43 pm

      5 stars
      You can't go wrong with a bowl of penne arrabiata. Looking forward to making this on the weekend.

      Reply
    2. Sally Humeniuk

      July 07, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      5 stars
      I love an easy but beautiful pasta dish and this is definitely that! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    3. Adrianne

      July 07, 2020 at 1:01 pm

      5 stars
      I am a huge pasta fan, this looks delicious. I don't mind angry sauce haha. Can't wait to try it. YUM!

      Reply
    4. Elizabeth

      July 07, 2020 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      What a gorgeous recipe, and super simple to make too! This is the kind of meal my kids LOVE!

      Reply
    5. veenaazmanov

      July 07, 2020 at 10:20 am

      5 stars
      Love that it is Vegan and yet so flavorful and delicious. I definitely have it made when my vegan friends are around. They to love it.

      Reply
    6. Farrah

      October 27, 2016 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      As simple as this looks, it's AAASSSS yummy! What a great dish. Though I did go overboard and added red wine, tomato paste, extra garlic and a tiny bit of chicken bouillon powder to the pot while the tomatoes simmered. Didn't have any fresh red chilies, so just used pepper flakes instead. BUT WOW WOW WOW! Total calories in my dinner tonight: 505! Fantastic!

      Reply
    7. Laura Hartley

      June 22, 2016 at 8:17 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a simple dish but it is one of my absolute favourites! The added garlic and chilli makes this pasta so much tastier :)

      Reply
    8. Mary

      June 21, 2016 at 7:26 am

      5 stars
      I love super simple, easy-to-prepare dishes like this. Like you say, perfect with a side salad as well! The rain has helped me to grow a large supply of lettuces and different leaves this year, although I'll still be waiting for my tomatoes a while yet. :(

      Reply
    9. Maria @ runningcupcake

      June 20, 2016 at 7:13 am

      I love something like this (although not too much chilli or garlic)- tomatoes and basil are a perfect match.

      Reply
    10. Emily Underworld

      June 19, 2016 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      I love pasta so much, I'm going to have some penne tonight now thanks to this post!

      Reply
    11. Louise

      June 17, 2016 at 8:51 pm

      I absolutely love any pasta based recipes so I think I'll have to make this! It looks super easy too x

      Reply
    12. Ali

      June 16, 2016 at 11:12 pm

      5 stars
      I love a good old simple penne arrabiata. Great recipe and a great comfort food.

      Reply
    13. Helen @ Scrummy Lane

      June 16, 2016 at 8:50 pm

      5 stars
      I've had a real craving for pasta these past few days, Dannii (must be all this wintery weather!), so this post caught my eye!

      I have to remind myself not to forget about all these lovely simple Italian classics. I've never actually made this one - must do soon now that you've rated it so highly!

      Reply
      • Kushigalu

        July 07, 2020 at 10:08 am

        5 stars
        Love such simple and delicious recipes ready in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for pasta lover like me

        Reply
    14. Alida

      June 16, 2016 at 4:42 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious! As you might well imagine I am a pasta lover and arrabbiata is certainly a good recipe to make any day of the week!

      Reply
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    Welcome! My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist, along with travel, home and family life and general happiness.
    Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food and lifestyle blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

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