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!
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Penne Arrabbiata is a simple and delicious pasta dish, and super quick to make too. Make with store cupboard staples, penne is tossed in a thick and rich spicy tomato sauce and then topped with fresh basil (and cheese if you want to). It's the perfect quick weeknight meal with plenty of flavour.
If you are looking for some more easy pasta recipes, then why not try our Tuna Pasta Bake, Sardine Pasta, Leftover Chicken Pasta or 10 Minute Cream Cheese Pasta.
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What is Penne Arrabbiata?
Penne Arrabbiata, also spelled Penne Arrabbiata is an Italian pasta dish made with penne pasta and a rich tomato based sauce with garlic, chilli and oil.
Traditionally the sauce would be made with fresh tomatoes, but we used tinned tomatoes because we like to be able to enjoy this all year round. It originates from the Lazio area of Rome in Italy
Arrabbiata translates to angry, so this recipes actually means angry pasta because of the chillies that are used in the sauce.
Why You Will Love It
- Ready in 15 minutes - Penne Arrabbiata is a quick and easy pasta dish for those busy week nights.
- Easy to make as spicy or mild as you like - If you love chilli, then this is one for you, but it's easy to adapt and make it milder.
- Simple, natural ingredients that you probably have in your cupboard - No need to buy any fancy ingredients as this uses store cupboard basics.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Penne pasta - Any kind of short pasta would work, like rigatoni or fussili, but penne is traditional.
- Tomatoes - We used a can of chopped tomatoes but you could use fresh diced tomatoes instead if you prefer. Just make sure the tomatoes are in season and really juicy. The quality of the tomatoes are important, as the cheap ones tend to be watery and you want a nice and thick sauce.
- Tomato puree (tomato paste) - Not only does this help to thicken the sauce, but it also gives it a more intense tomato flavour too.
- Garlic - The more garlic the better we say. Freshly crushed is always best and try to crush it into almost a paste, so that it evenly distributes in this Penne Arrabbiata sauce.
- Chilli - This is the main flavour of the arrabbiata sauce and feel free to adjust it to suit your own tastes. We used dried red chilli flakes, as we always have them in the cupboard, but you could use fresh red chilli if you prefer for your spicy tomato sauce.
- Oil - Use a really good quality virgin olive oil for the arrabbiata sauce.
- Basil - This really lightens ip the finished dish.
- Parmesan (optional) - Obviously adding this means that it would no longer be vegan. However, if you do want to add some cheese then this is a good addition. You could use a vegan alternative to an Italian hard cheese to keep it vegan.
How to Make Penne Arrabbiata
- Step 1: Add the pasta to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes.
- Step 2: Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chilli and garlic and cook on a low heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper to the pan and stir well and simmer until the pasta is ready.
- Step 4: Drain the pasta (reserving a little of the water) and add to the sauce along with the basil.
- Step 5: Stir well and serve.
Serving Suggestions
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.
If you want to bulk this meal out a bit, then serve it with some garlic bread. Either buy some ready made, or make your own easy garlic bread by cutting up some French stick and spreading it with a mix of butter, crushed garlic and dried herbs. Then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Why not try our Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread?
You could also keep it simple with a big green salad. The key to an epic green salad is to use a variety of greens, like romaine, spinach, kale and rocket. You want leafy greens, but crunch too. Then you need the perfect dressing. Why not try our Lemon Vinaigrette, Honey and Mustard Dressing or Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette. You could also try our Grilled Little Gem Salad, or Cucumber and Radish Salad.
Storage
Store: This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, if kept in an airtight container.
Freeze: 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.
Defrost: You can defrost this penne arrabbiata in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: To reheat, defrost fully and then heat in a pan on the hob (stove top).
Dannii's Top 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. You can also use pureed anchovies to get this umami flavour.
- If you want to thin your arrabbiata pasta sauce out a little and make it smoother, then reserve some of the pasta water and add it to the sauce.
- If you wanted to add some vegetables to this, then spinach added towards the end of cooking would work well.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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 into 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.
More Pasta Sauce Recipes
If you've tried this penne arrabbiata recipe, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Penne Arrabbiata
Ingredients
- 140 g (5 oz) Penne pasta
- 1 teaspoon Dried chilli flakes
- 3 Garlic clove - crushed
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 400 g (14 oz) Chopped tomatoes - canned
- 2 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoon Fresh basil - finely chopped
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) Parmesan - optional
Instructions
- Add 140 g Penne pasta to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes.
- Heat 2 tablespoon Olive oil in a frying pan and add 1 teaspoon Dried chilli flakes and 3 Garlic cloveCook on a low heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add 400 g Chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoon Tomato puree and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper to the pan and stir well and simmer until the pasta is ready.
- Drain the pasta (reserving a little of the water) and add to the sauce along with 4 tablespoon Fresh basil.
- Stir well and serve topped with 15 g Parmesan.
Recipe 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.
- If you want to thin your arrabbiata pasta sauce out a little and make it smoother, then reserve some of the pasta water and add it to the sauce.
- If you wanted to add some vegetables to this, then spinach added towards the end of cooking would work well.
Nutritional Information
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The 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.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Charla says
You can't go wrong with a bowl of penne arrabiata. Looking forward to making this on the weekend.
Sally Humeniuk says
I love an easy but beautiful pasta dish and this is definitely that! Thanks for sharing.
Elizabeth says
What a gorgeous recipe, and super simple to make too! This is the kind of meal my kids LOVE!
veenaazmanov says
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.