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Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Pasta

Penne Arrabiata

Jul 18, 2022 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links which earn us commissions if purchases are made · 74 Comments

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A simple tomato pasta sauce that has a kick of heat and plenty of flavour. This Penne Arrabiata 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.

Penne Arrabiata 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.

Jump to:
  • What is Penne Arrabiata?
  • Why should you try it?
  • Ingredients and substitutions
  • How to make Penne Arrabiata - Step by step
  • What to serve with Penna Arrabiata
  • Storage
  • FAQs
  • Extra tips
  • More pasta sauce recipes
  • Recipe
  • Feedback

What is Penne Arrabiata?

Penne Arrabiata, 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

Arrabiata translates to angry, so this recipes actually means angry pasta because of the chillies that are used in the sauce.

Why should you try it?

  • Ready in 15 minutes - Penne Arrabiata 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

  • 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 in to almost a paste, so that it evenly distributes in this Penne Arrabiata sauce.
  • Chilli - This is the main flavour of the arrabiata 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 arrabiata 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 Arrabiata - 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 chilli 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 sauce.

Five: Stir well and serve.

Cooked penne pasta mixed with arrabbiata sauce.

What to serve with Penna Arrabiata

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.

Penne pasta mixed together with a spicy tomato sauce.

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 arrabiata in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: To reheat, defrost fully and then heat in a pan on the hob (stove top).

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

FAQs

Best pasta for Arrabiata 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 spicy is penne arrabiata?

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.

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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. You can also use pureed anchovies to get this umami flavour.
• If you want to thin your arrabiata 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.

More pasta sauce recipes

  • Easy tomato pasta sauce coating tagliatelle on a white plate.
    Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce
  • Slow Cooker Hidden Vegetable Pasta Sauce mixed into pasta.
    Slow Cooker Hidden Vegetable Pasta Sauce
  • Creamy butternut squash pasta sauce mixed into cooked pasta.
    Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
  • Marinara sauce on top of some spaghetti.
    Marinara

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

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

Penne Arrabbiata

By: Dannii Martin
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.
4.93 from 55 votes
Pin Print Save recipe Saved!
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Italian
Prep: 3 minutes mins
Cook: 12 minutes mins
Total: 15 minutes mins
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 419kcal
Allergens:
An illustration of a carton of milk.
Dairy
An illustration of two ears of wheat.
Gluten

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.
    A saucepan full of penne pasta
  • 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.
    A frying pan with minced garlic and chili flakes cooking in it
  • 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.
    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 4 tablespoon Fresh basil.
    Cooked pasta in a frying pan on top of a tomato souce
  • 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 arrabiata 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

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

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.

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Comments

  1. Klauss says

    June 15, 2016 at 1:08 pm

    This is a very simple and very tasty dish! The cat helped to cook?

    Reply
  2. Lisa (Travel Loving Family) says

    June 15, 2016 at 1:01 pm

    5 stars
    Yum yum yum! This sounds lovely (and healthy!) Your photos are great too

    Reply
  3. Alison says

    June 15, 2016 at 10:21 am

    5 stars
    This is one of my favourite dishes, you can never have to many tomatoes in my book! Love your cat

    Reply
  4. Tandy | Lavender and Lime says

    June 15, 2016 at 5:04 am

    5 stars
    This is Dave's favourite pasta to order when we eat out as it's got too much chilli for my palate

    Reply
  5. Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says

    June 15, 2016 at 3:34 am

    I hope you figure out your food sensitivities, I know how hard that can be! Pasta is one of the best comfort foods, and this arrabiata sounds totally delicious!

    Reply
  6. Ami@NaiveCookCooks says

    June 15, 2016 at 1:31 am

    5 stars
    Girl this is my FAVORITE pastas of all time!! I mean seriously, last time when I went Rome this is what I WAS EATING EVERY. SINGLE.NIGHT. So good with the spicy kick! Hope you are enjoying summer :)

    Reply
  7. Liz Mays says

    June 15, 2016 at 12:10 am

    This sounds really nice and comforting. I'd love to make this dish. I'd definitely enjoy the spicy tomato flavor.

    Reply
  8. Rhian Westbury says

    June 14, 2016 at 10:42 pm

    5 stars
    This is my go to pasta dish when I go out and me and my mum judge restaurants on their standard of this dish x

    Reply
  9. Ana De- Jesus says

    June 14, 2016 at 10:18 pm

    Sorry to hear about the food issues :/ I love penne arrabiata it is one of my favourite pasta dishes ever!

    Reply
  10. Helen @ family-friends-food says

    June 14, 2016 at 10:02 pm

    Yum yum yum! And just perfect for the weather - we had a thunderstorm today... eek!

    Reply
  11. Sarah Bailey says

    June 14, 2016 at 10:01 pm

    5 stars
    Honestly can I come to your dinner for tea - you really manage to make the most delicious looking and sounding dishes. x

    Reply
  12. kellie@foodtoglow says

    June 14, 2016 at 9:49 pm

    5 stars
    This is one of my favourite pasta dishes - this and puttanesca. I am not fond of creamy sauces as too much dairy and fat makes me very queasy if not worse (ahem). This looks spot on. And with the help of my favourite tomato brand, you just know it will be fantastic rather than merely good. :-)

    Reply
  13. Ashley says

    June 14, 2016 at 9:23 pm

    Penne arrabiata is a favorite of mine - so simple but so delicious! Love the pictures with your cat! Too cute! :)

    Reply
  14. Melanie Edjourian says

    June 14, 2016 at 9:13 pm

    5 stars
    This sounds and looks lovely I love dishes with flavour and I am sure this would taste amazing.

    Reply
  15. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

    June 14, 2016 at 9:06 pm

    5 stars
    My mouth is watering just by looking at your photos! And being Italian pasta and I go a long way back. Simple sauces are the best don't you think. I do believe people have a misconception of Italian cooking -- it's not necessarily fattening. Great recipe!

    Reply
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