Penne Arrabiata Pasta | Red Sauce Pasta

Penne Arrabiata is a delicious zesty pasta made with simple ingredients like tomatoes, basil, garlic and chilli flakes. It is a yummy, flavour-packed, easy pasta recipe that you can make for lunch or dinner.

The red sauce pasta recipe shared here is vegetarian and can easily be made vegan and gluten free. It is also a great option for date night dinner or special occasions like valentine’s day, anniversary etc.

I have used penne pasta but other varieties like spaghetti, fusilli, farfalle or gluten free pasta can also be used. To make it even more wholesome, you can sneak in some vegetables like sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, olives or spinach etc.

The sauce for the pasta has been made from scratch using fresh tomatoes but you can use canned tomatoes too.

What is Arrabita?

The word ‘Arrabbiata‘ is an Italian word which literally translates to ‘angry‘ in english. As the name suggests, the sauce in arrabiata pasta is fierce and spicy. For this spiciness, fresh red chillies or dried red chilli flakes are used while making this sauce.

The taste of spicy arrabiata pasta is enhanced by generous use of parmesan cheese. As the only dairy product in this recipe is parmesan, to make it vegan replace it with ‘vegan parmesan’ or nutritional yeast for cheesy taste.

My arrabiata pasta recipe here is inspired from the delectable (or must I say one of the best) red sauce pasta that I tried on my trip to Rome. It looked humble, simple yet tempting with a sprig of fresh basil on top, served with a small bowl of parmesan and bread on the sides.

I was pleasantly surprised how it tasted absolutely surreal with sweet-tangy, spicy flavours accompanied by subtle hints of garlic and fresh fragrant Italian basil. After coming back from there, my version of tomato pasta has totally changed & I have tried to get that same taste through this recipe.

As tomatoes make the base of this sauce, use fresh & firm red tomatoes. Nothing can beat the taste of authentic Italian Roma tomatoes but as we don’t get them everywhere, I would advice to use the best quality of tomatoes available near you. You can even use canned roma tomatoes.

Serving Suggestion:
Penne Arrabbiata can be paired with cheesy garlic bread, roasted vegetables, air fryer veggies like this green beans or any green salad on sides.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• Penne Pasta (uncooked)- 2 cups (180 g)
• Olive Oil- 2 tbsp
• Garlic Cloves- 2 to 3
• Red Chilli Flakes- 3/4 tsp
• Tomatoes (medium size)- 8 to 10 (28 oz.)
• Tomato Puree or Paste- 3 tbsp
• Fresh Basil Leaves- 8 to 10
• Sugar- 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Salt- 1 tsp (to taste)
• Black Pepper (crushed)- 1/2 tsp
• Parmesan*- 1/3 cup
• Water- For boiling

Notes:

1. The above quantities serve 2.
2. Instead of fresh tomatoes, you can use whole peeled canned tomatoes.
3. *For vegan pasta, skip parmesan cheese or use vegan parmesan / nutritional yeast.
4. You can also add sautéed veggies of your choice likes mushrooms, broccoli, spinach & olives etc

Directions:

Step 1:

If you are using canned tomatoes, skip step 1 & 2. Bring water to rolling boil in a pot. In the meanwhile, make criss-cross cut marks on the base of tomatoes with a sharp knife.

Once the water comes to boil, add these tomatoes & boil for 40-60 seconds until their peel starts to come off. Take them out & dip in chilled water (or run under cold water) to cool quickly.

Step 2:

Peel the tomatoes. The cut marks help in removing the peels easily. Chop off their top part & discard them

Step 3:

Roughly chop / mash the tomatoes & if there are too many seeds, remove them (It is alright if there are some left too. We just don’t want too many seeds in the sauce). Keep aside.

Step 4:

Finely mince the garlic cloves (or use garlic press). Heat olive oil in a pan. Add garlic and chilli flakes (can also add 1/4 tsp dried oregano). Sauté for 30-40 seconds until garlic becomes slightly golden and fragrant.

Step 5:

Add chopped tomatoes along with tomato puree, salt, sugar & black pepper. Mix well. Simmer for 25-30 min. Cook it with lid for initial 15 min & then without lid. Stir every 5-10 min.

As the tomatoes begin to soften up, crush them with a masher to release the juices. As the sauce begins to thicken up, start boiling the pasta.

Step 6:

Boil 4 to 5 cups of water in a pot. Add 2 tsp salt. Add pasta to it & cook al-dente (cook 1-2 minutes less than the time mentioned on packet). Drain the pasta & reserve 1/4 cup of the ‘pasta water’ to use later.

Step 7:

The arrabiata sauce would be ready by now. Roughly tear the basil leaves and add it to the sauce. Mix & simmer for 1 min. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. (If you want smoother consistency sauce, blend with an immersion blender).

Add the pasta along with 2-3 tbsp of reserved pasta-water (The starch in it helps the sauce stick). Toss gently. Cook the pasta in sauce for 1-2 min. Switch off the heat and add parmesan cheese.

Transfer it to serving bowls. Top up with more parmesan & garnish with basil leaves. Delicious penne arrabiata pasta is ready to serve (I have also added some oven roasted cherry tomatoes in this pasta, however it is completely optional.)

Tips:

How to oven roast cherry tomatoes in oven?

Wash 10-15 cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Drizzle some olive oil, salt & black pepper on them. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20-25 min.

Can I make this pasta ahead of time?

How to know when the pasta is boiled?

Ideally the pasta should be boiled ‘Al-Dente‘ which means cooked only till there is a slight bite left to it. The pasta should not be over boiled as it will turn too soft & mushy. Please refer to the back of the packet & follow the timings mentioned on it as every brand has their own set of instructions.

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(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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