When I’m tired and simply want a tasty and easy dinner to be on the table in under 20 minutes, this is one of my go-to recipes. I’ve been making this pasta for years and have never bothered to write down the recipe – but it’s so simple and so quick that I realised it needs to be shared!
Because of what an easy meal it is, I always keep the ingredients for this pasta on hand so I can make arrabbiata whenever I want. Translating to “angry spaghetti” in Italian, there is just enough heat in this sauce to make it interesting and very few ingredients so it’s not overwhelming to make.
And the great news? Much like my puttanesca recipe or creamy tomato pasta, the sauce comes together while the pasta cooks.
How to Make Spaghetti all’Arrabbiata
You don’t need to carve out a significant amount of time to make this pasta, nor do you need to spend ages prepping a long list of ingredients. But because this sauce does come together so quickly, it’s always a good idea to prep your ingredients ahead of cooking.
All you need to do is finely dice a large shallot (you can also use half of a small yellow onion, but I tend to prefer shallots). Also, go ahead and mince a couple of cloves of garlic.
Finally, pour a can of whole, peeled tomatoes into a small bowl and then use your hands to crush them.
The flavour and texture of hand-crushing whole tomatoes is much better than buying diced or pre-crushed tomatoes – plus it’s always fun to get a bit tactile with your food!
Move over to the stovetop now and add some chili flakes along with some olive oil to a large skillet. Set it over medium heat and bring the oil to a shimmer. This is also a good time to get your (heavily salted!) pasta water on to boil!
Once the oil is shimmering, go ahead and add your diced shallot along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook this until softened – only a couple of minutes.
Then, add in your minced garlic along with a squeeze of tomato paste. Go ahead and cook this until very fragrant and the tomato paste begins to darken a bit – only another minute or two.
Then, pour in your crushed canned tomatoes along with a little bit of water. I like to rinse out the can and then use that water so I can amplify the tomato flavour even more.
Season with some freshly ground black pepper and bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer. While the sauce is simmering, add your pasta to the boiling water and cook it for two minutes less than the package suggests.
Once the pasta is done, use tongs to lift it from the pot and add the pasta to the sauce. Go ahead and ladle a bit of pasta cooking water into the sauce and grate in a bit of parmesan cheese.
Toss the pasta in the sauce, adding more cooking water to adjust the consistency as you think is necessary.
Then, all you need to do is serve the pasta! Top with a bit more parmesan if you’d like (and who wouldn’t?)!
Spicy Spaghetti Arrabbiata
Ingredients
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 1 large shallot finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 can whole, peeled tomatoes crushed with hands
- 15 g (3 tbsp) parmesan cheese finely grated, plus more to serve
- 250 g (½ lb) spaghetti
Instructions
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the chili flakes to a large skillet. Set the skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, also bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Once the oil is shimmering, add the shallot and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot has softened – about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste begins to darken and the mixture is fragrant – about 2 minutes.
- Pour over the crushed tomatoes along with 60 ml (¼ cup) of water and a generous grind of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water during this time, cooking the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package suggests.
- Once the pasta is done, use tongs to lift it from the cooking water (being sure not to drain it off entirely!) and add it directly to the sauce. Add a small ladle full of pasta-cooking water (about 60 ml or ¼ cup) along with the parmesan cheese.
- Use tongs to toss and coat the pasta in the sauce, adding more cooking water to achieve the desired consistency of the sauce. Serve, topping with more parmesan cheese, if desired.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This recipe for arrabbiata sauce is one of the most simple pastas to make and perfect for a busy weeknight where you’d like a flavourful homemade meal with minimal effort.
Do you want to make spaghetti all’arrabbiata? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
