My spicy, homemade arrabbiata sauce with fresh and canned tomatoes is super simple to make: one pot, 6 ingredients and 20 minutes to cook. Serves 4 for dinner.
When I first tested arrabbiata sauce recipes, I was underwhelmed. It tasted like normal tomato sauce with a spicy kick.
Plus, I was confused. Lidia Bastianich adds pickled pepperoncini to her sauce. Giada’s all’Arrabbiata recipe includes briny capers and olives, and my beloved Ina Garten adds a whopping 24 cloves of garlic!
Here’s What I Did.
I focused solely on the tomatoes, testing arrabbiata sauce with both canned and fresh tomatoes. Fresh won by far. The taste was light, bright and unexpectedly clean, with none of the acidic aftertaste.
But, because fresh tomatoes aren’t always available, I settled on a seasonless combination of both canned and cherry tomatoes. About 2 cups (320 g) of plump cherry tomatoes elevate the sauce with minimal effort!
Arrabbiata Sauce Tips:
- Use a wide 12-inch pan or braiser (instead of a high sided pot). The sauce will reduce faster.
- Add sugar (optional). Just a pinch will balance any tart flavors.
- Play with fire. Fresh red chili peppers add fruity heat; dried red pepper flakes add fiery heat; a dollop of Calabrian chili paste (which is extremely spicy) adds acidity because it’s made with vinegar.
- Make it ahead. Arrabbiata sauce can be chilled in an airtight container, up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Freeze up to 3 months.
Ways To Use It
Serve over penne pasta for a simple weeknight dinner, with a dollop of my homemade ricotta to quell the heat. It’s something different compared to your everyday pomodoro sauce! Arrabbiata is excellent paired with shrimp too.
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20-Minute Homemade Arrabbiata Sauce
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 23
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Pasta Sauce
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This spicy, homemade arrabbiata sauce is made with 6 simple ingredients: canned tomatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes (to lighten and brighten the sauce), garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and parsley. It only takes 20 minutes to cook! Feel free to enhance this dish with non-traditional ingredients including chopped onions, shallots, fresh basil leaves and/or bay leaf.
Ingredients
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/4 tsp– 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes, plus more to taste (see Notes below)Â
- (1) 794 g (28 oz can) whole-peeled plum tomatoes in purée, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand OR pre-made/frozen pomodoro sauce as a base (see Notes below).
- 320 g (2 cups) fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
- Salt
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 453 g (1 lb.) penne pasta or fresh homemade pasta
Notes, Tips & Substitutions
- Instead of dried red pepper flakes, you can use (1) fresh chili pepper, halved and seeds removed or a dollop of Calabrian chili paste.Â
- Using already crushed canned tomatoes makes this sauce come together fast. However, the quality is often lacking (even the “good” brands). Use whole-peeled plum tomatoes instead, and crush them yourself. To do so: remove the tomatoes from the can (leave the juice behind- it’s messy) and roughly chop them on a cutting board. Add the tomatoes and the reserved juice to your sauce. This will take less than 1 minute.
- Use a wide 12-inch pan or braiser (instead of a high sided pot). The sauce will reduce faster.
- Use pre-made/frozen sauce as your base. I like my pomodoro sauce with fresh tomatoes. Just add red pepper flakes and parsley to make it arrabbiata.
- Add sugar. If your canned tomatoes are very acidic, a pinch of sugar will balance out the flavors.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it’s al dente. Meanwhile, make the arrabbiata sauce.
- In a large 12-inch pan or braiser, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and red pepper flakes. Sauté briefly, stirring with a wooden spoon, to gently infuse the olive oil, about 1 minute or so. Do not brown the garlic. The sauce will taste bitter.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and fresh cherry tomatoes to the pan. Season with salt. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste and correct with salt and/or sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic. Note: if using a high-sided pan, the sauce will take a little longer to reduce.
- To serve, add the pasta directly to the arrabbiata sauce. Mix well to combine. Shower with chopped fresh parsley.Â
Notes
- Make it ahead. Arrabbiata sauce can be chilled in an airtight container, up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Freeze up to 3 months.
Comments
Josephine L Willis says
I was just wondering if I could smooth this out with a blender because I don’t like chunky tomatoes in my sauce but I love the flavor.
Alison says
Delicious! Thank you
CMR says
Love, love the simplicity to Emilie’s homemade arrabbiata sauce! Thanks for comparing different recipes. I value your opinion and I plan to make this sauce just as you have outlined.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I printed out this recipe yesterday as soon as it arrived in my inbox, and made it tonight (I had everything on hand, yay!). Super simple and satisfying – basically comfort in a bowl. Love the freshness from the parsley too. Will make again!
Emilie Raffa says
Laura, it’s so nice to hear from you! Thanks so much for the feedback. I’m thrilled you liked it :) xx